My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
It was as if the Lord put this necklace of grace around my neck at the very start of this journey, and it has been with me every day since.
By: Thistlebend
This is the story of God’s amazing grace, tender love, and precious promises given to me through my breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
It was as if the Lord put a necklace of His grace, love, and truth around my neck.
May He receive all the glory!
l pray it will be a great encouragement to you.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
When asked to share the story of God’s grace through my cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, several words flashed through my mind in an instant.
They all began with P:
Prayer, Peace, Power, Provision, Promises, Perfect love, Protection, Providence, People, Plan, Purpose, and Praise.
The following morning, I read this Scripture: Genesis 32:10, “I am unworthy of all the loving kindness, and all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant.”
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
Friday, July 19, 2019, my husband Kevin and I were in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
It was our daughter’s wedding day.
I was alone in a dressing room just a few hours before the wedding—the alterations of my dress were not right.
Standing in the mirror I saw something I had never seen before—two very tell-tale signs of breast cancer.
It was startling and took my breath away.
By God’s grace, I gathered my thoughts and drew near to the Lord in PRAYER:
“May this be nothing.
But, here I am Lord, but whether in life or in death, I am yours and yours alone. Your will be done. May you be glorified.”
I was reminded of Philippians 4:4:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice . . .
Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.”
We can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
As I rejoiced in the Lord and made my requests know to Him the Lord gave me PEACE.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guarded my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Genesis 32:10 KJV
[10] I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
The Lord in His grace had taught me to trust Him, His love, and His POWER even in a moment like this.
He had broken a stronghold of fear in my heart that had been there since childhood.
When I was in the first grade, my father was diagnosed with cancer.
I remember one moment as if it were yesterday.
We were pulling into the garage after picking my father up from the hospital.
He had white bandages wrapped around his head. My mom said “Your dad nearly died. We are blessed to have him with us.”
The doctors had not expected my father to survive the surgery.
He did, however, but there was a dark cloud that hovered over him—
a fear went with him throughout the remainder of his life,
and with that fear an increase in alcohol consumption which wreaked havoc in his life and in our family.
I developed an underlying fear that something bad was going to happen which continued into my adulthood.
Now, something bad was happening, yet I had no fear.
Instead, I was filled with hope and anticipation.
The Lord gave me His grace to believe His Word and gave me the power I needed to obey His Word.
Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
While believing that God would care for me, I was filled with hope.
I knew that I wouldn’t be walking this alone.
And I knew He was with me right in the dressing room and would be with me all along the way.
Also, I knew that He was my shepherd and that there was nothing that I would need that He wouldn’t PROVIDE.
By His grace, He made a way for me to lie down in green pastures, and rest beside still waters in the midst of great trial and uncertainty.
He guided me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
Even though I was walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I didn’t fear any evil!
He was with me!
His rod and staff comforted me.
And 2 Corinthians 9:8 came to life in a way it never had before:
“God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things, at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
I was enjoying the fruit of having been taught by the Lord how to trust in the PROMISES of His word.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
Two months before my diagnosis during an extremely difficult trial, Psalm 16 became a source of great comfort and strength.
Just as the psalmist proclaimed the Lord was my portion and my cup!
He was/and is more than enough!
And He was my life and my all.
There was the joy of His calling and the honor of serving Him in whatever He may be asking of me.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
The Lord PREPARED me very specifically.
Years earlier, Kerry, our ministry bookkeeper shared that she was just diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time.
She had already undergone a mastectomy, chemo, and radiation and now she needed to go through it all again.
I witnessed the Lord’s love and care for her as she lost her hair, and became sick, and weak.
She was filled with peace, joy, and hope, never missed a day of work, and was so happy to do whatever the Lord had for her.
Deuteronomy 31:8: “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
In His love, the Lord brought me near to someone who was going through the very thing I feared the most.
He allowed me to witness His deep and abiding love.
I could see His arms loving around her and see her resting in them.
And I could see her resting in His love.
God’s Word is so true; there is no fear in love, but PERFECT LOVE casts away all fear!
God’s PROTECTION was one of the most striking aspects of His grace to me.
As I stood in the dressing room, I remembered the mammogram I had a year earlier.
The results were clear. The doctor said, “Everything looks good!
You have done so well that you won’t need another mammogram for two years.”
