One year

October 22nd marked one year to the day since I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. What a year it has been! Sometimes, I look back and find it hard to believe this past year even happened. It’s almost as if it was a dream or a really engaging movie I watched about someone else’s life. But the very real memories and lessons learned along the way have a way of bringing me back to reality.

I’ve had a couple of medical appointments since officially being declared in remission, and praise God, everything has been looking really good! I’ll have my first official checkup in December. As long as I keep feeling the way I do now, I expect that good news will continue!

One thing that continues to amaze me is how God remained constant and in control through it all. Whether it was the promise of hope He gave me before my diagnosis, the reminders of that promise when things got tough, His closeness during the darkest hours, the blessings and kindness of those around me, or even now, as He begins to redeem and restore what this past year has taken away, He has been faithful through every part of it.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

For me, going through cancer, I was very much focused on the next step in the process. It helped me feel like I had some control over my life and gave me something to focus on when things got tough, rather than sitting there and dwelling on everything. It was all about getting through treatment, signing up for FMLA, arranging caretaking, and getting everything in order so I could feel as prepared as possible going into the unknown.

Once I finally felt ready and everything was lined up, a wrench was thrown in the gears and I suddenly lost my job just one week before my stem cell transplant. I wasn’t expecting it at all, and it hit me really hard.

But God restores! In fact, on the exact one year anniversary of my diagnosis, I received a job offer, which I promptly accepted! Isn’t that cool? Only God! I am so excited to share that I start Monday as a Regional Coordinator for a financial advising company. I think this role is a great fit, and it felt right from the beginning. There was just a certain peace about it that is hard to explain, but for me, it’s often God leading me in a particular direction. From the beginning of all this, I prayed that God would open the doors He wanted me to walk through and shut the ones He didn’t. Looking back, I can certainly see Him doing just that over these past several months!

Thank you

Being unemployed for six months, your donations helped me keep up with miscellaneous medical expenses, travel to and from appointments, and the high cost of COBRA health insurance. You have all blessed me beyond what I can put into words, and I remain so incredibly grateful for the support you’ve given me this past year. I would be writing a very different story if I didn’t have all of you in my life!