I'm a Survivor!

Having breast cancer in 2006 changed my life!

I learned some real lessons that year and the years since that I might not have learned any other way.

I'm sure I'll think of some really cool stuff later on when my computer is not available, but for now, here's what's on my mind.

1.  God is good!  All the time!  Whether sick or well, rich or poor, happy or sad, God is still the same.  He holds me in the palm of his hand and can make terrible situations turn out for my good, if I will just let Him.

2.  Don't pay medical bills with credit.  We might be debt free today if I had not panicked about the bills and used credit to pay for them.  One bill that I did set up on payments with the hospital was cut in half after paying payments for one year.  I wish I had tried harder to settle my accounts instead of taking the easy and quick way out and racking up debt.

3.  The best answer I could come up with when people said they question God about "Why?" is "Why not?"  We all live in this fallen world together and we are all terminal.  Christ learned obedience through his suffering.  If He had to suffer, who am I to think my life should always be easy?

4.  Let people help you.  You've probably helped others in their time of need and now it's your turn to let them serve you in whatever way they are comfortable.  My "Pink Ladies", friends and family united to take care of me, were wonderful examples of being the hands and feet of Christ!  They did my housework, my laundry, my meals, kept each other informed of my daily treatments and needs, took my daughte to appointments, sat with me, sent me cards and gifts ... just loved me really well.  I cannot think of another time in my life that I felt more loved than I did that year. 

5.  The world will not fall off its axis if you take a break from all your comittments.  Turns out there are other folks out there that can do just as well if not better than me at family dinners, church work, volunteer work and God wants me to step back sometimes and let Him shine through others and let them blessed in the doing as I have been blessed.

6.  There is life after cancer.  It may not be the life you had before, but life is all about change anyway.  Even if you didn't have cancer, your life would have changed over the years.  I've stopped waiting for my life to return to normal and learned to accept the new normal. 

7.  Regardless of treatment options, I'm not leaving this earth until God is ready for me.  He knows the number of hairs on my head (OK  so I had NO hair there for a while, but you know what I mean) and the numbers of days of my life.  Until He calls me home, He has good works already planned for me and I want to be doing them. 

8.  I can choose Joy!  Every day, every breath, my attitude is under my control.  There may not be much else that I can really control, but I can choose Joy!  It's not the same as being happy.  It's more about contentment and seeing all the blessings instead of all the challenges.

9.  Walking around bald headed is empowering!  I would encourage any chemo patient to just try it!  You walk in with a bald head and everyone smiles at you and hugs you and lets us skip the line at Hard Rock Cafe!  It's great!  Of course, if you are a shy one, this might not apply to you, but I love being the center of attention, so it was a cool perk for me.

10.  If you have reconstructive surgery, you will look better in your clothes, but don't expect anything else from it.  It just never occurred to me how much numbness would last forever.  I'd still have the reconstruction surgery, but it would have been nice to know ahead of time.