Sweet Victory
My journey with colon cancer began on March 26th, 2020. At that time it seemed that our entire world started spinning in a different direction. COVID became a household term. Fear and panic struck the hearts of many, but we were merely trying to grapple with a different life-threatening disease. Cancer.
I know God’s timing is always perfect, but it was difficult to see how this could be so. In my mind this scenario was far from perfect! How do we find our way through these murky waters when the world is literally shutting down?
Hindsight is always 20/20
I can now look back and see the many, many, many ways God was working this for my good. GI clinics were not taking routine cases, so my case was expedited as emergent in order to gain approval for my first colonoscopy. (WooHoo, right?) I definitely was not excited for this, but I am grateful that I was able to get in within a week. Once I was diagnosed, I met with a surgeon. Finding available appointment times was no problem, as pretty much all patients were canceling due to fear of COVID spread. I got right in, and my case was presented to the surgical board at Allina to see if they would allow me to have surgery the following week. Again, elective surgeries were no longer allowed, and the hospital also had to monitor their COVID patient volume in order to allow admissions. I received a phone call at 11:00AM the day before my surgery was to commence. I was given pre-surgical instruction and then instructed to arrive by 5:30AM the following morning. Ha! There is no time like the present!!
I believe this was all by design, as God was moving on my behalf. I have heard awful stories about people needing life-saving medical care and hospitals / clinics were not allowed to treat them. If that is your story, I can only say with great love that God’s timing is perfect. I hope you are able to find the good in the necessary wait.
There were no other surgeries (aside from in-patients) that day, and I was on a hospital floor with a total of 6 patients. (Darek was the only (non - patient) person in the entire hospital, waiting. They did allow him to see me off to my room in the hallway between post-op and transport to my room.) The rest of the hallways were dark, and the staff were sparce. I now realize that it was a blessing not to have outside noise from other patients, and there was no such thing as sharing a room. My room was spacious and I had a nice big window. Thankfully I healed quickly and was discharged on day 3.
The pathology of my original tumor in my colon came back with 1 lymph node positive. This information pushed me to search for the best treatment options available. From that point forward I was given the option to begin chemotherapy, but I chose not to go that route. I researched and researched, read medical journals and case studies, and ultimately decided that I would radically change my diet and work on healing from this disease as naturally as possible.
There is plenty of scientific evidence supporting plant based diets in disease prevention. Here in America, we are used to a different lifestyle and diet that caters to our “microwave” mentality. If it is quick to buy or make and tastes good - Eat IT! Sadly, we are also the nation that tips the scales with our rates of disease. I was naively unaware of the science behind diet, and how food is not only fuel but offers real healing properties. I find it utterly amazing how God designed our bodies to use the plants of the Earth to nourish our bodies, and sustain life. Don’t get me wrong. I knew that we should eat fruits and vegetables, but I took a supplement for that so I figured I was covered. I relied heavily on supplements to make up for my terrible dietary choices, to my detriment.
Genetics, coupled with a poor diet led me right into this battle with cancer, and I fought my way out of it!
The first two years proved bumpy as I learned the best foods for my body. I lost a lot of weight and had to learn how to keep the appropriate amount of fiber and protein in my diet, while reducing acidic foods. I relied heavily on smoothies and salads to carry me through! I also eliminated added sugars from my diet. THAT IS NOT EASY!
The blessing in this has been my ability to share the knowledge I have with my friends and neighbors who are fighting their own health battles. I honestly desire to help others along their journey toward better health, and I am hopeful that my story will do just that.
Fast forward to March of 2022…
My annual CT scan showed us something we hoped to never see. A lesion had formed on my liver. After a MRI and liver biopsy, it was confirmed that the colon cancer had indeed spread to my liver. I was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Colon Cancer in my Liver. Well, that’s a bummer! YUCK!
Medicine has changed, and thankfully because it is a practice, there is always new research aiming to treat and cure disease! Given this diagnosis, my options for healing morphed a bit and I chose to go through the recommended course of Chemotherapy and liver resection. This was a very difficult decision for me, however, I stuck to my healthy eating through it all. I figured that if food can heal and prevent disease, it can’t hurt to maintain a healthy diet during chemo treatments. I did have to add in a bit more protein in the form of eggs. This addition offered me a bit more energy and helped with the nausea throughout the course of chemo.
The “SUMMER OF HEALING” began!
I had surgery in August where my liver was resected in two segments. When the tumor (and other suspicious spot) was removed it was tested to see if there was any remaining life in it. Once again, we saw God moving, as the results came back completely clear. To the surprise of the surgeon and my oncologist, there was no evidence of life at all in those cells! The margins were clear, and the other tissue showed no evidence of cancer spread.
This news held our hope as we moved into the harder season of treatment. 7 chemo sessions remained after healing from a major surgery. The fall of ‘22 was my biggest challenge and the effects of the chemo compounded and wiped me out time and time again. Thankfully, my employer has been incredibly understanding and I was able to take time off when needed. My church family stepped in and made sure my family was fed by setting up a meal train. We were also gifted house cleaning, multiple times! I am incredibly humbled by the outpouring of support from our community.
Darek turned into SUPER HUSBAND, SUPER DAD, SUPER EVERYTHING! He not only picked up all of my slack, but he cared for all of us without complaining. Even when he was hurting over and over from loss and grief. Darek is the real hero through this story!
I Promise I am getting to the point!
One more hiccup. I ended up in the Emergency Department the day after Thanksgiving and had abdominal surgery. This was a definite setback, but resulted in my skipping the last scheduled chemo treatment. This was the best news I could receive as I recovered from surgery. (The incision site is still tender… my scars don’t heal as quickly these days). That being said, I was able to have my port removed on Dec. 19th! That signaled the end of my chemo infusions! My sweet sister-in-law delivered some balloons (along with the kids :)) when I got home from that procedure.
Additionally, two new areas of concern popped up on the CT scan taken in the ED that day, and that led to a MRI, PET scan, and ultimately, another a liver biopsy.
And, the results are in… Drumroll, please…
BENIGN!
NO CANCER!!
ALL CLEAR!!
I finally got to “Ring The Bell!” (Even if it was at Arby’s) :-)
I BEAT STAGE IV CANCER!!!
SWEET VICTORY!
The results showed up in MyChart last night, and my Oncologist called me today to make sure I received the great news. I will follow up in a couple of months again with a PET scan to ensure everything looks the same. Then we will move into the regular schedule of observation scans.
God is good! Even when we don’t feel it, He’s working. Even when we don’t see it, He’s working. He is a miracle worker!!
“So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.”
Now we are moving into the “Winter of Restoration.”
