Thanksgiving is a special time for me. It reminds me of the love my Father has for me and how His plan is to prosper me and not harm me…plans to give me a hope and future. I think on these words often. They ring true for me because statistically and according to every doctor I’ve ever talked to, I should not be here today.
My story begins over 8 years ago. I was in the process of changing jobs and was taking a 2 week vacation because I had time left and was given 2 weeks pay when I left. I was at home cleaning and blew out a big 3-wick candle. Wax hit my left eye, and the next day I woke up with an eye infection. I went to the doctor for what I thought would be a routine visit with a prescription for some antibiotics. Boy, was I wrong! The doctor that I was supposed to see was not there that day, so I saw a doctor I had not seen before. I believe that small detail was ordered by God. He noticed my vision was a little off and dilated my eye “just in case.” I remember him looking and looking for what seemed like an eternity. I remember the light burning my eye and how dry my eye felt because he was looking so long. He left the room without saying a word. He came back in and explained that there was a “mass” in my eye. “It’s probably nothing. People your age don’t get eye cancer, but you still need to see a specialist,” he said. I told him that if that was the case, I would wait until my new insurance kicked in from my new job. “Elizabeth, you don’t understand. I’ve already made you an appointment with a specialist. He is one of only 2 doctors in this area that deal with this. He’s at a tumor conference at LSUMC but is leaving right now to meet you at his office.” I was stunned. I was alone. I had no idea what to do. So many thoughts ran through my mind. Again, God ordered the steps of those around me. A nurse came up to me and explained that she was Jason’s (my husband now, fiancé at the time) neighbor. She told me that I could come over anytime, and she would help in any way she could. Jason ended up going to her house that night, and she explained in laymen’s terms everything that was happening. That was such a blessing to Jason. I called my mom, who happened to be at a prayer meeting with some of the most powerful prayer warriors I know, and they began to pray.
My mom and dad closed their business that day and headed to the doctor’s office with me. They had called some friends who explained that this was a very serious situation, so they wanted to be there to support me and see what the doctor said. The doctor quickly diagnosed me with “choroidal melanoma with a secondary exudative retinal detachment.” The tumor was so large it had detached my retina from eye. It was such a slow process that I never even noticed my vision loss. The doctor said it probably started in high school. I left shortly after that to go to the University of Tennessee for radiation plaque therapy. The radiologist there told me that I was the youngest documented case of this type of cancer. The radiation plaque was inserted into my eye and ran 24 hours a day for 10 days straight. I was separated from Jacob during this time because he couldn’t come into the room because of the radiation. He stayed in Shreveport with my sister, Rachel, while my parents and Jason went with me. It was such a hard time…I was in pain…missing my family..and unsure of what was going to happen next. Jason and I were going to get married soon, so we asked the doctor if having another baby would be ok. His response was to look Jason square in the eye and say, “Well, that depends on whether you want to raise 1 child or 2 by yourself.” It was such a blow, but we put it in God’s hands.
Fast forward 5 years later….I went Thanksgiving week to my yearly eye exam. I had lost all vision in my left eye because of the radiation…but the treatment had worked, and I was cancer-free. The doctor knew we had been waiting for this appointment because the 5 year check-up is the BIG ONE!! I will never forget his words… “You look great! Go home and have some babies!!!” We were thrilled! I breathed a sigh of relief because it was over…I was in the clear.
Three days later (the night before Thanksgiving), I was sitting in the bathtub relaxing after a hard week. We had just buried my cousin who had died (on Jacob’s birthday) unexpectedly at a very young age. I was tired…emotionally and physically. I just happened to notice a lump on the outer side of my breast. I will never forget that moment. I took a deep breath and told myself not to worry. I was sure it was nothing, but I would go to the doctor just to make sure. The breast specialist got me in pretty quickly because of my history. He tried a sonogram but could see nothing. He scheduled a biopsy a few days later. As I was on the table getting the biopsy, I caught a glimpse of the sample. It looked like motor oil. The nurse and doctor looked at each other in a strange way, and I knew something was wrong. A few days later, I got the call. He said it was cancer. I asked the doctor how in the world breast cancer was related to the eye cancer. He said, “Elizabeth, it’s not in your breast..it’s in your lymph nodes. It’s not breast cancer…the melanoma has metastasized.” (Just a side note…I was teaching school when I got this call. My mom had stopped by the school to get me to sign some release papers so we could get my medical records just in case. My sister was also teaching at Calvary. This is just another example of God’s love. He made sure that in my darkest hour my momma would be there for me. I remember the bell ringing, and I just crumpled into a desk as I tried to process the information.)
