Today is my 48th Birthday!
40 years ago today I was with my family camping in Minnesota during my birthday week. We went mini golfing and laughed. Went to church and Sunday School. I had no idea what was about to happen no idea that my innocent fun filled life was about to change dramatically.
That next day I would feel the urgency to use the bathroom and it persisted. My parents took me to a nearby ER and they thought I had a urinary tract infection. When they tested they found no infection. So they did more tests and found out I had cancer. Cancer that they thought was benign, but discovered later was indeed malignant and had burst outside itself. Cancer that itself weighed 5lbs in my little girl body.
I had no idea the seriousness of it all. My dad had lost his only sibling - sister to cancer when she was only 21 and I was a baby. No idea that my parents knew the seriousness of the situation. No idea the recovery time from surgery ahead and the months and months of radiation treatments that would make me sick everyday.
No idea the hundreds of miles our 4 hour round trips to Iowa City for treatments would be coming. No idea the other children I would meet who I would also see pass away in the hospital. No idea the hundreds of hours I would spend waiting on doctors while my mom would help me with homework or be reading the Bible. No idea the hundreds of people who were all praying for me, family, friends, strangers.
No idea what caused this kind of cancer that typically only affects women over 40. No idea that I would have a hysterectomy and all of my internal organs affected by the effort to get rid of ever cancer cell. No idea that I may not live. No idea.........
No idea that God caused the cancer to roll onto my bladder which caused us to go to the hospital- MIRACLE.
No idea that God had planted doctors to do this massive surgery that was, at best, a guess as to what to do- MIRACLE.
No idea that we would be able to run into so many people during the surgery and radiation treatments that we could witness to- MIRACLE.
No idea that God would allow my grandparents to take turns staying with my brothers so my dad could work and my mom could come with me all those weeks of radiation- MIRACLE.
No idea that God would use my testimony to touch so many in my life- MIRACLE.
No idea that God would bring me a husband and we would still have 9 beautiful children- MIRACLE.
No idea that even today 40 years later I would be able to share my God story of how he used me, healed me, and restored me to who I am today- MIRACLE.
There really aren't words to describe the difference between 40 years ago today and one day later when I found out that I had cancer. I was already saved and knew the Lord as my personal savior. In those years of being healed miraculously by Jesus He gave me a gift most others do not have. He gave me the gift of perseverance, a deep faith that I can't describe, and a love for Jesus that goes far beyond and keeps growing. MIRACLE.
My grandma was right- I am a walking MIRACLE.
THANK YOU JESUS!
