The Many Gifts I Received This Christmas (Post 40)
I hope your Christmas celebrations were all you hoped they would be. 💗 Mine were distinctly more soggy than anticipated. Somehow, I think a near-death experience and a seven-month battle with cancer influenced our attitudes. Just the wonder of being around to celebrate Christmas is enough to soak a few tissues. Being alive is certainly my favorite gift! 😊
My eldest had his flight bumped from the 18th to the 19th and we were concerned it would be canceled, but with just a couple of hour's delay, he arrived as planned. After reading about all the delays and cancellations since then, I'm so grateful that he made it home at all! Being together as a complete family has certainly been another wonderful gift.
I will never take preparing for Christmas for granted again. This year I started earlier than ever, knowing that there would be weeks (2 out of 3) where chemo would render me incapable of much. 😬 As a family with many traditions, my prayer was that I would be well enough to actually make Christmas happen for my family. Thankfully, this prayer was answered as I never had to delay any chemo treatments, and the last infusion's side effects were better than anticipated. This is nothing less than a gift directly from God.
Today I received the most unexpected and heart-warming gift! Out of all the things I miss since embarking on this journey, singing at church is number one. It's just not the same alone, and choir practice has always been a highlight for me. (Yes, I miss singing even more than shopping!) So, when Monica, a wonderful friend, went to the podium before they began singing, I thought she was going to give a reading or explain the song, something she is very gifted at doing. But no, this time it was to encourage me by relating the medley of "bell songs" they were about to sing to my ringing the "Bell of Hope" after completing chemo almost 3 weeks ago. To say I was overwhelmed would be a wild understatement. (I may have been sobbing...) What an incredible gift! Thank you seems inadequate, but thank you so much Kevin and choir. 😍 You sounded incredible and I'll be back soon!
With my radiation planned for weekdays beginning January 3-February 1, I've been doing "a bit" of research...as one does. 😊 I'm part of a Facebook group for Canadian Pink Warriors, also known as breast cancer patients, and I've learned so much! In Vancouver, the cancer program has begun using a film called Mepitel to protect the skin from the damage caused by radiation. Radiation burns are not uncommon and can be best compared to a very, very bad sunburn, sometimes resulting in second-degree burns (blistering). Thankfully, my radiation oncologist, Dr. Paulson, doesn't think I'll burn, due to the location of my tumors...and my weight loss. 😏 Unfortunately, when I spoke with the nurse at the Cross she informed me that I was not allowed anything between my skin and the radiation. Thankfully, Dr. Paulson is a little more open-minded and so I will be one of the first patients to ever use Mepitel at the Cross! I can't begin to tell you the relief this news brought me. As you know, my track record hasn't been great. The nurse I spoke with described my journey as "more challenging" than normal, so of course, if I can do anything to mitigate burns, I'm keen! (Mepitel has been found to reduce the incidence of skin damage by 80-92%.) Hearing that I will be allowed to use Mepitel was an incredible gift...and an anxiety reducer.
I'll be back at the Cross on Tuesday for the 7th of my 17 Herceptin infusions. I'm told it will take approximately 1/2 an hour and the side effects are basically nil. I've never had any problems with this particular infusion before, and I'm keen to see how my body reacts to Herceptin alone. Lately, because I'm often feeling so good, I have a tendency to forget that I'll be 3 weeks from the last infusion tomorrow...not 3 months, as my impatient brain would have me believe. But then my nose and eyes start running, my lips start to crack, my bowels demand attention and I'll remember that I finished chemo less than a month ago. 😖 But despite ongoing side effects, I'm so grateful that my chemo experience wasn't worse. Yes, I seemed to get every side effect in the book...and some that weren't, but I have no neuropathy, and I didn't have to visit the ER once! That is truly the result of answered prayers and a gift from you to me, so thank you!
The greatest gift I've ever received, however, is Emmanuel - God with us. The past 7 months have certainly been the most difficult of my life and had you told me what I could expect, way back in May, I would have told you that you're crazy if you think I could handle even a portion of that. I've never considered myself a "strong person," and I still don't, but wow, do I ever have a strong God! That's not to say I don't struggle, even with His help. Oh, do I struggle. Cancer messes with your head, not just your body. However, I'm grateful for the hours I've spent with my earbuds in, music cranked as I listen to my "Soundtrack to Life" playlist and pray my way through each song. It's during these times when all the tissues are soggy and joy seems like nothing more than my middle name, that I feel Emmanuel; God with me. Not without us. With you and me, if we've invited Him into our hearts. What an indescribable gift!
Comments
Post a Comment