My Cancer in Bullet Points

Yes, I have cancer.

Like most authors, I tell stories with detail. Authors write with details, creating visuals for our readers about the color of the house, the intensity of the breeze as it blew the autumn leaves around the front door, and the angry conversation the neighbor held when the branch from a tree snapped and fell into her garden.

The other day Carl, my husband, overheard me talking on the phone with a friend about my recent cancer diagnosis. “Bullet points,” he said to me when I finished the call. “People listen better when you talk in bullet points.” My dear husband was trying to be helpful because he knows I sometimes get too involved in the narrative and forget the main thread.

So . . . Taking his advice, I will tell you about my diagnosis with bullet points. • I had a mammogram and ultrasound on October 24th.

• I had a biopsy the same day.

• I have breast cancer --- Invasive ductal carcinoma.

• I meet with my care team--- the surgeon, radiation oncologist, and medical oncologist on November 13th.

• I am at peace and prepared for this journey.

• I hope I can be as brave as Daniel was.

• I appreciate your prayers to God for me.

• Pray for an increase in patience, faith, and healing.

I've had many nuggets of blessings so far . . . . Some include:

• The women asked if I wanted music during my biopsy and I chose the Eagles. (The young nurses called it Classic Rock which goes to show how old both the band and I am.) There’s nothing like hearing Joe Walsh belt out Take it to the Limit as the doctor is digging into your skin with a core needle.

• Ice packs are soothing, even when dining out. After Carl and I returned home from that long (mammogram-ultrasound-biopsy) day at the clinic at Duke, we went out to eat because we had a buy-one-entre-get-one-free coupon that was about to expire. The ice packs I was given joined us. Thanks to them, I was able to eat my dinner without any pain.

• In 1996, on the first morning after Daniel’s diagnosis was confirmed, I watched the sun rise over the parking deck at UNC-Hospitals in Chapel Hill, and the words to the hymn (from Lamentations) came to me: "His mercies are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness." The other Sunday, October 26th, Great is Thy Faithfulness was the final hymn at FBC. I managed to sing all the verses with gusto. As the congregation sang, I knew it was no coincidence that hymn was part of the service. It was a reminder that God goes before us to prepare the way.

I appreciate you reading this. I will try to update here every so often.