You never think you will hear the words "You have cancer"....it always happens to someone else. I'm happy to celebrate 4 years since my BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS!
I actually didn't "hear" those words from my doctor's lips. She told me I flunked my needle biopsy and I asked, that means it was cancer? She only nodded and I tried to provide a strong sense of confidence and a little humor with a short laugh...after that I don't remember much else of the conversation. Dear husband listened to my options, we were handed a packet of information and as I walked through the waiting room, I remember trying to hide the packet of information so others watching wouldn't give me pitiful looks.
We were still trying to wrap our heads around the "C" word when we realized dear hubby needed to make a call to the elders at our congregation to let them know he wouldn't be at a previously scheduled meeting. The look on his face and the lump in his throat when he gave the reason as "Renee has just been diagnosed with breast.....c...a...n...c...e...r" was all it took for my resolve to crumble.
We had suspected the results would come back positive-I hadn't felt well in a while. Again, that woman's instinct that "something like this doesn't happen to me" had me thinking in simple terms. Had the house checked for mold, painted all the rooms and changed out the carpet. Maybe my mattress isn't a good one and that's the reason I'm tired. OR maybe it's because dear hubby snores all night. Do I have too many irons in the fire? I kept my yearly GYN visit and bloodwork came back fine. Nothing was wrong with ME. It had to be something else! I never had experienced any health issues before and my only hospital stay was to give birth. I exercised, ate healthy....
However, I couldn't make it through a day without "crashing" around 2 PM. The kicker was one day in August when I decided to move my sewing room from one room in the house to our vacant "pool house". After one load of stuff in a laundry basket and a rubbermaid tote on a dolly, I was DONE. I mean, sit down on the couch, put my feet up and eat an apple and peanut butter. Maybe my blood sugar was low??? Nada....
Not long after this experience, we drove to Birmingham to visit my sister and brother-in-law for a niece to be crowned Homecoming Queen. After vowing to help SIL get ready for the after party, I fell asleep on the couch until time to get ready to leave! Yep...something was definitely off.
So, to say it was a surprise isn't true. It was just a shock of reality-I HAD BREAST CANCER. We had calls to make to children that were in college and family that lived out of state. Tough, but we made it through. Neighbors bringing food and support that night and many prayers helped us get through the "C" word diagnosis day.
Blessings come in a variety of ways. You wouldn't think of cancer as a blessing. There is a song in our hymn book- "Count your many blessings, name them one by one." Because of my cancer diagnosis, I count my blessings every day. Not just around a table for a Thanksgiving meal, not when something good happens. James 1:2 tells us our faith will be tested and we will have to "count it all joy...when you meet trials of various kinds." We just have a tendency to think those trials happen to someone else. With faith "all things are possible"(Mark 10:27). It would be possible for me to count a breast cancer diagnosis a blessing as long as I used my faith to get me through that trial.
So on my 4 year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis, I celebrate blessings! Of faith, family, friends, life, love and breath every day!
Can you find a blessing in EVERY day? What about taking the time to name them all? On your drive to work? In the shower in the morning? While you lay in bed at night in the dark to lull you to a peaceful sleep?
Blessings to you today,
Renee
I actually didn't "hear" those words from my doctor's lips. She told me I flunked my needle biopsy and I asked, that means it was cancer? She only nodded and I tried to provide a strong sense of confidence and a little humor with a short laugh...after that I don't remember much else of the conversation. Dear husband listened to my options, we were handed a packet of information and as I walked through the waiting room, I remember trying to hide the packet of information so others watching wouldn't give me pitiful looks.
We were still trying to wrap our heads around the "C" word when we realized dear hubby needed to make a call to the elders at our congregation to let them know he wouldn't be at a previously scheduled meeting. The look on his face and the lump in his throat when he gave the reason as "Renee has just been diagnosed with breast.....c...a...n...c...e...r" was all it took for my resolve to crumble.
We had suspected the results would come back positive-I hadn't felt well in a while. Again, that woman's instinct that "something like this doesn't happen to me" had me thinking in simple terms. Had the house checked for mold, painted all the rooms and changed out the carpet. Maybe my mattress isn't a good one and that's the reason I'm tired. OR maybe it's because dear hubby snores all night. Do I have too many irons in the fire? I kept my yearly GYN visit and bloodwork came back fine. Nothing was wrong with ME. It had to be something else! I never had experienced any health issues before and my only hospital stay was to give birth. I exercised, ate healthy....
However, I couldn't make it through a day without "crashing" around 2 PM. The kicker was one day in August when I decided to move my sewing room from one room in the house to our vacant "pool house". After one load of stuff in a laundry basket and a rubbermaid tote on a dolly, I was DONE. I mean, sit down on the couch, put my feet up and eat an apple and peanut butter. Maybe my blood sugar was low??? Nada....
Not long after this experience, we drove to Birmingham to visit my sister and brother-in-law for a niece to be crowned Homecoming Queen. After vowing to help SIL get ready for the after party, I fell asleep on the couch until time to get ready to leave! Yep...something was definitely off.
So, to say it was a surprise isn't true. It was just a shock of reality-I HAD BREAST CANCER. We had calls to make to children that were in college and family that lived out of state. Tough, but we made it through. Neighbors bringing food and support that night and many prayers helped us get through the "C" word diagnosis day.
Blessings come in a variety of ways. You wouldn't think of cancer as a blessing. There is a song in our hymn book- "Count your many blessings, name them one by one." Because of my cancer diagnosis, I count my blessings every day. Not just around a table for a Thanksgiving meal, not when something good happens. James 1:2 tells us our faith will be tested and we will have to "count it all joy...when you meet trials of various kinds." We just have a tendency to think those trials happen to someone else. With faith "all things are possible"(Mark 10:27). It would be possible for me to count a breast cancer diagnosis a blessing as long as I used my faith to get me through that trial.
So on my 4 year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis, I celebrate blessings! Of faith, family, friends, life, love and breath every day!
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| Thank you dear friend, Lori Ford, for my 4 year celebration T-shirt! |
Can you find a blessing in EVERY day? What about taking the time to name them all? On your drive to work? In the shower in the morning? While you lay in bed at night in the dark to lull you to a peaceful sleep?
Blessings to you today,
Renee
S.All tutorials, information and images are the property of Renee Galloway at Ney Ney's Nest and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin, share with attribution to Ney Ney's Nest. For all other purposes, please contact me at reneegalloway@me.com. Thanks!
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