Living With Cancer
Four years ago, today, July 17, 2017, I heard those three words, comprised of only thirteen letters, that nobody ever wants to hear… You have cancer. Nothing prepares you to hear those words.
My annual physical examination in March of that year detected a change in both my PSA level and the size and feel of my prostate. My doc referred me to a specialist and in July a biopsy indicated that I did have cancerous cells in both lateral lobes of my prostate. After researching treatment options and getting a second opinion, in October I had a radical prostatectomy to remove the cancerous prostate gland.
After my initial diagnosis, I poured myself into learning all about the disease. I read books by some of the world’s leading prostate cancer experts, researched both medical and holistic treatments, learned what part diet plays in cancer and cancer recovery, and talked with several men who themselves had prostate cancer.
It has been forty-five months since my surgery and while not all my functions work like they did before surgery, I work to focus on the positives and the victories. During surgery and the subsequent anatomical pathology it was determined that the cancer had spread outside my prostate, thus my cancer was deemed to be Stage 3, meaning it is quite possible that some cancer cells were left in my body, but up to this point there is no indication of residual or recurrent prostate cancer! YEA! The docs did their part, and with me committed to doing my ongoing part, we continue on a journey to beat sucky cancer! We praise God for His mighty hand in this journey! And your prayers and encouragement cannot go unacknowledged either! Thank you.
For many years I had taught and preached that “a faith not tested is a faith not trusted.” Those words have become ever so real and personal to me and for me, as we walk out my life changed by, but not defined by, cancer. I did not choose to get cancer, but I can choose to walk out a life with cancer trusting God. I admit, some days I struggle, especially when “things” that don’t work right really don’t work right. Just being honest. Every day I ask God for His sustaining peace and protection over me, asking Him to walk with me.
Living with cancer is a daily grind, a daily battle, for me more an emotional battle than a physical battle, and it is by God’s grace that we can face the reality of me living with cancer. The thought of cancer is ever-present but not all-consuming. One of my go-to verses is found in Isaiah 26:3 – “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Similarly, in Psalm 112:7 we find these words – “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
Having cancer has also caused me re-evaluate what is and isn’t important, what is and isn’t healthy, what is and isn’t needed, what is and isn’t beneficial, and tweak my life, change up my daily rhythm, helping me to become a better and healthier version of me.
As you go about your day today, rejoice in the joys, celebrate the victories, and pick yourself up from the things that knock you down! And, regardless of whether or not you’ve experienced a life-altering event, what changes might you need to make in your own life to put yourself on a path to becoming a better version of you? What are you waiting for?
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