Just a few days later, Jason and I were sitting in Dr. Rosen’s office at the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center. Jason is an electrician and was working there at the time (just another one of God’s ordered steps). When he told some people what was going on, they led him straight into Dr. Rosen’s office for a consultation. That sped up the process of trying to get an appointment. When we met, Dr. Rosen said, “Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. It’s bad. It’s really bad. I have done the research, and there isn’t even a protocol for treatment. This is probably going to be the end for you because there’s nothing we can do.” He then looked at Jason and said, “I lost my best friend in college to cancer, but I can’t imagine losing my wife. You are so young.” He then proceeded to tell us that we needed to quickly get Jason and Jacob into grief counseling. He said that death would come so quickly that they needed to start preparing for it now. By this point, my faith kicked in. I can’t explain it, but this undeniable peace came over me. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I don’t know if you believe in God or miracles, but you are about to see something miraculous happen.” He smiled a little and said, “I hope you are right.” On a personal note, I love Dr. Rosen. I appreciated his honesty, and according to medicine he was right. I asked him to shoot straight with us, and he did. I don’t want anyone to think that he was insensitive because he wasn’t. He was compassionate and helped us through this entire process.
By now, it was the middle of December. Dr. Rosen referred us to Dr. Feagin for treatment. She is, in my opinion, the FINEST oncologist in our area. I’m really surprised she has not moved on to bigger and better things…but that was probably just another one of God’s ordered steps! She explained to us that once melanoma is in the lymph nodes, it spreads very quickly. She ordered a PET scan, but told us she was going to wait until after Christmas to give us the results. Her reasoning was that it was probably going to be our last holiday together, and there was no sense in ruining it. Once again, my faith kicked in. I knew I was going to be ok. I was scared of the process because we never know how God is going to choose to heal us, but I knew I would survive. I continued to teach during this entire time, and my students and fellow teachers stood with me the whole time. I begged Dr. Feagin to give us the results before Christmas, and she agreed. We went in a few days before Christmas and got GREAT news. The cancer was somehow (divine intervention) contained to only ONE lymph node. We could do surgery in January to remove that node and a few around it just to make sure we got a negative margin. Praise God!!!
On January 5th, I went in for surgery. Everything went well. I know this post is getting REALLY long, but I must share one incredible detail about this day. The procedure involved radioactive dye being injected into my breast. This dye would “light up” the cancer cells, so the doctor would know where to look. They couldn’t put me under anesthesia or give me pain medicine for this because I was going into surgery soon. They put me on a table and strapped my arms and legs down because the radiologist said so many people kick and scream and punch him that this was now necessary. I knew this going into it and prayed….and prayed…and prayed some more that this wouldn’t be the case for me. I was explaining all of this to the nurse while she laughed at me. He began injecting the dye, and I began to giggle. It tickled…it didn’t hurt. The doctor looked shocked and said, “Well, I’ve seen a lot of reactions, but I’ve NEVER seen that!” God is so faithful.
After the successful surgery, I went home after just one night in the hospital. Dr. Feagin said I was looking good and just needed to come in every couple of weeks for blood work and CT scans. For several months, everything was fine….until April. After a CT scan, we found a mass in my lung. Dr. Feagin was very discouraged and said that it was like playing “Whack a Mole” at the fair. Melanoma is absolutely unpredictable and just starts popping up everywhere. She ordered a more detailed CT scan with small slices of samples just a few days later. By that time, the mass in my right lung had grown to twice its size, and there was another mass in my left lung. She came into the room and said, “I’ve thought about you WAY more than I should have over Easter. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do. Surgery is not an option because obviously you need your lungs. We need to start talking about quality of life.” Nothing we can do?? Quality of life?? I’m glad I know with God ALL things are possible…and that He died to give me a FUTURE!
