Dear Journal,

I have traveled through cancer many times... Yes, Dr. E stood there and said "You're too young but your test says positive for uterine cancer. We'll redo the test."

Sadly after a rerun two times, you chose the cold-path of sending me a form letter saying, "Call an oncologist."  WOW! That surely did hurt.

A few years later, a doctor said, "Yes. The sore on your chin is more than an infected sore. You have cancer" Further tests showed it was melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Sadly, it was very much like the spot my daddy had removed from his nose. Fortunately, he lived and I learned to have spots checked. AND, I LIVED!

Just a couple years later, a spot on my back hurt, itched, burned and bled. I knew something was not good. Fearing it was melanoma again, I visited a dermatologist... a skin specialist that specialized in skin cancers. I was happy to hear him say, "You have squamous cell skin cancer."  YES, I was relieved it was not melanoma. I knew the survival rate for skin cancers was good and squamous cell was certainly much "safer" than melanoma.  Surgery was quick and effective and I was cancer free. THANK YOU LORD.

Was the BIG C done with me yet? I prayed for a five year and then a ten year anniversary. I got the first but the second eluded me as yet another doctor visit said, "You are too young for colon cancer. W don't usually test until you're 50. BUT, based on your own personal history of three cancers and your family history - dad's melanoma and dad's colon cancer - we'll do the colonoscopy.

     I would love to be wrong when i suspect I have cancer. I would love for the doctor to say, 'false alarm.'  BUT NO, in the recovery room, the doctor said, "I removed some growths. I won't lie to you. They look like cancer but we won't know until the biopsies come back. The good news is we caught it early and we removed it."

     YES, Thank you Lord again.  I know my body. I knew something was amiss. I knew it needed to be checked and thankfully the colonoscopy proved me right and all is well.

Yes, 34 months later, (1996) those nasty cells were growing again and yes, I went back to that doctor. Yes, we went back into the OR and again he came to me in the recovery room and said, "This looks like a repeat of 1994. Different spot. Different growths. We'll wait for the biopsies to confirm. But we got it."

      THANK YOU LORD AGAIN AND AGAIN. It was found. It was removed. I have lived.

Once again, I prayed for a five year anniversary, which I was granted. Sadly, the prayers for that 10 year annversary never arrived. In 2005, following a heart test, an MRI showed tumors on the ovaries. Surgery in March removed the tumors but due to complications, the ovaries were not removed. DANG.

      Come August, the tumors grew back. And yes, surgery in September once again removed the tumors only this time the doctors also removed the ovaries.  The good news is the cancer cannot return there. And so again I went into prayer mode saying THANK YOU LORD for survival and an awesome life.

And yes once again, I prayed for a five year CANCER FREE ANNIVERSARY.. and once again it was NOT TO BE.  WHY? Why does my body keep growing cancer cells... uterus, skin, colon, skin, colon, ovaries and so of course the BREAST demanded its turn.

2009 - 2010... a very long journey... and will be another journey additional. Good night for now.

3/24/2015.

Dear Journal,

I have traveled through cancer many times... Yes, Dr. E stood there and said "You're too young but your test says positive for uterine cancer. We'll redo the test."

Sadly after a rerun two times, you chose the cold-path of sending me a form letter saying, "Call an oncologist."  WOW! That surely did hurt.

A few years later, a doctor said, "Yes. The sore on your chin is more than an infected sore. You have cancer" Further tests showed it was melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Sadly, it was very much like the spot my daddy had removed from his nose. Fortunately, he lived and I learned to have spots checked. AND, I LIVED!

Just a couple years later, a spot on my back hurt, itched, burned and bled. I knew something was not good. Fearing it was melanoma again, I visited a dermatologist... a skin specialist that specialized in skin cancers. I was happy to hear him say, "You have squamous cell skin cancer."  YES, I was relieved it was not melanoma. I knew the survival rate for skin cancers was good and squamous cell was certainly much "safer" than melanoma.  Surgery was quick and effective and I was cancer free. THANK YOU LORD.

Was the BIG C done with me yet? I prayed for a five year and then a ten year anniversary. I got the first but the second eluded me as yet another doctor visit said, "You are too young for colon cancer. W don't usually test until you're 50. BUT, based on your own personal history of three cancers and your family history - dad's melanoma and dad's colon cancer - we'll do the colonoscopy.

     I would love to be wrong when i suspect I have cancer. I would love for the doctor to say, 'false alarm.'  BUT NO, in the recovery room, the doctor said, "I removed some growths. I won't lie to you. They look like cancer but we won't know until the biopsies come back. The good news is we caught it early and we removed it."

     YES, Thank you Lord again.  I know my body. I knew something was amiss. I knew it needed to be checked and thankfully the colonoscopy proved me right and all is well.

Yes, 34 months later, (1996) those nasty cells were growing again and yes, I went back to that doctor. Yes, we went back into the OR and again he came to me in the recovery room and said, "This looks like a repeat of 1994. Different spot. Different growths. We'll wait for the biopsies to confirm. But we got it."

      THANK YOU LORD AGAIN AND AGAIN. It was found. It was removed. I have lived.

Once again, I prayed for a five year anniversary, which I was granted. Sadly, the prayers for that 10 year annversary never arrived. In 2005, following a heart test, an MRI showed tumors on the ovaries. Surgery in March removed the tumors but due to complications, the ovaries were not removed. DANG.

      Come August, the tumors grew back. And yes, surgery in September once again removed the tumors only this time the doctors also removed the ovaries.  The good news is the cancer cannot return there. And so again I went into prayer mode saying THANK YOU LORD for survival and an awesome life.

And yes once again, I prayed for a five year CANCER FREE ANNIVERSARY.. and once again it was NOT TO BE.  WHY? Why does my body keep growing cancer cells... uterus, skin, colon, skin, colon, ovaries and so of course the BREAST demanded its turn.

2009 - 2010... a very long journey... and will be another journey additional. Good night for now.

3/24/2015.