Hello everyone! I hope this finds you all happy and well! It has been 6 weeks and my radiation is now over! Praise God! I am very tired and my skin is burned but we have made it! And it is spring here in New England which is a beautiful thing, a small subtle reminder of God’s love and faithfulness. Even on those long, dreary winter days when you think God may have forgotten about us we can be assured with the buds blooming and birds chirping that He indeed has not, spring has come! And His faithfulness is constant, even when we do not see it, like on those cold winter days. Yet He is there, He is always there and His love never fails. Amen for that!
Thank you thank you for all of the love and prayers, and for all of the help with rides each day, cleaning, meals, laundry help and babysitting. We could not have done this alone! It was such a blessing to be able to leave my girls each day and know that they are in such loving, caring hands. That has made my journey so much easier and for this I am so grateful. So thank you Maryanne, Gwen, Pat, Maureen, Lauren, Beth, Bonnie and Peggy for taking such wonderful care of our girls. You truly are blessings from God for myself, Chris and the girls, and we all love you!
My next surgery is scheduled for the end of May, and this is just a minor one for some re-construction. The bigger one will be scheduled for the fall for the rest of the re-construction but my doctor thinks it is best to take a break and let my body rest and heal and then complete it later. We are thrilled with that; that means another summer home with the girls! God’s timing is always perfect and Lord knows I need a rest. And I get to spend my favorite season home with my girls and only need to go for my infusion treatments once every 3 weeks; I can handle that!
We have recently found out that we were chosen for not one but 2 special trips; one for parents with late-stage cancer for a weekend get-away and the other for breast cancer patients for a week-long beach retreat with other breast cancer patients! Both are intended to give families a break from cancer and just some plain old fun together. Well, we are certainly ready for that! The first one is a weekend get-away to Hilton Head Island where they give you a beautiful room on the beach and fun treats, like fancy meals, a dolphin excursion and spa treatments! The girls are going to lose their minds, not to mention this will be their first time on a plane! We just told them and they are super excited, but the thing they are most excited about is being able to “chew gum on the plane!” (I do not let them have gum!) Oh, the excitement of children!! We are going to use this as a celebration for finishing my radiation. We did not pick the time but God did, and it couldn’t be better. I should not be surprised by this as His timing is always perfect, and yet He still amazes me always. We are so humbled and grateful to have been chosen for these things and are just in awe of His blessings for us.
The next one is a full week-long beach vacation on Cape Hattaras (Outer Banks) in North Carolina! This is through an organization entitled “Little Pink Houses of Hope.” We have never been to this part of North Carolina before but hear it is beautiful, and we do so love the Carolina’s. They place 10 families together for the week a few times a year in different states to participate in activities for the kids, talks for the moms, time for the dads to talk and vent, and even a date-night for just the couples! They have thousands of applicants each year for 100 spots, and our family was chosen 4th we were told, so we are just incredibly humbled and amazed! We are super super excited and if we make the drive down there (about 13 hours!) we will be good!
Both of these events are scheduled in May, and both before my next surgery, so that is great as well. I am scheduled to start my hormone therapy at the end of May also. I am still not super excited about this and just ask for God’s peace through this and that I can handle it all okay. I cannot tell you what a difference all of the prayers, love and support have made. I would not be here today had it not been for all of it and so for this I am forever grateful. Please don’t stop as I do go for scans at the end of May also, and this will be my first one in 6 months. This is the longest I have ever gone in this cancer journey without a scan, but I am just trusting and believing that God has healed and will continue to do so for me. But the constant prayers are always so appreciated.
Thank you also to you Chris for supporting me through all of this. It has not been easy, and at some times just plain hard and exhausting, and your love never waivers. You are a true example of Christ’s unconditional love for us, and I am so grateful and honored to be your wife. I know God has great things planned for us together in the years ahead!
Thank you all for being on this journey with us. May you be filled with His love and peace as the beautiful glories of spring surround us, and may you feel His true love for you in the sunsets and the birds chirping and all the miraculous things He has given for us to freely have and enjoy because of His great love for us.
Love and blessings, April (:
Help For April 