ENOUGH already.......

It can end any time...

I have truly had ENOUGH...

Cancer, sucks.

Before I jump into my rant, let me say, so far I am still good. My health is good and my followups have been clear. (so far!) I am thankful, grateful to be sure, but in the back of my brain it always niggles away... will it return? Once you have faced this monster I think you will always have that niggle in the back of your head.

I am tired of hearing yet another person who has touched my life being attacked by this disease. New cases, some after being restored to health, others so young that they have no clue what is going on. Friends who have friends I do not know but hear about because they are dear to someone I care about. Diagnosis' , memorial services, treatment plans, questions because I have been there... It just seems like there is no end. . .

ENOUGH ALREADY!

October, my new little friend Joey was diagnosed with Leukemia, he is 4 years old. His mom a long time friend lost her sister 17 years ago to the ugliness of the disease, now looking at her precious son and reliving it all again.

December - a friend sent me a Facebook message. Di... I have to come to Vancouver for tests at the cancer clinic can we get together for coffee. She stayed here, we laughed, we cried, we talked for a very long time. She now is on round 2 of chemo. Last week her great niece was diagnosed with cancer wrapped around her spine.... she is just over a year. Her Grandma, my friend dealing with her sister and granddaughter fighting 2 forms of this nasty beast. My heart breaks. My own fears are brought to the front of conscious thought.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

Last night was the icing on the cake for me... As I heard a friend who had battled for a long time, had ugly treatments, been separated from her family for long periods of time, far from the comfort of home,who we thought was restored to health, has just been re-diagnosed. The ugly beast has reared it's ugly head, in a different location in her body, this time there seems to be not much they can do. It breaks my heart. She has 2 young children, has dreams to see them graduate, get married, have children, she wants grow old with her husband. She likely will never see those dreams come true. My heart screams.....

ENOUGH ALREADY!

Thankfully we live in a country where treatment for said beast is available where we can visit a doctor, or a cancer clinic and receive treatment, where options are discussed and treatment plans set. At least for Cancer it is so. There is comfort in that, but sometimes not much. I long for the day we hear that a cure has been found.

For another acquaintance, living with Lyme disease this is not the case, 18 years ago we were in the same prenatal class, and she is a dear BFF to a cousin. I regularly read her blog and am humbled... her fight just to be treated here is daily is nothing compared to what I thought were my darkest days. Doctors refuse to treat this life threatening disease, she has been literally fighting for her life for years, then discovers her 2 sons also have Lyme... a disease that is said NOT to exist in Canada and doctors refuse to treat. A disease that attacks at the very core of one's being, disabling, searing pain... not only does she fight with all her might for her self, NOW she has to fight on behalf of her sons as well. It is not an easy fight....

ENOUGH ALREADY!

I read their blogs & caringbridge sites, and all I can do is pray. It seems so little, yet I know that there is so much power in it that I swing from that rope regularly. I hang onto faith - grateful that these friends share that same faith, that they tap into this source of hope and power. Still feeling that it is so little to do, yet it is all important that I do. It is in that faith that there is hope.. hope that cures will be found, systems will be changed, lives will be restored.
Last night I simply prayed ENOUGH ALREADY because no other words were needed to express what my heart was feeling.

Each of these stories have touched my heart deeply, reminding me that our stories, weather good or bad, happy or sad are just that our stories and they need to be told. Need to be shared because those stories are part of my story. Their lives touch and will continue to touch mine, I learn from them, I am humbled by them, I am in awe of God's grace and the strength that each possess in the midst of difficulty. These stories, interlocked, entwinded into my life, my STORY.


If you wish to join me, there is never enough people petitioning the throne of God... here are their stories. Each of them would covet your prayers. If you read them, I am sure their stories will touch your lives, entwine with your own story as we all are touched far too often by cancer.
Joey
Judi
Sandy
Shannon

I will continue to pray because I firmly believe that through Prayer all things are possible and it is truly ENOUGH ALREADY!

