Being a “Thriver” (9)

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Lynn

Psalm 119: 67, 71, 92, and 93 I’ll run together to describe how God ministered to me through His Word as I battled Breast Cancer.

“Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I obey your word….It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees….If your law had not been my delight I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.”

One thing that I had to come to terms with was my own mortality. I had to completely relinquish any control I thought I had, and give myself over to God. He was the only One Who would determine whether I lived or died and I had to come to the place where I accepted either scenario and say, “It is well with my soul.”

I am what the medical profession calls a “survivor”. I suppose to the world at large I am, but I reject that term in many ways because it suggests that I have fought the battle against breast cancer myself and that it is on my strength alone that the victory was won. That is not the case at all. I had a team of fantastic medical professionals, I had an incredibly supportive family and church family who loved on me daily and I had the prayers of many, the promises of Scripture, and the peace that surpasses understanding envelope me throughout those two years. If I could I would instead change the word “survived” to “thrived”. Survival is one thing, but to thrive means that the only One who deserves any credit for that is Jesus Christ. If I showed any strength it was because I had His strong shoulders to cry upon, I had His strong arms to wrap around me and hold me up, I had His comforting Words to soothe away my fears, I had His assurance that He was completely in control every step of the way.

I wish to share a poem that was sent to me by one of my best friend’s only hours before my first surgery.  Let it be a constant reminder what it means to THRIVE every single day, no matter your circumstances!

A STRONG WOMAN VERSUS A WOMAN OF STRENGTH

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape…

But a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything…

But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her…

But a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future…

A woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure-footedly…

But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face…

But a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey…

But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

Author’s Note:  June 2019 marks eighteen years cancer-free!  Praise God!

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Being a “Thriver” (8)

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Lynn

God commands us to have joy in all our circumstances.

Let’s look at Phil. 4:4…”Rejoice in the Lord always.” It does not say rejoice sometimes, or rejoice only when we feel like it, it says “rejoice in the Lord always.” (In the Lord) means in His fellowship, in His love and grace and in the knowledge of His dominion over our lives and His rule over all our destiny.) In other words, the Lord has EVERYTHING under control.

If it is a command, it is also a choice. Many times I was faced with the choice to laugh or cry. I chose to laugh.

I made every effort to be as positive as I could be about my prognosis and to believe that through this whole experience I could be used by God. I was not disappointed. I had opportunity to pray with my doctors and nurses before and after surgeries. I was able to talk with my roommates about God and I have been privileged to meet other women and share my “hope in Jesus” with them as they too struggle in battling breast cancer. I have written several articles that were published in HomeLife about my cancer experience and I have been able to share my testimony with many through my books and through my Journey Thoughts blog.

After my last chemo treatment in June of 2001, I came home to a huge poster taped to my front door reading: “Praise the Lord, the Chemo is done! Way to go Lynn!  Continued prayers and blessings unto you and the family!” It was an amazing note of encouragement from my church family. As I started to heal and regain my strength through the next half year, my friends and family continued to pray and love me. I still have friends who continue to pray for me, particularly for my health, knowing that once diagnosed with cancer, the fear of reoccurrence is always there. I don’t dwell on it, but I know too that every day is a gift.

In January 2002, I underwent a prophylactic mastectomy of the left breast followed by immediate reconstruction surgery of both breasts. It may sound strange, but that surgery was actually my “reward” after Breast Cancer. Many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer opt to have immediate reconstruction after their initial surgery. I did not have that option because my oncologist wanted me to start chemotherapy as soon as I had recovered from my initial surgery. If I had opted for reconstruction, I would have had to wait with chemo until I had healed sufficiently. As it was, this gave me nearly a year to think about my options and since breast cancer runs in our family (my mother passed away from the disease in 1990), I opted to have the other breast removed followed by reconstruction of both breasts later in what is called a Tram Flap operation that sees tissue taken from the stomach and used to make brand new breasts with microscopic surgery to connect blood vessels. It means a tummy tuck…bonus!…and then later the cosmetic surgeon can make nipples and add tattoos to finish the look.

Unfortunately the 15 hour reconstructive surgery resulted in my developing a blood clot in my leg so I spent most of February 2002 in the hospital recovering from the extensive surgery, but now I look back on that particular surgery and I am very pleased with the results and despite the risks then, I would not have done anything differently. Reconstruction allowed me to look and feel normal again and for me that was part of my healing process…and I didn’t have to worry about my prosthetic tumbling out of my shirt at an inopportune moment 🙂 .

It is true that persons who have experienced a life-threatening illness, see life very differently than they ever did before the illness. It may seem strange to say, but “cancer” actually gave me back my life. I had been in a deep spiritual valley prior to my diagnosis. I know we all may go through that every once in a while but in my case, I was probably as low as I could go in my faith walk. I had been a Christian for over 20 years, and I had served in my church for years and attended services each Sunday, but I was leading a hollow, empty existence with no joy when it came to my faith walk. I am not suggesting God brought on my cancer to shake me from the spiritual doldrums I was in, but He used my cancer to reveal Himself to me in ways I would never have known had I not journeyed down cancer’s road.

 

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Being a “Thriver” (7)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Lynn

Laughter is the best medicine!

A man walks into the lingerie department of Sears and walks up to the woman behind the counter and whispers in embarrassment: “I want to buy a bra for my wife.”

“What type of bra?” asks the clerk.

“Type?” inquires the man. “There is more than one type?”

“Look around,” says the saleslady, and like Vanna White moves her arms in a long sweeping motion showing off a sea of bras in every shape, size, colour and material.

“Actually, Sir, even with all this variety, there are really only three types of bras, “ replies the sales clerk.

Confused the man asks, “Oh, and what are they?”

The saleslady says, “The Catholic type, the Salvation Army type and the Baptist type. Which one do you need?”

Still confused the man asks, “What’s the difference between them?”

The lady responds, “It is all really quite simple. The Catholic type supports the masses, the Salvation Army type lifts up the fallen, and the Baptist type makes mountains out of molehills.”

Another humourous story I can share was when my daughter, Laurelle, was proof-reading a poignant email I was getting ready to send to a friend just prior to my first surgery. I had written,

“Just as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene, I too wish to have this “cup” taken from me…”

Of course my meaning was that I would not have to go through this cancer journey at all, but Laurelle started laughing after reading that line.

“Mom, think about what you just wrote,” she said, “have this “cup” taken from you…breast cancer?…cup….get it??”

We rolled on the floor laughing.

I never want to diminish the seriousness of cancer. I don’t make light of the disease at all, however, for me it became a choice of whether I wanted to wallow in self-pity, curl up in a tight ball and give up, which I would have done if I had counted on my own strength to get through the day…or I could use every method of ammunition afforded me by God to fight this terrible disease. One powerful weapon in my arsenal was laughter.

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