She had me come back with my parents and my husband so that we could all hear the information and decide the next step. She said there was a clinical trial she could get me into at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She was also honest with us and told us that it probably wouldn’t help me but would help with research in the future. At this point, I was given 3 weeks to 3 months to live. Let that sink in for a moment! I must say that even with all this bad news, we never lost our faith. I would get discouraged and not like the process, but I ALWAYS knew God would heal me. I didn’t care if it was through chemo, radiation, a clinical trial, or a MIRACLE…I just knew God would somehow do it.
We asked for a lung biopsy just to make sure it was melanoma. Dr. Feagin said that lung biopsies are painful, and it was unnecessary because she already knew. I insisted, and she agreed. I prayed and prayed and prayed that I would get in there, and they would say, “Oh wow! It’s gone!” That didn’t happen. I didn’t understand why God didn’t miraculously step in as He had done so many times before. It was painful..worse than childbirth, breast injections, or anything else I can think of! It was the only point in which I really wondered if it would be better to just die. That night at home, Jason called my mother because he was so concerned about me. When we went in to get the results, we found out that they didn’t get a very good sample. I smiled and knew God had intervened. Dr. Feagin said not to get our hopes up because the mass was still there, and she was absolutely sure it was melanoma. Other doctors who looked at the tests agreed. Even though I knew it would be painful, I asked for another biopsy. They put me into the CT scanner (this is another procedure that had to be done with me completely awake) to get some pictures before they started. I was in there longer than I had been with the first biopsy which I thought was strange. Then the machine started moving me out. I remember wondering why that was happening. When I looked up, I saw the radiologist. “Well, we can’t do the procedure today,” he said. My mind began racing. Why? Good lord, I can’t take another day off work! I’ve prepared myself mentally for the pain! The doctor stopped my thoughts by saying, “I rarely get to give people good news, but I get to today! We can’t do the procedure because there’s nothing to biopsy. Your lungs are clear!” I immediately began to cry. The nurse began to rub my shoulder and handed me a tissue. They knew my story. They knew what I was up against. They knew what was at stake here. The doctor told me that I was free to leave. I told them that they had just witnessed a miracle, and if that didn’t make them believe in God, I don’t know what would.
That, my friends, is the end of that chapter. I have been completely cancer-free since that day. Dr. Feagin called it “spontaneous regression” but I call it a “miracle.” God stepped in and did what He had to do. There was no time for medicine or doctors. He had to intervene, and He had to do it quickly. And He did…because I stood on the promises of God. I knew that 1,000 may fall on my right, and 10,000 on my left, but it would NOT come near me. I knew that NO weapon formed against me would prosper. I knew that He had a plan and a future for me. He didn’t want to leave Jacob without a mother and Jason without a wife. He wanted sweet little Caroline to be born….but that’s another day’s post!! If you or someone you know is fighting a cancer battle, don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Jesus died on the cross so that by His stripes we could be healed. He did it for me, and He’ll do it for you!!!
*Note: This is the short version. I actually had to leave ALOT out. I’m really thinking about writing a book.
My story begins over 8 years ago. I was in the process of changing jobs and was taking a 2 week vacation because I had time left and was given 2 weeks pay when I left. I was at home cleaning and blew out a big 3-wick candle. Wax hit my left eye, and the next day I woke up with an eye infection. I went to the doctor for what I thought would be a routine visit with a prescription for some antibiotics. Boy, was I wrong! The doctor that I was supposed to see was not there that day, so I saw a doctor I had not seen before. I believe that small detail was ordered by God. He noticed my vision was a little off and dilated my eye “just in case.” I remember him looking and looking for what seemed like an eternity. I remember the light burning my eye and how dry my eye felt because he was looking so long. He left the room without saying a word. He came back in and explained that there was a “mass” in my eye. “It’s probably nothing. People your age don’t get eye cancer, but you still need to see a specialist,” he said. I told him that if that was the case, I would wait until my new insurance kicked in from my new job. “Elizabeth, you don’t understand. I’ve already made you an appointment with a specialist. He is one of only 2 doctors in this area that deal with this. He’s at a tumor conference at LSUMC but is leaving right now to meet you at his office.” I was stunned. I was alone. I had no idea what to do. So many thoughts ran through my mind. Again, God ordered the steps of those around me. A nurse came up to me and explained that she was Jason’s (my husband now, fiancé at the time) neighbor. She told me that I could come over anytime, and she would help in any way she could. Jason ended up going to her house that night, and she explained in laymen’s terms everything that was happening. That was such a blessing to Jason. I called my mom, who happened to be at a prayer meeting with some of the most powerful prayer warriors I know, and they began to pray.