Haiti on my heart.....

As news coverage fades and people return to what was normal for them and try to forget the tragedy that happened in Haiti, my heart swims with the desire to help. For fear of sounding like a broken record... Haiti NEEDS our help.. will NEED our help for years if not decades to come. We in North America are in a position to help in a powerful way and likely not feel the pinch of it, and you know what, so what if we do feel a little pinch, sometimes feeling the hurt, suffering and tragedy of others makes us better because of that experience. Remember our little "pinch" is nothing in comparison.

I am blessed with a wide circle of friends and acquaintances people who have crossed my path, walked a while, or are still trudging with me in this journey called life. Amazing people with stories to tell, hearts that want to help and creative ways to make that happen.

Natasha, a friend and former employee at Remember Me was part of a "FlashMob" Dance at a local mall last week - done for fun as well as in hopes to raise $$$ to send to Haiti. Check out You Tube here to see the dance, but also to be counted as a viewer. They are hoping to have corporate sponsorship match dollar for dollar the number of views the video receives. It will only take a few minutes of your time and is fun to watch.

Another friend Jacki has asked me to help on another amazing adventure - Saturday Feb 20 & Sunday Feb 21 - a container truck will be located at Coquitlam Center to collect diapers, formula, powdered baby food etc to send to Haiti. They have a sponsor to cover the $10,000 shipping costs, connections in the Dominican Republic who will get the goods to orphanages in Haiti where help is desperately needed. For more information see the Facebook Events page that has been set up, Tricities Helping Haiti's Babies. We are hoping to fill the 40 foot trailer (also donated) in those 2 days and have it shipped ASAP. The Facebook events page lists specific items being accepted.

Just two more little ways we can help that honestly will not pinch us too much.

On a happy note, our friends who have been awaiting their arrival of 2 Haitian boys are pinching themselves to make sure they are not living in a dream. After 4.5 long years of waiting, piles and piles of paperwork, trips to visit, sad goodbyes the boys are safe in their arms. They arrived this past week in Ottawa, where Jen and Travis flew to meet their plane and welcome them to Canada. This is just the beginning of the journey for this family, please continue to pray as they adjust to life together, it is all new and though they ecstatic to have the boys here with them, the reality is the boys come from a different culture, have seen things that many of us can not even imagine and are now in an environment that is totally foreign to them..... the journey will be long but one filled with hope and tons of love.

It is good to know that some good can come out of such tragedy... 2 small boys in the arms of their new mamma and daddy or those of us who have been challenged to give and who are blessed in knowing that even just a little bit we have been able to be a part of something much bigger than our normal narrow everyday lives.

Counting down....

Tomorrow marks the first Sunday of the advent season. It means that at the church we attend we will start to see the decorations go up and the signs & symbols of the season be displayed. The first candle on the advent wreath will be lit.

The candle of HOPE.

Life with God offers hope.


If there is one thing I have learned this past year - is that hope is what makes life worth living especially in the middle of crisis. If we have no hope life seems to lack meaning. It is often said that it is when people loose hope that they loose their desire to live. When I received the news of the re-occurrence & re-appearance of breast cancer, the first thing the Doctor offered was hope.

She did a great job of just that. From a medical point of view the tumor was one of the best to get. Phyllodes though it does not respond to traditional forms of cancer treatments, it is highly treatable with surgery... HOPE! In most cases of cancer it is the treatment that makes one feel sick and beats up the body. I am so thankful that I did not have to walk down that road. The hope that was offered was a life line that I clung to. Knowing & believing that God sees a bigger picture of life than we do offered another type of hope. Hope that this will not be for nothing that some where further down the line I will be able to offer hope to another woman, and her family because I know what it is like to walk the same road. HOPE!

What are you hoping for this season?

My hope for each of you is just that. . . . hope!

Hope of a restored relationship
Hope for health
Hope for kindness and LOVE
Hope for those things that mean the most to you ........ HOPE