Much Ado...

Before I had breast cancer, I noticed that it got its fair share of attention. I didn't really like all of the attention it received because it made me uncomfortable. And... what about all of the other cancers which are just as worthy? It seemed like much ado about one particular cancer.

I always tried to do the right thing, I never missed my yearly mammogram. I participated in The Race for The Cure most of my adult life, though it was really too much for me emotionally. I took my 3 little girls each year & even a group of women & girls from my church. Each year I walked, & each year it was more than I could bear. Seeing all of those pink hats, women of all ages, & imagining the horror of such a cancer.

One of Susan G. Komen's slogans is Imagine Life without Breast Cancer. Before, I couldn't imagine life with breast cancer. Now the tables have turned, & I cannot imagine my life without it. I remember those days, but I know I will never get back to them. Reality. Sometime's it's a hard slap in the face. However, I wouldn't trade my life.

Today's devotion was about embracing our trials & not trying to find Heaven on earth. I think I have spent most of my life doing just that. I like peace, & I'm always trying to find it. Truth is, turmoil & difficulties grow us into deeper people. I never realized it was unhealthy to constantly seek peace & avoid hardships.  We won't experience Heaven on earth. Heaven is an eternal promise that follows death if we know Christ.

So let's face it... breast cancer is in the spotlight, especially the week before The Race. As my tables have turned, so has my thinking. Both men & women fall prey to this terrible disease. The worst for me is seeing women fight the fight when their children are young. I was at a school play over the weekend, & I knew 2 other women who are also on this journey. Currently, 1 in 8 women will fight this fight (at some level).

I was 49. I was riding my bike 10 miles a day. I was working out at Curves. I was trying to maintain my weight. I had no family history. Discovering a lump & finding out it was an aggressive cancer was not even in my field of vision. As my story unraveled, so did my nightmare. I think I remained in shock for 7 months. Finding out it was in my lymph nodes was traumatic. Every grueling detail was horrific.

The research on this disease benefits other cancers. Breast cancer metastasizes into bone, lungs, liver, & the brain. It sometimes correlates with ovarian cancer. Much has been learned about cancer through the BRCA1 & 2 research. New studies are being done all the time. Great strides are being made, & still, I am effected.

No one is immune to cancer. We can do our part, but still end up on this journey. So yes... it's much ado.  But this ado is about saving lives. Once you are the recipient of a disease with such awareness, your tables turn, every detail of your life is effected (at least temporarily if not permanently). You begin a journey with an unknown end. You fight for your life & imagine a world without breast cancer because the pain of seeing history repeat itself is too much.