As is with most of you – life’s been quite busy since my last blog with Christmas fast approaching. I’ve tried hard not to get into that harried mindset of the holidays, but rather stop and smell the “pine” and enjoy life. Even as a cancer survivor, it’s still a challenge to do that some days. School has demanded most of my attention and energies especially as this semester ended with finals in physics and pathology and my case study on breast cancer I presented to the class. But grades were good and I’m now several days into my much needed Christmas break. I was enjoying my last clinical rotation working at LRMC three days a week, but the 7 a.m. part…not so much. When break is over I will be going to Express Care in Leesburg for a quite different setting. From what I understand from the others who’ve been, you ARE the x-ray tech and it can be either slow or very busy. But there are other good learning opportunities there with CT and venipuncture practice and the people are great, so I’m looking forward to the change of pace.
One other school related note – toward the end of my senior year, I’ve decided and requested to do a learning rotation through mammography which is a branch of radiography for us. This is obviously an area that is dear to my heart and can have a huge impact on a patient’s life, like it did for me – sometimes the difference between life and death when breast cancer is found early rather than late. More to come on that.
Speaking of differences in outcome, there was a major study finding reported recently on the hormone-therapy drug, Tamoxifen, which I currently take every day. The standard protocol currently is for women to take the drug for 5 years after chemo to surpress the effects of estrogen and therefore, HOPEFULLY, limit the chance of a reoccurrence. This is for women whose cancer is Estrogen/Progesterone positive (ER/PR+). This new study showed that women who took Tamoxifen for 10 years showed even greater results, assuming their side effects are tolerable. This is being heralded, cautiously I’m sure, as good news in the breast cancer world. Since I am on the early end of my 5 years, I’ll have plenty of time to think about extending my regimen and see if further info. changes in this regard.
My husband and I were heartbroken to hear of a local friend who was recently diagnosed. She and her family are dear Christians and serve the Lord. Our hearts ached and in many ways made us feel like we were reliving those emotions all over again as we reached out to our friends like so many did for us. Kenny and I both had this driving desire to comfort them and be there for them to ease their fear and pain, and do you know what that was? That was GOD, not us. GOD was comforting them and reaching out to them. Left to our own inclinations, we’re all pretty self-centered and selfish most of the time. Knowing what they are going through and the road that lies ahead for them has caused us to shed private tears. Yet we know, as they know, that our God is faithful, ever-present, and a comforter to those in need, AND a rewarder of those who seek him. She WILL be an overcomer and stronger for it! CANCER STINKS, BUT GOD’S LOVE IS SWEET!
Praise be to the God and Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corin. 1:3-4
I believe God’s comfort and love reaches out to everyone, even to those who don’t know him or accept his plan. God IS love, his very nature is COMPASSION and therefore comfort. You don’t even have to be a “believer” to be a recipient of this benefit. After all, the Bible says he loved us before we even knew or loved him. He can’t be anything different. Even in his righteousness or judgment, he is loving. And he will use anyone and anything to comfort others. That’s why when tragedy happens, believers and non-believers alike are comforted and used as comforters to reach out and help those in distress. This is a “God-thing” whether they know it or not. He even used a donkey in the scriptures, so he can surely use a willing “non-believer”. So where does the difference in being a child of God come in, whether on the receiving end of comfort or the giving end? I believe, it’s in privilege – intimacy – accessibility – and of course, longevity (eternity). It’s like a benevolent king who cares for the needs of his people, who’s compassionate to all and giving of his resources. He does this because it’s his nature. But oh to be a child of the king who lives under his roof, who has constant access to him as “father”, who obeys him out of love, who will always have a place within his family to live with him forever, who bears his name and walks with the authority behind that name, and who even suffers for his namesake. This is where the difference lies, and the neat thing is, God wants everyone to be that child.
