Prayers for Amanda

Dear friends and family,

Amanda, a close friend of mine, is having a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction this Friday as the first big step in her treatment for breast cancer.  I ask you to please pray for her and her family.  Please pray for a smooth, complication-free surgery that eliminates all traces of cancer from her beautiful body, and for a smooth and successful transition from diagnosis to treatment stage for her and her family.  Please pray that she has all the support she needs to meet the demands of her children so that she can focus on getting cancer-free, and for her husband and children to have the strength, patience, and understanding as they move into this phase of the process and encounter a new normal for a little while until treatment is completed and they can resume a nicer new "normal" life once again.  Thank you, my prayer warriors, for praying for Amanda!

For Amanda -- Below are verses that were given to me when I began treatment, before I was even a saved believer. A couple of them were on index cards, the others were on gift items like a little plaque and a bookmark.  I stared at them, as I laid in bed recovering from surgery and they struck a chord with me. I hope they provide you and others some comfort on your own journey. You are in my thoughts and prayers daily!

With gratitude,

Julie

xoxo

Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:13 "For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Please help baby Jazmine - 15 month old baby in my family fights cancer

Please help baby Jazmine Bossman (15 months old) in her fight against cancer. Go to the iCare site link below to learn about her battle with cancer and how you can help. 

http://icare4causes.yolasite.com/baby-jazmine.php

Please pass this on! Thank you!

 

Back to the body shop

Just met with my brilliant breast reconstruction surgeon to discuss the painful scar tissue (the stuff that caused my recent scare) and the dents and flattened nipples situation. He could definitely feel the hardened capsular scarring and said he could try to remedy it but no guarantees it won't happen again. The dents and nipples is a relatively straightforward fix using fat from my mid section. See! A good use for my new menopausal "love handles" haha. :/

Another surgery on the books for mid-April now. It will be an iterative process to address it all but the girls should be finished with reconstruction this year.

Thank you, Lord, for the brilliant and compassionate Dr.Crisera!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

In the belly of the fish

It took being swallowed by a fish for Jonah to finally turn to God. I know what that feels like. It was in my darkest hour that I looked up and saw God's powerful light and became a reborn believer after spending years living the life of an agnostic. It was sudden but then that's because my eyes were opened to His miracles suddenly.  And,  I don't even mind that some may mumble under their breath or snicker (or even send me explicit communications saying so) about what they refer to as "a convenient conversion"; instead, I pray for them and ask God to show them the power and unconditional love and healing He has shown me. I pray that when they are sitting in the belly of the fish they look up and find refuge in the Lord.

I'm studying Jonah and the author of the study, Priscilla Shirer, says this:

"God's good at taking our messes, our leftovers, and doing something good with them. Parts of all of our lives we'd just as soon forget, yet in the hands of a Master, our mess can become the greatest miracle of all. He has a way of chopping, dicing, and reconfiguring the parts that we thought were of no use.  He's got a knack for pouring on His Spirit and sprinkling on a bit of grace and mercy. Then, voila! Fresh out of the oven of a trial or two, there's something delicious from your life that you never thought possible." - Priscilla Shirer, 'Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted'

So, as you sit in the belly of the fish (regardless of how you got there), trust in the Lord, the Master, call out to Him, and know that He has plans for you if you'll just get out of His way and let him work some magic.

May God bless you today!

Love,
Julie

MRI results CLEAR!!

Yay!! Praise God!! Just got the call from UCLA that my breast MRI results are clear -- Oh N.E.D., how I love you! :)

Me & NED's first anniversary is here!

I'm not cheating on Bob, I promise. But I *DO* LOVE NED (no evidence of disease) and am hoping to maintain my plural marriage to him and Bob for many decades to come. 

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my first clean PET/CT scan after diagnosis. I've been a survivor since the day I was diagnosed in May '09 but I've been "cancer-free" since that first clean scan on Feb.1, 2010 which took place after chemo and before radiation.

Happy anniversary, NED! You're stuck with me, buddy. OK!? :)

Praise God for getting me THIS FAR and for carrying me even further. I'm grateful beyond words.

I just got back from having a routine breast MRI (it's been one year since the implants were "installed") so I'm praying for an accurately clean test result to come in. I should hear something within 48 hours. Thank you, in advance, for similar prayers.

Jonah 2



1 [a]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said:


“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.


4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters threatened me,[b] the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.

7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. 9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’” 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.