My mom and dad closed their business that day and headed to the doctor’s office with me. They had called some friends who explained that this was a very serious situation, so they wanted to be there to support me and see what the doctor said. The doctor quickly diagnosed me with “choroidal melanoma with a secondary exudative retinal detachment.” The tumor was so large it had detached my retina from eye. It was such a slow process that I never even noticed my vision loss. The doctor said it probably started in high school. I left shortly after that to go to the University of Tennessee for radiation plaque therapy. The radiologist there told me that I was the youngest documented case of this type of cancer. The radiation plaque was inserted into my eye and ran 24 hours a day for 10 days straight. I was separated from Jacob during this time because he couldn’t come into the room because of the radiation. He stayed in Shreveport with my sister, Rachel, while my parents and Jason went with me. It was such a hard time…I was in pain…missing my family..and unsure of what was going to happen next. Jason and I were going to get married soon, so we asked the doctor if having another baby would be ok. His response was to look Jason square in the eye and say, “Well, that depends on whether you want to raise 1 child or 2 by yourself.” It was such a blow, but we put it in God’s hands.
Fast forward 5 years later….I went Thanksgiving week to my yearly eye exam. I had lost all vision in my left eye because of the radiation…but the treatment had worked, and I was cancer-free. The doctor knew we had been waiting for this appointment because the 5 year check-up is the BIG ONE!! I will never forget his words… “You look great! Go home and have some babies!!!” We were thrilled! I breathed a sigh of relief because it was over…I was in the clear.
Three days later (the night before Thanksgiving), I was sitting in the bathtub relaxing after a hard week. We had just buried my cousin who had died (on Jacob’s birthday) unexpectedly at a very young age. I was tired…emotionally and physically. I just happened to notice a lump on the outer side of my breast. I will never forget that moment. I took a deep breath and told myself not to worry. I was sure it was nothing, but I would go to the doctor just to make sure. The breast specialist got me in pretty quickly because of my history. He tried a sonogram but could see nothing. He scheduled a biopsy a few days later. As I was on the table getting the biopsy, I caught a glimpse of the sample. It looked like motor oil. The nurse and doctor looked at each other in a strange way, and I knew something was wrong. A few days later, I got the call. He said it was cancer. I asked the doctor how in the world breast cancer was related to the eye cancer. He said, “Elizabeth, it’s not in your breast..it’s in your lymph nodes. It’s not breast cancer…the melanoma has metastasized.” (Just a side note…I was teaching school when I got this call. My mom had stopped by the school to get me to sign some release papers so we could get my medical records just in case. My sister was also teaching at Calvary. This is just another example of God’s love. He made sure that in my darkest hour my momma would be there for me. I remember the bell ringing, and I just crumpled into a desk as I tried to process the information.)
Just a few days later, Jason and I were sitting in Dr. Rosen’s office at the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center. Jason is an electrician and was working there at the time (just another one of God’s ordered steps). When he told some people what was going on, they led him straight into Dr. Rosen’s office for a consultation. That sped up the process of trying to get an appointment. When we met, Dr. Rosen said, “Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. It’s bad. It’s really bad. I have done the research, and there isn’t even a protocol for treatment. This is probably going to be the end for you because there’s nothing we can do.” He then looked at Jason and said, “I lost my best friend in college to cancer, but I can’t imagine losing my wife. You are so young.” He then proceeded to tell us that we needed to quickly get Jason and Jacob into grief counseling. He said that death would come so quickly that they needed to start preparing for it now. By this point, my faith kicked in. I can’t explain it, but this undeniable peace came over me. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I don’t know if you believe in God or miracles, but you are about to see something miraculous happen.” He smiled a little and said, “I hope you are right.” On a personal note, I love Dr. Rosen. I appreciated his honesty, and according to medicine he was right. I asked him to shoot straight with us, and he did. I don’t want anyone to think that he was insensitive because he wasn’t. He was compassionate and helped us through this entire process.
