The Storm

Storms are always followed by beauty in some way; the sunshine or perhaps a rainbow. Of course my family has been in a storm for the past 7 months. It reminds me of the ocean, sometimes calm and serene, other times choppy, frightening, uncharted waters. We have certainly received many many blessings through friends, strangers, family members, coworkers, and I am in awe of the creative ways others have chosen to reach out to us; it has been a learning experience and so comforting. I feel like a bridge was built by so many & we have been carried through these months and grown so strong as a family. Now, we are emerging from the pinacle of the treatment: the surgery, which was very complicated and far more complex than even our amazing Dr. Esnaola anticipated, but here we are, still moving forward in the journey and beginning to see a glimpse of the light after the storm! It is an exciting and exhilerating time now! One more round of chemotherapy after Bruce has fully recovered from surgery, and we will return to a more normal pace of living. We will never be the same, but my prayer is , that having experienced these hardships, we will be stronger, and more faithful servants, ready to help others who may embark on a similar journey.  Bruce & our family have been through a range of emotions over the past month. We have cried, laughed, been fearfully silent, been worried, overwhelmed, insecure, so many emotions...but now I can see some light. Today, the pathology reports showed that yes, the cancer had been in the lymph nodes, but it did respond to treatment, and Dr. Esnaola, feels confident that after one more round of chemotherapy, Bruce's chances of it reoccurring are less than 15%. So today we rejoice, knowing that all the support, love, prayers, and generosity showered upon us from all of you, has brought us this ray of sunlight.

To anyone reading this who has lost a loved one from cancer, my heart felt sympathy; for to have travelled this road and incurred  the loss of a family member or friend, would be excrutiating. My prayer is that my children and I will become more aware of the suffering of others, and be ready to mirror the generosity that you all have taught us so well.

Gratefully,
Joanne