Update on Mom’s cancer diagnosis

Well, we thought Mom would finally get to start chemo today, but it turns out that they have found some more concerns and need to run more exams. 

Yesterday, I went with her to her appointment to get the results from her lung biopsy, MRI, bone scan, kidney ultrasound and everything else they did last week.  It wasn’t good.

She now has cancer in her breast, lymph nodes under her left arm and in her chest, lungs, liver, colon, right hip bone and L5 vertebra.

The crazy thing is that the lung biopsy is showing that the cancer in her lung is actually LUNG cancer and not the inflammatory breast cancer that she has also been confirmed to have!  So, the doctor sent it in for a few more opinions to make sure.  It can happen, but it’s pretty rare to have 2 types of cancer at the same time.  That will change treatment, of course, so we need to know for sure what we’re dealing with.

So, she may have the inflammatory breast cancer AND lung cancer.  Wow!!!  And just think…….in August we never dreamed cancer was in her future! 

I am soooooooooo glad that God brought us back to the States to be here for her and my family during this time.  What a blessing that has been to us.  It amazes me that He orchestrated all of this.  We felt that John’s illness wasn’t about us, but that it was something so much bigger.  Now we have another piece of the puzzle and see a little more clearly how God is orchestrating our lives. 

You  know, even in the most difficult circumstances, He is still a Holy God and we can put all of our faith in Him.  He can use these circumstances to do amazing things in our life and in the lives of those around us.  Trust me on that one.  We know from firsthand experience over and over how God uses the most difficult circumstances and makes something so beautiful from them and brings Glory to Himself.  Sometimes you may look at your situation and think, “what???  that isn’t the ending I want”….or you think you can’t make it through something.  But you just never know how He is using that.

It really is all about faith and obedience.  I have learned over and over that I don’t have to understand (or sometimes even like) a difficult situation I may go through, but God can use that for His glory and it is such a blessing when I completely trust Him and allow Him to use me.  It still may be hard to go through it (even incredibly difficult!!) but in the end, I always have such peace knowing that I’m not going through it alone and that God will never leave me. 

We’ll just leave it in God’s hands and continue to pray for Mom.

*****UPDATE***** 12/16/09
Mom does NOT have cancer in her colon!!! It was a really bad shadow. The GI doctor said that happens all the time on these exams. So, her joke is that her feet and colon are fine but everything else basically has cancer. lol (you gotta have a sense of humor, right???)