A New Journey Ahead

May 18, 2006

Good Evening My Special Friend,

I wanted to thank you for your prayers for me the last few days. Dr. Miller called me at 5:00 this evening. She is a surgeon that I saw on the 9 Th of May who ordered 2 biopsy of my right breast. The results are in and it is cancer! But let me share the real blessings from this:

God has a plan for this in my life. I had just read that nothing comes to us before it has passed His permissive will. I know He is with me and my family each step of the way. He is the Lord of my life and I’m blessed by His unfailing mercy and grace each and every day of my life!! Blessed I Am! Imagine this: Psalm 139:8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast! BLESSED WE ALL ARE!!

In 1977 when He touched me with a miracle of healing I felt my mission in life was to minister to others who were ill and suffering….which I have tried to fulfill. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me now…the 2nd chapter is about to open. I’ll certainly be able to relate more to others with cancer!! Blessed because I couldn’t really understand what they were dealing with! Now I will know just a little better.
Other good news is that it appears to be stage 0!!! Yes I said 0! Now how blessed can I be? It appears to be contained in the milk ducts.
Dr. Miller’s words…”this is something that we can take care of”! Blessed I am!!
Michele and Derek have a REALLY GREAT friend here. His name is Barry and he is an oncologist. God knew at Christmas time when he ate dinner with our family that I would need him. BLESSED AGAIN!!
Barry was there to help me find the best surgeon, radiologist who did the biopsy and especially important to me….. That when I asked him tonight….he called both our daughters to explain more to them about this. Blessed Again!!
5 minutes after I received the news one of our guests Beth Ruby, who some of you may know because she writes the “Prayer Pal”, is staying here 4 nights while she attends a Christian Writers Conference up at the YMCA. After I made some calls to the family, I went down to see her and we sit AND prayed by the beautiful roaring river. Peace is mine! Blessed Again! Don’t you just love the way God puts people in our lives and knows the plan before we even have need of it? What an awesome God!!
And really blessed I am to have the love of my life by my side!! LLOYD!! :}
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THE PLAN
1. Hope this isn’t more than you want to know….guys just pass this to your wife if it is. I thought I was normal and all gals had calcifications in their breasts. Well I’m finding out most gals don’t know what I’m talking about! Gals you have probably seen your mammograms. Right? If you have calcifications they show up in mammograms like little shining diamonds! (Thought I was blessed….maybe not!) Tee Hee! Well they are fine unless a bunch of them sort of cluster together…big diamonds on the mammogram are not a goal!! Taking too much calcium does not cause it…they don’t know why some women have it or its cause.
2. Next week we will biopsy some calcification in the left breast and see if any of them have decided to need attention.
3. When the report is back we meet with the surgeon. Will have to do a mastectomy (gosh don’t’ even know how to spell it—Another Blessing!) on the right one and maybe left one…I asked Lloyd what he thought about a Dolly Parton size!!! I don’t think he found that too funny and after thinking about that I decided a back ache wasn’t worth it!!
4. Decide if we get a second opinion and where to go to get it.

Prayer Requests

PLEASE PRAY FOR PEACE FOR LLOYD, OUR PRECIOUS DAUGHTERS AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.
For wisdom about a 2nd opinion and whether to do the double mastectomy if the other one doesn’t show cancer. If it isn’t cancer today….it possibly could be down the road and then I would have to go through it again….and my goodness… it seems like a good idea to get matching pair!! :}:}!
That I would find the best surgeon and reconstruction surgeon in this area.


Well that’s about it….because we love you and count you as special friends we wanted to share this with you. We value your prayers and would ask you to put us on your church prayer list. We will keep you posted.

I know I can trust our sovereign God who works all things for our good and His glory! Tonight Psalm 91:9-16 holds special meaning to me!! I have a peace that comes only from our Lord! Thanking you in advance for your prayers today and in the tomorrows ahead!!

Joyfully His,
Donna