HAPPY TURKEY DAY

In an earlier post I told how my word for 2021 is “thankful “. We have so much to be thankful for, we just have to look around. When I chose it as my word, I didn’t realize it would test me the way it has. I chose it because with the virus and a huge disruption to our way of life, I felt I needed to look to the positive each day and not the gloom and doom our media was reporting. 

In October our life took me down a path I didn’t think I would ever go down. John found a lump on his neck in September, he finally saw a doctor on October 20. He had blood drawn, a chest X-ray and a CT scan of his neck. St Luke’s told him the lump was a cyst but the CT scan also showed spots that could be tumors. We asked for a biopsy of what they called a tumor. They said they would schedule it, but they also scheduled surgery to remove the “cyst” on November 11. They would determine what it was after they got it out. On November 1, they still had not given him a biopsy appointment,I called them and was told that person was out sick and they had no one else to schedule it. That I still don’t understand! I waited a few minutes after I got off the phone, and I called Mayo Clinic. They did not agree with the surgery on something that St Luke’s wasn’t sure what it was. Mayo gave him an appointment for November 8.

When we got to Mayo, they took more blood and the hematologist told us that the blood showed CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia. They ordered a full body PET scan to see what all was happening. The PET scan showed a lot of activity in the neck, which they said wasn’t CLL. They ordered a biopsy of one area in his neck. 

November 15 we went back to get the results of the biopsy. He was then diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the neck and throat, and also has the CLL. What St Luke’s was calling a cyst is actually a cancerous lymph node. He is scheduled for surgery the beginning of December. They will remove the lymph node and hopefully all the tumor. And any other tumors, they said the surgery is a little bit exploratory too. I guess the neck is a complex area to do surgery. At that time they will also scrape his throat to see if there are cancer cells there. This will be tested while he is still sedated, if they find cancer in his throat,  they will try to remove it at that time. He will stay in the hospital three days and then hopefully home for two weeks, at that time he will go back for a follow up. 

Throughout all this, I thought, what do we have to be thankful for??

Well, I am so thankful I doubted St Luke’s and called Mayo. I am thankful for Mayo doctors and their knowledge. We feel John is in very good hands.  I am thankful for all our friends and family who pray for us daily. I truly believe God is in control of our lives. I am thankful for my faith and my trust that the Lord has us in His hands, He is with us throughout this journey. Prayer is on my lips throughout the day. A family member shared this verse with me a few days ago. It came on a day I needed it. I feel God works through the people around us and I am so thankful this was shared that day! 

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 

 I am thankful for our five children, they are so supportive and are always willing to help. Both physical help, and emotional support. And lastly but definitely not the least, I am so thankful for John and our life together. We met at 11 & 12 years old and have been friends ever since. He was my first boyfriend, then we went through those early teen years of trying to figure out who we were. But every time something happened in my life, I sought him out. He has always been the one person who accepts me, faults and all. Finally at 17 & 18 we knew others didn’t matter. I am thankful for his faith and steadfastness. He has definitely been my rock all these years. 

Always be thankful, even in the worst of times, there is something to be thankful for. May God bless you on this day of Thanksgiving!