By now, it was the middle of December. Dr. Rosen referred us to Dr. Feagin for treatment. She is, in my opinion, the FINEST oncologist in our area. I’m really surprised she has not moved on to bigger and better things…but that was probably just another one of God’s ordered steps! She explained to us that once melanoma is in the lymph nodes, it spreads very quickly. She ordered a PET scan, but told us she was going to wait until after Christmas to give us the results. Her reasoning was that it was probably going to be our last holiday together, and there was no sense in ruining it. Once again, my faith kicked in. I knew I was going to be ok. I was scared of the process because we never know how God is going to choose to heal us, but I knew I would survive. I continued to teach during this entire time, and my students and fellow teachers stood with me the whole time. I begged Dr. Feagin to give us the results before Christmas, and she agreed. We went in a few days before Christmas and got GREAT news. The cancer was somehow (divine intervention) contained to only ONE lymph node. We could do surgery in January to remove that node and a few around it just to make sure we got a negative margin. Praise God!!!
On January 5th, I went in for surgery. Everything went well. I know this post is getting REALLY long, but I must share one incredible detail about this day. The procedure involved radioactive dye being injected into my breast. This dye would “light up” the cancer cells, so the doctor would know where to look. They couldn’t put me under anesthesia or give me pain medicine for this because I was going into surgery soon. They put me on a table and strapped my arms and legs down because the radiologist said so many people kick and scream and punch him that this was now necessary. I knew this going into it and prayed….and prayed…and prayed some more that this wouldn’t be the case for me. I was explaining all of this to the nurse while she laughed at me. He began injecting the dye, and I began to giggle. It tickled…it didn’t hurt. The doctor looked shocked and said, “Well, I’ve seen a lot of reactions, but I’ve NEVER seen that!” God is so faithful.
After the successful surgery, I went home after just one night in the hospital. Dr. Feagin said I was looking good and just needed to come in every couple of weeks for blood work and CT scans. For several months, everything was fine….until April. After a CT scan, we found a mass in my lung. Dr. Feagin was very discouraged and said that it was like playing “Whack a Mole” at the fair. Melanoma is absolutely unpredictable and just starts popping up everywhere. She ordered a more detailed CT scan with small slices of samples just a few days later. By that time, the mass in my right lung had grown to twice its size, and there was another mass in my left lung. She came into the room and said, “I’ve thought about you WAY more than I should have over Easter. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do. Surgery is not an option because obviously you need your lungs. We need to start talking about quality of life.” Nothing we can do?? Quality of life?? I’m glad I know with God ALL things are possible…and that He died to give me a FUTURE!
She had me come back with my parents and my husband so that we could all hear the information and decide the next step. She said there was a clinical trial she could get me into at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She was also honest with us and told us that it probably wouldn’t help me but would help with research in the future. At this point, I was given 3 weeks to 3 months to live. Let that sink in for a moment! I must say that even with all this bad news, we never lost our faith. I would get discouraged and not like the process, but I ALWAYS knew God would heal me. I didn’t care if it was through chemo, radiation, a clinical trial, or a MIRACLE…I just knew God would somehow do it.
We asked for a lung biopsy just to make sure it was melanoma. Dr. Feagin said that lung biopsies are painful, and it was unnecessary because she already knew. I insisted, and she agreed. I prayed and prayed and prayed that I would get in there, and they would say, “Oh wow! It’s gone!” That didn’t happen. I didn’t understand why God didn’t miraculously step in as He had done so many times before. It was painful..worse than childbirth, breast injections, or anything else I can think of! It was the only point in which I really wondered if it would be better to just die. That night at home, Jason called my mother because he was so concerned about me. When we went in to get the results, we found out that they didn’t get a very good sample. I smiled and knew God had intervened. Dr. Feagin said not to get our hopes up because the mass was still there, and she was absolutely sure it was melanoma. Other doctors who looked at the tests agreed. Even though I knew it would be painful, I asked for another biopsy. They put me into the CT scanner (this is another procedure that had to be done with me completely awake) to get some pictures before they started. I was in there longer than I had been with the first biopsy which I thought was strange. Then the machine started moving me out. I remember wondering why that was happening. When I looked up, I saw the radiologist. “Well, we can’t do the procedure today,” he said. My mind began racing. Why? Good lord, I can’t take another day off work! I’ve prepared myself mentally for the pain! The doctor stopped my thoughts by saying, “I rarely get to give people good news, but I get to today! We can’t do the procedure because there’s nothing to biopsy. Your lungs are clear!” I immediately began to cry. The nurse began to rub my shoulder and handed me a tissue. They knew my story. They knew what I was up against. They knew what was at stake here. The doctor told me that I was free to leave. I told them that they had just witnessed a miracle, and if that didn’t make them believe in God, I don’t know what would.
