Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me... (Psalms 23:4, a Psalm of David)
Today as I write this blog, my mom was scheduled for mastectomy. She was to be lying on an operating table undergoing the surgery, but for God's grace, she's home giving God all the praise.
Earlier this April, during a routine health examination and mammogram, her doctor discovered a lump in the right breast. Following which, they conducted a sonogram, following which an MRI was performed confirming the presence of the lump and measuring its size (2.5cms to 5cms). A biopsy was conducted of the tissue sample and it returned positive for cancer. The lump was big enough that it could be felt by a hand examination. PET scan, bone scan and other procedures were performed to see what stage the cancer was at. As the family moved full speed ahead with appointments with cancer specialists and second opinions to plan out the next steps, there have been many of our families, friends from our church and outside who have been diligently fasting and praying for her ever since her health condition was shared with them.
I attended the Pre-operative appointment with my mom on May 21st at the hospital as the surgery had been scheduled for June 4th. On May 28th late in the evening another appointment was scheduled with the surgeon as mom during her self examination could not feel the lump in her breast anymore. The surgeon was kind enough to accommodate us as he wanted mom to be fully sure of what was going on with her body and did not want the decision that had already been made to be changed on the day of the surgery, June 4th. The doctor after going through all the options again, performed an exam and he also could not feel the lump. He gave the possible medical reasons for the tumor's shrinkage. While waiting for the surgery date, mom had also been under the treatment of a medical oncologist who had put her on pills to reduce the size of the lump. She had been on that treatment for two to three weeks, but had stopped it for more than a week or two as the decision to undergo mastectomy had been made. Another reason was that the medicine had a side effect causing severe body pain and aching bones. Mom has rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
The doctor suggested another sonogram and a biopsy of one lymph node as there were few days before surgery to appease mom's belief that she had been cured. In any case the doctor was clear to us that even if these tests should come negative, it does not rule out the presence of cancer as an MRI and a biopsy of the tissue sample had confirmed the tumor to be cancerous.
All through this ordeal, by God's grace, my sister-in-law had been able to get the necessary medical appointments in very short time. And so, another sonogram and a biopsy for one lymph node was performed on May 30th. The sonogram did not show the lump as it had previously clearly shown, but the medical staff stated there were some vague anomaly in the location of the tumor so they did not rule it out. (I would think no medical staff would want to rule out something that which they had previously seen clearly.) As we waited on the results of the biopsy from the lymph node, the church and family members have been fasting and praying morning and evening at my parent's residence. The biopsy result from the lymph node came negative. Mom was encouraged by these results and requested the surgery be cancelled.
I am fully with my mom on her belief that she has been cured of cancer,
as I personally am a beneficiary of God's amazing grace and miracles of which I have blogged previously. As we wait in prayer and thanksgiving, we are fully assured that God's glory will be fully seen without an iota of doubt that He is sovereign and that He is God indeed. Yesterday, she turned 70 years old. Please keep my mom in prayer so that as her faith grows, she will be able to strengthen others as Christ told Peter in Luke 22:32.
