October 5th hits us pretty hard each year. As that was the day Dad had his seizure...where we left the hospital with more questions than answers...where we had not even the slightest clue the journey we had ahead.
We celebrate this day as Dad's cancer-versary. It's a day that 5 years ago I wasn't sure how many of these we would get to celebrate. Or how many Father's days, or Christmas mornings...all those holidays that first year looked like our last.
And now, after lots of Christmas mornings, and Father's day celebrations, birthdays and anniversaries- we sit here FIVE years later, knowing that we've beat each and every statistic that's been placed against Dad.
His last MRI was on Tuesday, with our results on Wednesday- the MRI indicated that the "spot" everyone was worried was cancer growth, was actually getting smaller- meaning it was NOT cancer, but instead a stroke that was dissolving itself. Talk about some pretty great cancer-versary news!
Our appointment that day was over 2 hours past when we scheduled it...which could have been pretty frustrating...but...
I always make my Sunday School kids tell me their "rose" and "thorn" of the week- with them having to tell me how they saw God in BOTH of these moments. I remind them that it's pretty easy to see God in our "rose" moments, but often it's tough to see Him in the "thorn". Well, here's how we saw God in our "thorn"...
We sat there for 2 hours, waiting somewhat patiently for the news. And once we received the news and heard the WHY in the delay in our appointment I realized something...the delay was because we are lucky enough to have a doctor and staff that are Dad's advocates for the BEST care possible. They don't rely on family members to argue with insurance companies or radiologist- demanding the best care, demanding better answers- they instead take it upon themselves to advocate on our behalf. So I'll take those two hours of waiting, knowing that Dr. Fleener is fighting for the patient in the next room, just as hard as she is fighting for my Dad.
There's a lot to be said about Dad beating this "deadliest form of brain cancer" now for FIVE years- and there's a lot that has gone into these last five years. And I'm going to do my best to share each and every aspect that has made us successful.
First and foremost, it is Dad's unbelievable faith in Jesus Christ. His faith has strengthened mine in ways that he can't even begin to imagine. I have never seen someone look at death straight in the eyes, and instead of being fearful and worried- he went forward, leaning on his faith, and his family to help him through each day.
And I think all tied together would be the countless prayers of those that know Dad personally- and those that only know him through his wife or kids. I remember our pastor at the time telling us- ASK for prayers, have so many prayers going up that God says "Ok ok, I get it, y'all are praying for Larry." Have Him overwhelmed with prayer. And that's EXACTLY what has happened.
With these prayers comes an unbelievable group of people supporting us. From meals that were delivered to our house throughout his intense treatment- to cards in the mail, just letting Dad know that someone is thinking about him- to the phone calls and text messages- we have felt the love.
And faith, friends, and prayers are all incredibly important- but so is a good medical team. There is something to be said about a Cancer Clinic & Neurosurgeon office that makes you feel so loved and so very cared for each time you have an appointment. They've become our extended family, as we know there is no way we could have done all we've done these last 5 years without their love and support throughout it all.
We celebrate these FIVE incredible years appreciating each and every moment- from the BIG celebrations, to your average Tuesday night- each is a reminder of how lucky we truly are in this big fight. Dad's speech isn't perfect, and sometimes his short term memory has us all repeating things a couple of times- but we are exactly where God wanted us on this journey. We've become closer as a family in every possible way. We've learned that the plan we had for this life isn't turning out to be exactly what we thought it would be, but we've taken it all in as His perfect plan- one that we can't even begin to imagine or comprehend. I have learned in these last five years that there is purpose in pain, and that through some of our biggest "thorns" in life, there is true joy that can be seen- it's just sometimes you have to look a little harder.
We have seen God work in an unbelievable way through Dad, and I thank Him each and every day for carrying me through some of my darkest of days. God and I talked many of nights, where I doubted His journey for us, His strength, and my faith- and each time I shared my doubt, He found a way to lift me up in a way that I sometimes couldn't comprehend.
Some may ask how your faith can get stronger through some of the most difficult days of your life- but I always ask back, how could it not?
Thank you all for the continued thoughts and prayers- and thank you for helping us BTHO Brain Cancer!
