My wife asked me if I was worried. I did think about it, but I hadn't lost sleep over it. Not because I felt invincible, far from it - cancer reminds us that there are no guarantees in life. The Epistle of James puts it aptly:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ~ James 4: 13- 15
Living with the unknown, I've learnt to just trust that God will be with me whatever the outcomes. If I could out-think cancer, then I wouldn't have had the condition in the first place, so it is really no point thinking too much about it.
There were quite a few patients at the clinic today - young and old. Every time I am at the clinic, I tell myself that there just isn't a face to cancer. It can happen to anyone at any stage of life - nobody is singled out for cancer. There was a teenage boy there with his mother. He lost his hair due to the effects of chemo but was otherwise in good spirit. His mother was calm and collected. How courageous, the both of them. I pray for their victory over cancer. God is able.
There are those who hold strong views against chemo - that it does far more harm than the cancer itself and leaves the patient far to weak to battle the disease. I agree that chemo can't always guarantee success, and different people react to it differently. It is true that it often has significant side effects. But with the improvement in research, the drugs are getting better and they give patients a good chance of survival. Nobody should ever need to be a "fan" of chemo, but we should not look at it as if it were a dirty bomb that completely destroys whatever is left of a patient. We need to try putting our fears aside and be open to advice from a responsible oncologist. Although the road can be bumpy, there are good outcomes.
When it finally came to my turn to see the doctor, he was kind enough to let me know the results immediately, at the reception area as we were walking to his office. All clear. When he flipped through the scans he said that there wasn't anything to see because there really isn't anything there. One year in full remission. I really thank God for the good outcome. Truly, we live by the grace of God.
Thanks for keeping me in your prayers.
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ~ James 4: 13- 15
Living with the unknown, I've learnt to just trust that God will be with me whatever the outcomes. If I could out-think cancer, then I wouldn't have had the condition in the first place, so it is really no point thinking too much about it.
There were quite a few patients at the clinic today - young and old. Every time I am at the clinic, I tell myself that there just isn't a face to cancer. It can happen to anyone at any stage of life - nobody is singled out for cancer. There was a teenage boy there with his mother. He lost his hair due to the effects of chemo but was otherwise in good spirit. His mother was calm and collected. How courageous, the both of them. I pray for their victory over cancer. God is able.
There are those who hold strong views against chemo - that it does far more harm than the cancer itself and leaves the patient far to weak to battle the disease. I agree that chemo can't always guarantee success, and different people react to it differently. It is true that it often has significant side effects. But with the improvement in research, the drugs are getting better and they give patients a good chance of survival. Nobody should ever need to be a "fan" of chemo, but we should not look at it as if it were a dirty bomb that completely destroys whatever is left of a patient. We need to try putting our fears aside and be open to advice from a responsible oncologist. Although the road can be bumpy, there are good outcomes.
When it finally came to my turn to see the doctor, he was kind enough to let me know the results immediately, at the reception area as we were walking to his office. All clear. When he flipped through the scans he said that there wasn't anything to see because there really isn't anything there. One year in full remission. I really thank God for the good outcome. Truly, we live by the grace of God.
Thanks for keeping me in your prayers.
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