I had been waiting for the call to hear the results of my breast biopsy. When my cell phone rang that morning, deep down I already knew it was bad news. Whether I knew it or not, nothing prepares you for that kind of news. The c word is scary stuff. Hearing for the first time that you have cancer is a little like being pushed off a cliff and freefalling toward the ground.

Amazingly, you instantly get a bird’s eye view from up there of your life and how things are ordered, or should be ordered. My first thought was my family. My husband and our sons, who were 10 and 16 at the time. How were they going to handle this? How were we going to handle this? Who would run my business? Had we planned well enough financially for something “like this” to happen to me? Was I going to die? Fear struck me deep in my heart.

Then, it happened. God’s peace flooded me like a big safety net springing out in every direction underneath me. In my shock, I was forgetting Who was in charge. At that moment, I didn’t know the outcome but I knew it would be all right. No matter what. The Lord reminded me that this cancer did not come as a surprise to Him, and, like He had done so many times before, He was either going to catch me or give me wings to fly.

What followed was nothing short of miraculous …

Because of my family’s history with multiple experiences with breast cancer (including my mother’s), reluctantly and brokenheartedly, I opted for radical bi-lateral mastectomy surgery.

After I was home recovering, going through one of the worst times of my life, God sent me and my husband an angel to help us. My sweet friend from church, Lisa Johnson, an oncology nurse, had offered to come by when she got off work every day for awhile to help me dress my wounds so my husband would not have to.

During one of her visits, she noticed a suspicious mole near my spine on my lower back. She told me it was probably nothing, but recommended that I get it checked out.

After a few months of recovery from my breast surgeries, I went to my dermatologist just to check this off my list. A few days later, they called me back. I nearly passed out when the nurse told me I had melanoma. What? Those scary questions started playing all over in my mind again. Was I going to die?

The questions were soon followed by an overwhelming sense of relief as I put it all together. I had had that mole for years but had never noticed it as a problem. It was out of sight, out of mind, and I don’t think I would have ever given it attention until it had spread. Had I not had breast cancer and had God not put it on Lisa’s heart to help me, and had she not have noticed and  had she not have told me about the mole, I believe I would have probably died from melanoma. Too much in these sequence of events to be a coincidence. God had a plan for my good and for His glory.

And I am still here and I will celebrate my 5th year being cancer free on June 8. I cannot praise Him enough.

Dear Lord: Thank You that You are the great Physician and that, not only can You heal us, but You do heal us. May You receive all the glory for that, and may we always remember that You are sovereign and never take Your love for us for granted. Thank You that You gave Your Son Jesus to die for us. By His stripes, we are healed. Amen

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Thank you for reading and sharing my posts with others. If you have comments, please reply or send me a private message. Please remember to subscribe for future posts on the upper right of this page. Lastly, May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Don’t forget to Slip! Slop! Slap! And Wrap! Find out more at http://www.cancer.org/healthy/morewaysacshelpsyoustaywell/acs-skin-cancer-prevention-activities