October 22, 2008 ~ I’m Sporadic
“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”
~ Deuteronomy 31:6
In my last update, I shared that I had undergone genetic testing to determine if there was a unique and added risk of this type breast cancer becoming a very large risk to members of my family, and even to those family members still unborn. It was my daily prayer that the test would prove to be negative and that this serious diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer at an early age, with no prior cancer history or forecast of looming trouble, would be an anomaly specific to myself and not a diagnosis that would pose an overwhelming concern to the health of those that I love most.
Yesterday afternoon I received a call from the genetics counselor that had visited with our family a few weeks ago. At that time she had taken a significant length of time to map out my family tree with specific respect to the known health concerns. She had explained that the genetic test would tell us whether there was a genetic link or not and that, if there was none found, it would simply be explained as “sporadic,” or a non-genetic related anomaly. Upon that last scenario rested all my hopes and prayers.
And those prayers were answered. Those hopes realized.
I am sporadic. My diagnosis does not bring with it a rope that winds its tangled way around the lives of my family members except, of course, to the extent that they must be more diligent because a family member once had this disease. I have never been more grateful to know that this is my burden alone. The dictionary defines the word “sporadic” this way:
“isolated, as a single instance of something; being or occurring apart from others.”
These test results bring with them a great measure of joy and comfort. God is in control of this journey, I know, and the answers to prayer along the way are magnified in the way they reveal His great love. I am grateful for His protection of me, and now for the magnificent protective covering of the people nearest my heart.
I am sporadic, but I am not isolated along this road. God shelters me, fuels my heart with hope and paves my way with love. He has also brought into my life the most wonderful people who wrap their arms around me and reflect God’s love in a thousand different ways. They are sharing my burden and cheering me on, and I don’t know what I’d do without each and every one of them.
xxoo
xxoo “Every blessing You pour out, I’ll turn back to praise!” Blessed Be Your Name
xxoo
xxoo
