Hi Everyone,
It has been two weeks since Connie had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. We got word a few days after she got home from the hospital that her pathology showed that her lymph nodes were clear, but we didn’t know if she would have to have any further treatment like chemo or radiation. Today, we had an appointment with Dr. Walker, Connie’s oncologist, at the OU Physicians Center. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know whether Dr. Walker would give us an idea of what kind of treatment, if any, we should plan for or if it would simply be a check-up. Dr. Walker and Dr. Lannuel did check Connie’s scars, they read to us from the pathology report once again, and then Dr. Walker said, “I would pronounce you cured.” I felt like jumping out of my skin, hugging Dr. Walker, and asking her, “Are you sure you said ‘CURED?’ Don’t worry, I didn’t make a fool out of myself. I just quietly praised God for His provision and grace.
Connie will not have to have chemo or radiation, but she will have to visit Dr. Walker once every three months for the next two years for check-ups and tests as a precautionary measure. After the two years are up she will have to visit Dr. Walker once every six months for the same tests.
Needless to say, we are so grateful to the Lord for His graciousness towards our family. It is interesting that Connie and I were sitting in the waiting room to see Dr. Walker and I was reading a quote by Phillip Yancey. I showed it to Connie because it speaks so vividly of our experience during the past month. Yancey says, “What is faith, after all, but believing in advance what wil only make sense in reverse.” That statement strikes at the heart of our experience. I will never forget one month when i walked into my house and Connie told me she had cancer. I was shocked, my heart raced, and I was afraid. I couldn’t see the future. I had no idea what was before us. I only knew to pray and trust God. Now looking back over the past month I see His fingerprints every where. God has been so good to us. He ordained this trial to teach us to trust Him and to battle fear whenever it raised its ugly head.
When Connie and I got back to my truck after meeting with Dr. Walker we held hands and prayed, thanking God for all that He had done in our lives during the past month. We prayed for Dr. Walker and Dr. Lannuel who will meet with many “Connies” in the months to come and asked Him to bless them so that those in need could feel the compassion coming from them that we have felt. We also thank God for each of you who have prayed for us, cooked us meals, sent flowers to Connie, signed a jillion cards and letters, and most of all, loved us through it all.
God is good. Not just when the Doctor announces that you are “cured,” but He is good all of the time and His purposes for our lives are to use us to bring glory and honor to His name. Connie and I have prayed that He would use us in this trial to do just that.