That, my friends, is the end of that chapter. I have been completely cancer-free since that day. Dr. Feagin called it “spontaneous regression” but I call it a “miracle.” God stepped in and did what He had to do. There was no time for medicine or doctors. He had to intervene, and He had to do it quickly. And He did…because I stood on the promises of God. I knew that 1,000 may fall on my right, and 10,000 on my left, but it would NOT come near me. I knew that NO weapon formed against me would prosper. I knew that He had a plan and a future for me. He didn’t want to leave Jacob without a mother and Jason without a wife. He wanted sweet little Caroline to be born….but that’s another day’s post!! If you or someone you know is fighting a cancer battle, don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Jesus died on the cross so that by His stripes we could be healed. He did it for me, and He’ll do it for you!!!
*Note: This is the short version. I actually had to leave ALOT out. I’m really thinking about writing a book.
31 comments:
I had no idea u have gone through all of this.
I've been crying reading ur story of Gods faithfulness.
U should write a book. People NEED to hear ur story !!!
I'm so glad God healed u ! Holly Netherland Waalk
Elizabeth,
I was so moved by your testimony, I was crying the entire time, and I really do agree you should write a book about your story. What an encouragement to others and a story of steadfast faith. Whether we have been through many trials as you have, or not, you reminded me that we do have so much to be thankful for. Praise God for His everlasting love.
Laura
P.S. If you want help writing your book, give me a call 802-858-4423 or email laura@OrganizeNOW.info - I've written two books and would love to help you.
Ok Cuz, I knew this story but still I sit hear crying my eyes out. As you know my Dad was diagnosed with Cancer today so God directed me to your blog to help me with this struggle. Thanks
I noticed you stopped by my blog and didn't recognize the name. Wow, what a great testimony! I was so moved and in tears by your story.
My good friend was diagnosed with cervical cancer recently. She had surgery, and goes for an appointment on December 11th. God is good! I'm praying she too will be cancer free!
Thanks for sharing your story. Yes, a book! It will touch many, many people!
Praising GOD with you! WHAT A MIRACLE you carry as a testimony. I am privileged to have come here and read your story. I have joined to follow your blog and I look forward to getting to know you.
Blessings, hugs, and prayers, andrea
What an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness to love us through everything and the true POWER of His healing. Thank you so much for sharing your story, and I hope that God does give you the time to write it into a book.
Daily laying it at the Master's feet!
Laura Ann
Oh, sweetie! what a blessed story ... God is there always, we just have to continue to trust & believe. A book, YES you sure should write a book ... it would help so many ...
This certainly brought tears to my eyes & warmth to my heart ... God is our love & savior, He continues to bless & hold us thru it all. Faith, just faith ... how loving your family to be there always.
Have a beautiful week.
TTFN ~Marydon
Visit/join our new blog ~ blushingrosetoo.blogspot.com
Our 6 GIVEAWAYS ends Dec. 8th
Hi Elizabeth,
I am so deeply touched by your story, by your miraculous healing. I stand with you in praise, honor and glory to our Almighty Father for through the blood of Jesus Christ we are all healed.
I agree with others here, you should write a book. You are a walking testimony of His mighty miracles and I believe my husband is too. He had open heart surgery 3 years ago at the age of 49 during Christmas week. We recently went to the Cleveland, Ohio Clinic to see if anything else can be done for him because one of his major arteries leading to his heart is not working at all, the other two main arteries are so filled with plaque that doctors say absolutely no stents or another open-heart surgery. All three major arteries have large aneurysms within them, but...he is still a walking testimony for the Lord because despite all of that and doctors saying that he should of had multiple heart attacks by now...he hasn't. Praise the Lord!
I stand beside you brave and faithful sister in knowing full well that our Lord is the Ultimate Divine Physician and can make all that is impossible absolutely possible through the healing blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
After reading your story I feel a special bond with you. I'm so glad I stopped by to formally say hi and I've become a follower of your blog this night. I invite you to come on over and visit me at my site too. I would be honored if you felt led to become a follower of mine as well.