My next mammogram was actually scheduled for August 2021—3 years later.
However, the Lord knew that it wasn’t clear and revealed what was hidden.
What technology and doctors hadn’t seen, God revealed.
And He revealed it in His perfect time.
He knew the cancer was there last year, the year before, and the year before that.
In fact, He knew the very moment the first cancer cell formed in my body.
And yet in His love and according to His sovereign plan, He revealed the cancer to me that day.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
His PROVIDENCE—this was His divine, glorious orchestration of events—His symphony for His glory.
The Heidelberg Catechism phrases it this way:
“God’s providence is his almighty and ever-present power, whereby, as with His hand,
He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty,
indeed, all things, come to us not by chance but by His fatherly hand.”
So, I left the dressing room, purchased what I needed, met Kevin and we headed to Hannah’s wedding.
The ceremony was a beautiful testimony of God’s mercy and grace—a powerful and visual proclamation of the gospel.
When we returned to Louisville I went online and described my symptoms in my chart and requested an annual exam.
Within one hour, I had a phone call.
The next day I received a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. The biopsy was scheduled for a few days later.
Kevin and I were witnessing the Lord move.
His hand was everywhere. He gave us grace to see Him in the events around us, and He brought PEOPLE to surround us.
Some old friends reached out not knowing what was going on.
They said: “Life has separated us, I miss you, can we reconnect?”
A new friend reached out and invited me for lunch.
As it would happen, my biopsy was the morning before lunch, August 8th.
I sensed that I could share and ask her to pray. She and her husband prayed for me daily.
Two close friends came from miles away—one from Northeast Ohio and another from Arizona.
All of my friends were so loving, so supportive, and so near—like sisters.
My siblings live out of town, and we don’t see each other often.
When I shared the news, they pulled out all the stops.
Every week they would send a card, a text, a package, a phone call, even a visit, or all of the above!
Then there was our church.
In God’s perfect timing, our first visit to homegroup was on August 15—the day before we would receive the biopsy results.
We asked them to please pray for us.
We were surrounded by the love of Christ—the body of Christ.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
The next day we received the biopsy results. They were positive.
We prayed for wisdom and direction. Praise God for the body of Christ!
I called a dear friend who had breast cancer.
The Lord used her in a beautiful way.
She gave just what I needed—clear marching orders.
“Call Dr. H. He has just returned to practice and specializes in breast cancer surgery. He is one of the best surgeons in Louisville. We knew him. A kind man and a devout Christian who had left practice to go to seminary.”
Then she said, “Call Dr. D for your reconstructive surgery.”
Within two business days, we were in Dr. H’s office. I would need a double mastectomy because of the size and location and because it was hidden.
PEOPLE
My surgeon asked: “What about a plastic surgeon?”
We mentioned Dr. D.
He responded, “You usually can’t get in to see him for a year.”
I said: “Well, who would you recommend?”
The nurse said: “You should give him a try. Let’s go. We’ll call him right now!”
She led me to her office, and she called Dr. D.
They answered. They said: “He is off on Wednesday afternoons, but he will see you. Can you be here at 3 pm?”
So, we were with Dr. H on Tuesday and Dr. D the following afternoon with surgery scheduled for the afternoon of September 25th!
Dr. D, who had said that he was no longer doing breast reconstructions,
sat with me for over an hour walking me through what to expect, how I would feel, what they were going to do, and what they were not going to do—all of it.
The time he spent with me was pivotal. The Lord knew just what I needed and provided.
As I share about all those the Lord provided there is one key person I haven’t mentioned—my husband.
There is no way to describe the amazing love and grace I was shown through him.
He was there every step of the way. So loving. And So kind. Also, So caring. Such a friend! He was Christ to me.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
And then there was the Lord!
He ruled and reigned over every little detail of what we were to go through.
There were some weeks we were going to five, six, seven doctor’s appointments.
And There was test after test, and a surgery to prepare me for a surgery—yet we never felt any strain.
We felt His tender loving presence so near and were literally carried through all of the steps, and there were many!
In the midst of it all,
Kevin and I sensed the Lord’s very clear leading that I was to continue to teach Bible study in the fall on Monday evenings and Wednesday mornings and work my regular schedule 9-5.
And then there was the annual benefit for the ministry in November which had been on the calendar for a year.
