The Best News Ever!!!

Today I went to Dr. Joyce’s office for exam and chemo. Dorothy and Al went with me. The doctor came through the door and said, “You look good on paper”, and gave me the PET SCAN report. I read it out loud to Dorothy and Al. God came through again! I am not surprised but I will admit the devil had me doubting. “What ifs…” had been going through my head off and on, but then I would read my Bible, look at my rockscape (from the porch, through the rain of Tropical Storm Debby) and see my healing garden and be reminded of all of God’s promises that I had only to believe in to claim. The scan showed significant decrease in size and intensity of hypermetabolic activity in the 2 small original lesions in the left lung as compared to the previous scan of January 2011. The metabolic activity is the rate at which the cancer cells/malignant tumors are growing. In my case …they….are….growing…very….slowly…!!! In fact, Doctor Joyce then informed me that my CEA values were within normal limits, 2.9!! You may recall that this lab test shows how many cancer cells are in one’s body. I started out with a value of 204. Normal values are between 2.5 and 3.0. That is because everyone has abnormal cancer cells in their body but a normal healthy immune system gets rid of them on a daily basis. For my values to be 2.9 means that I have no more abnormal cells than someone who has never been diagnosed with cancer!!! In other words, as Al put it, my cancer is arrested! I am in remission! Per Dr. Joyce’s recommendation, I am continuing the chemotherapy for maintenance. 

I went to church and took the report to share with everyone who has been laying hands on me and praying for my healing. Tonight we offered up prayers of thanksgiving to God!!! In the Episcopal Church we use wine for Holy Communion and thin wafers of unleavened bread. Any wine that is not use has been blessed and can’t be saved, so the priest and chalice bearer have to drink the remainder. Because I was immune-suppressed, I have not been drinking out of the communal wine chalice, just dipping my wafer in it. Now, I have always been fond of communion wine and this thin little quarter-sized wafer doesn’t soak up much. I have been telling myself for some months now that when I am in remission, I am going to take a BIG SWIG of wine out of the chalice! I will be at the end of the line so I am sure that everyone else had their share, but the priest will not have much left to drink up! And that’s exactly what I did tonight! The chalice bearer had to practically pull the cup away from me! After giving my report, I waved my hands in the air and shouted “Yea, God!” and “Yea, to my prayer support group!”

I am reminded of the verses in James 5:14-15 that says if any of you is sick, have the elders of the church pray for you and “the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” I thank you all immensely for all the faithful healing prayers you have sent up to heaven on my behalf. You have helped my stay positive and focused on the Lord. Your prayers of faith truly have saved me from my sickness! Words cannot express my thanks, but HALLELUJAH and YEA, GOD! come close!

Pictures show resurrection in the garden. The beautiful pink and orange zennias grew from tiny seedlings given to me by a neighbor, the lavender hibiscus, also called a Rose-of-Sharon, has been in our yard for years but really prospered with blooms when Al transplanted it in the new raised flower bed.