What a beautiful testimony especially at this time of the year. My prayers are with you always now and I know that you will be in my mind and heart because God has placed you there.
Love & Blessings,
Alleluiabelle
Teresa sent me to your blog and I'm so glad she did. There's nothing like hearing a miracle story to find hope again.
I believe that so many people can be helped by your miracle story so please, don't stop telling it. In fact, write the book!
WOW, just WOW....and yes I definitly think you need to write a book. What inspiration for those fighting and thoses with people who are fighting!
Over from Theresa's
Theresa sent me over and I am so happy that she did. Your story is total proof of how awesome our God truly is. And yes, you should definitely write a book!
Your story is absolutely amazing, and it truely touched my heart. I believe in miracles so much, and your story proved my faith right. God can do amazing things when you just have faith in Him and it put it in His hands. I think writing a book is a wonderful idea, it may be another one of God's ways- your book could change other people's life that are experiencing the same thing.
Your story is amazing! God is so good!
I am so glad that Teresa asked us to come to your blog post and read about your miracles.
God's Continued Blessings!
Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
Just stopping by from Teresa's blog... and I am so glad I did! I needed to read your words and read how God worked in your life. I have never faced what you have, but it again reminds me that my God is bigger than cancer and always provides what we need. Thank you so much for sharing! I am praying that you and your family have the best Christmas ever, and that God continues to bless you and use you for his Kingdom!
Teresa sent me and I am so glad I came! What a miracle! and What faith! I really think you need to write that book!
Sarah
Oh, Elizabeth! I've been so touched by your story. Teresa at Grammygirlfriend sent me over to read your story!
Oh, I'm crying here and rejoicing with you at the faithfulness of God! Your strong faith in God is so ministering! I'm so thankful I was able to read your story and I do hope you'll write a book - what a blessing it would be to so many!
Blessings to you,
shelia ;)
I was referred here by Grammy Girlfriend, and what a blessing your words have been to me today. I'm so glad you lived to tell the story of God's love!
How powerful. Thank you for sharing that miracle...the miracle that is your life! I am new to Teresa at Grammy Girlfriend, and when I saw her post today, she suggested we come and stop by for a visit with you. I am so glad I did. The love of God is such an awesome thing. I am certain that He used (and is still using you) to allow others to know of His power and might...may you continue to be blessed. Thanks again for sharing such an amazing story. Your faith should be an inspiration to us all.
What a beautiful testimony of God's hand in everything!
I'm here via Theresa and I'm so glad she told us to come over here...I've got tears running down my cheeks, your testimony of how great our God is, is absolutely heartwarming. One can't even imagine what you've been through but a miracle has indeed occured. Wishing you all the very best and may you have a truly blessed Christmas:-) xox
Thank you for sharing your story! God bless you and your family.
Jen
God's Shining Stars
Creative and Curious Kids!
I just came from Grammy Girlfriends, and am I ever glad I did! Girl, you are a walking miracle!!! Praise God, my faith just jolted from one to a thousand on the miracle meter! Thanks for sharing this, and I pray many more people will be encouraged by your great faith, and our GREAT GOD!!!
I am in tears! what a beautiful story of faith and Gods love....Teresa sent me and i am so glad i clicked over
Amazing. Sitting here with tears in my eyes. Our family was touched by cancer, too. I wonder how many lives were changed in that hospital when they saw what happened to you? That is truly a Romans 8:28 moment.
Thank you for sharing your story. PRAISE GOD!!!!!!
I found your blog through Teresa's... I just want to encourage you to publish your story.
Cancer affects so many... Your story is relevant to a large [hurting] population. I have several friends who had cancer - most of whom succumbed to whatever form they had. :(**
Thank you for being such a strong witness & for being faithful in sharing your story.
I have been reminded (over & over) lately, that i STILL haven't shared mine - for another hurting population that needs to hear that there is HOPE...
Thank you for your encouragement.
What an amazing testimony to the faithfulness of Our Lord!!
You are a walking miracle!!
Wonderful story. thanks for sharing how God has been at work in your life.
Hugs and prayers for you and yours this Christmas
Dear Elizabeth!
