I was first diagnosed with cancer in October, 1996. After surgery in November, they discovered that my cancer had originated in the pancreas and had already spread to the liver, the wall of the colon, and in the lymph nodes in the lining of the abdomen. I was told that I had approximately three to six months to live. The news devastated me as well as my family and friends.
Even though I attended church on a regular basis and considered myself a Christian, I felt a need to become closer to God. I needed a strength that only he could provide, to get me through what was to lie ahead. Two years and twenty-five chemo treatments later no trace of the pancreatic cancer can be found and it is still in remission today.
In January of 1999 during one of my routine visits to the doctor, x-rays revealed a spot on my lung which has been diagnosed as cancer. I am presently undergoing a new chemotherapy treatment. Even though I have had a harder time dealing with the cancer the second time, both physically and mentally, I believe that God has a plan in mind for me and my family. Sometimes it's hard to see the good through the bad, but through my illness I feel that I have been given two wonderful gifts. First, my children and grandchildren have come to know the Lord more closely and I have been given the gift of life.
With the hope given to me by my doctor, the help and encouragement I receive from the wonderful staff at the hospital and the strength I get through my family and God, I will survive cancer.
