New Results and Scheduled Surgery

Today Mama met with the surgeon and the medical oncologist. After examining the results from the MRI, from what they could determine they did not see cancer anywhere else in the lymph nodes. Praise God for this positive news. This will be further confirmed as the verdict when the surgeon takes a biopsy of the lymph nodes at the time of the surgery.

The oncologist gave Mama a further report regarding the HER2neu results. HER2neu is a pathology report that tests the aggressiveness of the cancer. These results came back negative. Prior to this, we already knew that this cancer was not hormone receptive—specifically concerning estrogen and progesterone. If it was hormone receptive, estrogen suppressants or progesterone suppressants could be offered with chemotherapy to slow the growth of the cancer (in accordance with the type of cancer.) Since we now know the results of Her2neu, Mama’s type of breast cancer is considered triple negative, and the Her2neu drug called “Herceptin” will not benefit her in treatment.

This news was a little disappointing for Mama simply because the chemotherapy stage is more extensive than we thought. It will include 18-20 weeks of drug-heavy chemotherapy, followed by two months of radiation. It was difficult for Mama, as well as us, to hear that this process may last until May of next year.

As I write this post, I am breathing in the savory aroma of a delicious home-made dinner that Mama is fixing. After a long day at the doctor hearing news that will dictate her life for the next eight months, she decided to come home and bless her family with a wonderful meal! All I would want to do after the day she just faced is curl up in a corner in my fuzzy socks and wallow with a gallon of ice cream in hand. Yet Mama continues to be the glue of our family, drawing us together with good food, laughter, and fun. In fact, when I talked to her over the phone after her appointment, the first thing I heard from her was not a downcast voice, but eager excitement (mixed with adorable motherly bossiness) for me to immediately go to the store to rent The Avengers for tonight. Haha, that’s my Mama. We fondly call her the playful otter of our family.

The factor that appears to be causing the most discouragement for Mama right now in regards to the future is not necessarily the battle of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but the side effects of hair loss. I think I would also feel the same way. This cancer is attacking the two parts of her body that most physically portray her beautiful femininity—her breasts and her hair. 1 Corinthians 11 refers to a woman’s hair as her glory. There is a deep God-given attachment between a woman and her hair that builds up and affirms her identity as a woman. With this in mind, loosing hair for a woman can cause shame. We strongly believe that Jesus came to absorb all condemnation and shame into his body on the cross so that we could live in freedom and glory. Therefore, we believe that either Mama won’t lose her hair or that God will provide the funds for her to enjoy a beautiful wig that adds to the glory of her physical God-given beauty. GOOD is a life form, the very person of God, and He loves to manifest in acts of goodness to reveal who He is to his children. I am excited to see his goodness in blessing Mama with hair!

Mama’s surgery is scheduled for all-day next Wednesday, October 3^rd. We are so thankful for all the love and support from family and friends and welcome your continued prayer support, especially as Mama prepares for the surgery.

I will close this post with another look at the mysterious, wonderful finished work of the Cross. I just finished reading Benjamin Dunn’s book The Happy Gospel and was so encouraged at the simplicity of abundant living made possible purely through the way of Jesus Christ’s Cross. Dunn writes:

            Our claim to healing and health is that we belong to Christ and to His righteousness, and this      produces life in our bodies. Our spirits, souls, and even our bodies are subject to newness. We        have been “recreated in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10). We are to yield our bodies as though we have     been raised from the dead (Rom. 6:13). Our bodies are now sharing in Christ’s life, the same Life    that raised Christ’s (physical) body from the dead. That same (physical) body resurrecting power      is now dwelling inside of us believers. It is part of our new reality as new creations. Life is our       portion.

Praise God that we can rest in the life of Jesus living in us to meet our every need and equip us to encounter every circumstance with abundant life! Halleluiah, our healing is not dependent upon striving self-effort that contends for the supernatural health, but our divine health is secure in the finished work of what Christ already accomplished on the Cross—the Supernatural One Himself now dwells within us. Even in the face of the “unknown, yet to come”, we are compelled to effortlessly rejoice because of the ultimate reality that “It is finished.” Partner with Mama and our family today in another day of celebrating Jesus!