"Leap of Faith and into His Will" by Mary LaFrance

Leon had been a great second pair of hands during the recovery of both my surgeries. He graciously emptied my drain tube every time it was needed and never complained. He often asked me if I was hungry or what would I like to eat. My appetite was not very big but I tried to eat just to appease him so he wouldn’t worry. I think he was amazed that I needed no pain medication at all. I kept telling him that it was a “God thing” and I would take it if things changed.

Over the course of the next 2-3 weeks, several friends and family members came by to visit, bring food, things for me to read, and their smiles and hugs. I was being as the old hymn reads, covered with “Showers of Blessings”, right and left, front and back. I kept thanking Jesus for everything on this journey, because He was providing it all.

It was the 4th of July and we usually did a big family celebration. This year however, Leon thought we should just have a quiet 4th with his Mom and Berry, and maybe Aliceson would join us. I managed to put together a pasta salad, bake brownies and a veggie tray. I know, I know, what was I thinking? We had a good dinner and got back home to watch the fireworks on television.

The next morning, on July 5th, I was to meet with my chemotherapy doctor, have some x-rays, and go over what would become my treatment schedule. I told Leon to go fishing or golfing with his buddies and I would be fine to drive into Vancouver for my appointment.

I arrived at 10:00 a.m. as I was asked to do for some x-rays, to fill out paperwork and get blood drawn before I saw the doctor. Again, the paperwork was tedious and precise questions fill the pages. I finished up and the nurse came and got me back to draw my blood and then take me to the x-ray technician. I’m not sure why they wanted to x-ray my lungs, but I didn’t question their procedures and reasons.

I was then taken to an exam room to wait for Dr. Brouns. As I was sitting there in the quiet, I asked God to provide a doctor that fit my personality and could meet every one of my needs. Within 10 minutes, there was a light knocking on the door and in walked the doctor. He was tall and lanky, with a sweet smile and gentle spirit as he introduced himself. He had received the surgery report and pathology report ahead of my appointment and had read through it all. He explained that because my cancer was so aggressive, it was his recommendation that I have 18 months of chemotherapy, followed by 2 months of radiation. I guess my mind had temporarily drifted off somewhere, because I asked him to repeat himself, which he did gracefully. I soaked it all in and told him too about my strong faith in God, how I looked forward to living a normal life with a positive attitude. I also explained that I’m probably one of the worst patients in the world but I would try to comply and not make things tough on him. He laughed and thanked me for my honesty. I also told him I wasn’t sure if I’d do the radiation because 18 months of chemotherapy was going to be a lot! He showed me on paper the statistics of survival for women my age with this kind of cancer. He gently explained that even with the treatment he was recommending, I would probably only live 1 to 1 1/2 years. I looked him square in the eyes and I said, “Well, my Jesus is not a statistic. I firmly believe He is going to help me through this journey, and so you and I well see the end result together.” Dr. Brouns did not know what to say, but he had to leave the room and said he’d be back in a minute. He was back shortly with my blood test results and my chest x-rays results. My red and white blood cell counts were off the charts and very abnormal. There were little dots that showed up on the x-ray that were in the top and bottom of both lungs, but he wasn’t sure at the time if it was more cancer. He said we would started chemotherapy in August and he would monitor everything very closely.

He explained how chemotherapy would go. For the first 9 months, I would be receiving the 2 most powerful kinds of chemotherapy drugs that were available. Each drug would be administered through my port. Each visit would be 7 to 8 hours long from start to finish. I would probably feel a lot of nausea, numb nose, hands and feet, headache and cold skin. After every treatment, I would be in bed 3-5 days to recuperate. My appetite would be effected, but because of the drugs, I’d probably gain 20-30 pounds over the course of treatment. Now wasn’t this a lovely picture to wrap my head around? Because of God’s grace, mercy and love, I again listened and took all the information in. I was just baffled how the medical world lumps everyone into general categories of how things will turn out for each individual going through cancer. I reminded the good doctor again, that I believed God had a plan and His will would be done. I do not do the sitting or laying around thing very well, so we would see how my journey would unfold.

On July 7th, my friend Kay, who had been a beautician, gave me a haircut. She asked me if she could be the one to shave my head when it was time, because I knew chemotherapy would cause me to lose all of my hair. I agreed to let her and she was thankful for a way to be of help to me.

On July 11th, I had an echocardiogram at the hospital. I have a huge family history of heart disease, and Dr. Brouns thought it would be wise to get this done before I started treatment. The results showed that I have some thickening on the anterior walls on the right side of my heart. I just looked at it as one more thing on this physical journey that God was going to handle, and I was leaving it all in His hands.

The days and time were speeding up Leon would soon be flying up to Canada to his family reunion. I chose to stay behind because I didn’t want to run the risk of catching a cold or anything on the airplane. On July 16th, I decided I needed some quiet time by myself, and went to the country club we belonged to and play 18 holes of golf. I must have had extra adrenaline pumping through my veins, because several of my tee shots were over 270 yards, I had 6 pars, and 2 birdies. God was getting me into the “swing” of how things would be starting in a few weeks. It was while I was golfing that I started to pray this very simple prayer…”Dear Jesus, cover me with thy precious blood from head to toe. Let me stay positive so I can live a normal life during treatment. Keep me from nausea, headache and most of all having to stay in bed. I know I’m going to lose my hair from all of this poison, but if you allow me to live so everyone can see Your will and power over my life, I will forever be grateful…Amen. I began praying that same prayer 3 times a day before my chemotherapy started. Many people joined me in praying for God’s will and for my healing. The testimony had already begun, but what was to happen in the coming days and every step on down the road, was nothing short of God’s miracle in my life.