Another Spring, Hope After Cancer

I did it! I rode the four mile trail at Zion on my electric bike. I feel so blessed to be able to go to Zion National Park again, to still be alive after having cancer, and to be able to get out places.

Last spring, I was not feeling well. There wasn't any pain or anything definite, just a sense that something wasn't right. The main thing I noticed was that I was intensely tired after doing even small things. Having chronic fatigue and multiple allergies and chemical sensitivities, I was used to feeling draggy, but this seemed strangely different.

For months, I had felt driven to write down our family history stories. I attributed that compulsion to my brother's recent death, but deep down, I couldn't shake the haunting feeling that something was very wrong.

I thought that a few days trip might perk me up, so I reserved a camping place for our trailer, but by the time we left my abdomen was puffy and hurt. I napped a lot and had to rest frequently due to the abdominal pain. I assumed that I was having another reaction to a food I'd been eating and expected it would go away as usual after a few days of not eating that food. It didn't. In fact my abdomen was continuing to swell and the pain was increasing. 

We went to our doctor. Knowing that the swelling might be ascites which sometimes accompanies late stage ovarian cancer, he immediately put me in the hospital and began tests. The results showed that I had a late stage of ovarian cancer (Stage 3c). The cancer had grown quickly and had spread throughout my entire abdomen coating all my organs with cancer cells. 

Even with chemo therapy and cancer surgery, my odds of surviving to see another spring were not good. But then, the Lord stepped in and my story was rewritten one miracle at a time. I was able to do four chemo treatments, my surgery was successful, the cancer is now in remission, I am tolerating the cancer medication well, and I'm working at rebuilding my muscles.  I now have a more relaxing lifestyle, and better relationships.  Most importantly, I have been given the opportunity to enjoy another spring filled with hope.