It would occur four weeks into the chemotherapy treatment.
It all seemed a bit crazy but to be the Lord’s sovereign PLAN.
The deepest desire of our hearts was that others would witness God’s love and grace as I had through Kerry.
We were watching Him put that together and carry it out.
The day of surgery came. Dr. H, who works at one hospital, collaborated with Dr. D from another hospital.
They agreed to work together, and both were present in the operating room during the surgery.
The surgery took place on Wednesday, September 25th, after I had finished teaching in the morning.
All the ladies in the study prayed for me.
Then Kevin and I left to go to the hospital to prep for a 1 pm surgery.
It all went extremely well. I was discharged Friday and scheduled to teach the following Monday.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
What condition was I going to be in?!
Monday came.
There were two drainage tubes inserted into open incisions on each side with bulb syringes attached to them.
We were to suction or “milk” the fluid/blood and drain worms four times a day.
Ah! We were in an alien movie.
I got dressed and went to class. I was able to teach as if nothing had happened.
We all were witnessing God’s amazing grace!
We learned shortly after my surgery that three of the lymph nodes were full of cancer.
I learned later when we met with a radiation oncologist that was called lymph vascular space invasion!
And I would need pretty extensive radiation,
but I also needed a bone scan and CAT scan to determine whether the cancer had metastasized to my brain, lungs, or bones.
Everyone prayed. Then we received the call. ALL was clear! It had not metastasized—a huge praise!!
And so began the treatment.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
My oncologist, Dr. B, was the perfect person to have for your oncologist! And the staff, nurses, and technicians were truly amazing.
Three vials of blood were drawn every visit before the chemo to monitor blood counts, etc.
Once approved you go to a room of rooms with lounge chairs and IVs.
The first day the nurse said to us: “Just a minute. I’ll be right back.”
She returned in what looked like a hazmat suit: Hat, pants, jacket, gloves . . . holding five very large syringes of red fluid.
It was Adriamycin and Cytoxan, nicknamed the red devil.
She said, “I don’t want to frighten you.
But I have this gear on because if this spills on me, it will burn through my clothing and my skin.”
There she was injecting the red devil into me. This was the Lord’s provision at this time.
He was the Great Physician sovereign overall;
I could trust Him even though the chemo would burn holes in clothing and skin and kill all of the new growth cells in my body.
During six months of chemotherapy, I experienced many negative effects, but God’s grace empowered me to carry on.
And although the red devil was killing all the new growth cells, it was also killing the cancer cells without killing me.
The Lord has made the human body resilient.
I was able to teach the entire fall session and winter sessions throughout the chemotherapy without missing a class.
My hair stayed in place perfectly up to the annual benefit—a day later as I showered, it all fell out on the floor!
But the Lord orchestrated all the details, kept us and everything in place, and accomplished all in His precision timing.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
One in two women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
And one in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer—an opportunity for God to be glorified.
Kevin and I had prayed that I wouldn’t have to go through chemo.
But we would have missed some of the most powerful incidences of God’s grace had I not.
And through the radiation, which was five days a week for seven weeks, I had one opportunity after another to share the gospel.
Due to the type of breast cancer, I will be on hormone therapy for 8-10 years.
Fatigue can be extreme throughout cancer treatment, increases with radiation, and continues afterward.
Every month in treatment is multiplied by two.
Eight months of treatment would mean sixteen months of recovery.
The fatigue accentuated my human frailty but magnified God’s POWER and might.
He gave me new acceptance of my weakness and contentment in His PURPOSES.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
His grace is sufficient. And His power is made perfect in our weakness in ways we will never be able to comprehend this side of heaven.
If the grace of God during these past two years could be represented by a necklace, each of the P’s would be a pearl on this strand.
It was as if the Lord put this necklace of grace around my neck at the very start of this journey, and it has been with me every day since.
However, I realized He gave it to me long ago at my spiritual birth.
It has been through this and other trials that He has opened my eyes to see the immeasurable riches of His inheritance and enabled me to walk in His grace more than ever.
My prayer will forever be that my cancer along with His grace would bring Him much glory!
PRAISE be to God.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
My Cancer. God’s Grace. His Glory.
Also Read: You Don’t Outgrow the Need for Jesus’ Grace. – Diademng (thediademng.org)
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