Wow, two posts in one day!

I have been keeping quiet about something that's been going on this week because I saw no need in posting about it if it turned out to be nothing.


Let me elaborate...


I went in for a routine physical last week, and my labs came back indicating that my white blood count (WBC) was lower than it should be. This is not atypical for me, as I am anemic and taking injections to keep my counts up. It's not serious, it's not life-threatening, but upon hearing last week's verdict, I must admit I got a little panicky. The "what ifs" began playing in my mind and it was all I could do to keep my eyes to the heavens and resist the urge to play the "what if" game.


This morning was my appointment with the hematologist/oncologist, and to tell you the truth, the 45-minute wait proved agonizing. I sat there, watching patient by patient walk through the doors, many of them there to receive chemo treatments. I noticed a young woman, I presumed to be around my age, waiting to be seen by the doctor. Both of us ended up together in the back to get our blood drawn and wait for our labs to be analyzed. Out of nowhere, she said (almost as if she thought nobody would hear her), "It's amazing, you know? Two years later and this place STILL makes me nauseous." I gently asked what she meant, and through our conversation, I found out that this then 23 year-old woman had fought and won her battle with breast cancer. She was sitting at work one day, wearing a wool sweater and while itching, she discovered a lump. The doctor told her it had probably been there for a year, growing itself into stage 3 cancer. For two years, however, she's been cancer-free, and she was in for her check-up.

As I drove home, I called my mom to let her know everything with me was fine. My counts were back in "normal" range, and I said a silent prayer, thanking God that I was okay and that this young woman was in the clear. I prayed that she would continue to stay cancer-free and I prayed for all the other cancer patients I witnessed while sitting in that office. The man and his wife, the mom with her two daughters, the single woman talking to the experienced older woman, one of them nearing the end of her treatment while the other was just beginning.


We take so much for granted. My thoughts often go to Amy, a young wife and mom who continues to be in the fight for her life. And I think of little Joshua, a brave little three year-old battling Wilm's Tumor. And Andrew and Julie, his courageous parents and our friends whose faith has stood strong and touched so many during this time.

Throughout the day, as I thought about how fragile our lives are and how quickly our health or other circumstances can change, the words to a favorite worship song rang through my head:

"You give and take away...

You give and take away...

My heart will choose to say...

Lord, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Blessed be Your glorious Name."