I found your blog through GrammyGirlfriend (Teresa) and am in such awe of your strength and courage! You should publish your LONG version, so many could learn from it.
Your story is very personal to me too as I was diagnosed with melanoma just this summer. I lost my Mom to the same 5 years ago. I take your information and strength with me as I continue my daily life.
Thank you, thank for sharing! Conitinue to be the role model for us and please enjoy this blessed time of year.
Elizabeth......Hallelujah! Glory to God!!!
Oh, my word!!! First of all I want to thank you for your faith filled prayers for my miracle daughter Katie!! As I read your testimony I rejoiced over the faithfulness and goodness of our God and could so understand and relate to the "details ordered by God" to heal you!! I stand absolutely without words and completely amazed at the details that our family knows were part of our Katies rescue and healing miracle. At the appropriate time I will write about the movings of the Hand of God that are so GOD!! Even the ER MD at Mayo brought his resident MD's up to ICU to use her as an "example" and was amazed she was still alive but knew "it" was a result of "people and circumstances" that found her and called for help when they did! We know that it was God's hand that orchestrated events to protect her and work miracles!!! Glory to God!!!
As I read your testimony, my heart melts at the goodness, wonder and faithfulness of our God! He's given you a word of hope and encouragement! My heart broke for those who were also so gravely ill in the ICU unit where Katie was. How did/do they cope with such despair without Jesus to hold, comfort and strengthen them? When we got the call that our daughter was found unresponsive after laying in her car in a Walmart parking lot for five hours everything within us went numb BUT we immediately began speaking the Promises of God......Oh, thank you Jesus for Your Word!!! Where would I be and what would I do without You, Precious Jesus!!!
I'm sorry to be so lengthy, but it's still so fresh and real and your miracles just bless me beyond explanation! I'll close with this......As I mentioned above, so many details, small and big that on any other day may have gone unnoticed, but now I'm so keenly aware of walking so closely with Him that He arranges and rearranges people, places and things to protect, bless and keep us!!! Within a few hours of that dreadful call, I drove to Phoenix (1-1/2 hours away) to catch the next flight to Jacksonville FL. When I arrived at the airport the boarding area was very crowded and about to board - I was in some kind of Divine cocoon, kinda numb but anxious to get to FL to speak the Word and lay hands on Katie when I looked up and there awaiting the same flight was a precious Christian friend that I knew when we lived in Jacksonville but haven't seen or talked with in about twenty five years!!! She "just happened" to be visiting her mom in AZ and was returning to Jacksonville on my flight!!! (GOD THING!!!) She was just as amazed to see me as I was her......I told her about Katie and we immediately prayed (right there in the boarding area, Glory to God!) and we sat together and talked about the goodness and faithfulness of God all the way to Jacksonville. God PUT a faith filled friend from Jacksonville, FL on that particular flight from AZ to minister strength and comfort to my heart and stand in prayer for Katie!!! Glory to God!! Divinely ordered connection, absolutely!! The Divinely ordered connections and interventions are so numerous, I'm still trying to process the wonder of it.....but this I know....HE IS A FAITHFUL WONDERWORKING, MIRACLE GOD!!! Thank you Jesus!
Thank you so much for sharing your testimony!!
I look forward to visiting your blog and hope you'll stop by Fresh Oil Today when you can!!
Sweet Blessings!
Jackie
Elizabeth, I have known your story, but reading it again just reminded me of God's great love and mercy! You should write a book. Love, Tammy Day
Elizabeth,
I don't know you but I work in the NICU at rapides and Sherri shared your story with me. I was seriously blown away. I was diagnosed with melanoma a couple of months back and it was caught early. The three weeks that I waited on my biopsy results were horrible. I have three small children and all I could think was that I had waited to long to go to my doctor and I just knew it had spread. If I would have had just half the faith that you do it wouldn't have been the weeks of stress and tears that I put myself through. Just reading about everything you went through and how strong you are has showed me that I need to work on my relationship with God and my faith in him. I was in tears. I can't even begin to explain to you what your story has done for me. I pray that somehow I can become as strong as you. With the world we live in it's so hard to see the miracles that God still performs everyday and sometimes you kind of lose sight of the fact that he is always the one in control. Your story has been a blessing to me and made me realize what God can do. Thanks so much for sharing your story. We all need hope and faith and that's exactly what your testiomny has given me.
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