STORMS

Storms seem to come in waves..... At least that's how my life, our life, has been since August 27th. That is the day that will forever be etched in my mind as "the" day we discovered that something was not quite right with my precious hubby. On August 28th, CT scan results were relayed to us. A very large mass was inside his left kidney, renal cell carcinoma, kidney cancer. The big C that naively I thought would never touch us. No family history, no symptoms, no abnormal blood work, perfect physical in May, nothing that would have indicated there was this vicious disease brewing in his body.

We have seen many of God's miracles already....a very "in tune" GI doctor that felt the enlargement during one of those routine palpitating on your tummy type exams and who had received "cancer" news himself about his toddler-he understood where we sat that day. An appointment at MD Anderson was scheduled on the following day all because Jim "just so happened" to miss a meeting with a customer on August 28th who "just so happened to be" the vice chairman on the board of directors at MD Anderson. We were in for the appt on Sept. 3rd, less than a week after diagnosis, with one of the top surgeons/urologist that specializes in large tumors of the kidney. While there we asked when would surgery be (understand I thought you have a mass this big...it's coming out tomorrow! This is my man! So I packed bags prepared to check into the hospital. NAIVE!). Usually it takes 2-3 weeks to get on his schedule but "he just so happened" to have a cancellation for that Friday morning! So this whirlwind got crazier....radical nephrectomy of the left kidney, 26 lymph nodes removed and many other areas biopsied, probed, pushed and shoved (oh, and the gall bladder came out which is what sent us to the GI dr. initially). Four days after that, Jim was doing "better than the doctor ever dreamed he would be" but it made him uneasy to send him home just 4 days post surgery. We came home on Wed., 5 days post surgery and 48 hours before the hurricane.

IKE entered our world on the 12th of Sept. Our home and family were spared but not our electricity. One week we played 'survivor' with no water (we have a well), no flushable toilets (we have a septic system), and no lights. Our kids located a generator and window a/c on Thursday before this storm making life bearable. Poor hubby, couldn't help do anything before or after the storm and it wore on him emotionally.

God's power has been evident. The staples are out, biopsies and lymph nodes were clear but the mass, a little larger than a grapefruit, was indeed clear cell kidney cancer, which appeared to be confined to within the inner wall of the kidney! Now, a grey cloud looms over our heads as we await Oct. 10th for rescans, to check out 3 very, very, small lesions in the lungs that looked suspicious. If there is no change or increase in numbers of lesions we just continue to rescan and observe. If there is a change, we begin drug therapy. Please pray....we covet your prayers so much. God's hand has been in this since the beginning and we know He will walk the journey with us whatever that entails. I long for many more days alongside my spouse that I entered into covenant with 34 years ago and selfishly I beg God daily for that!

The songs and scriptures that come to our mind during these days...and it's only been a month, are those we learned as little children...back to the basics. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves ME! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, JESUS loves me, for the Bible tells me so!" No matter what, no matter where, no matter the name of the storm.