Our worst, HIS best

Well ain't that grand, another blogger randomly found me, and then shared my SURRENDER PRAYER in her blog!  Yay!  That made my day!  Check it out, click here! I love that, half way around the world and sharing my prayer, and going to be a Dr. no less!  Thank you Rosa! So cool!

I recently found this quote, and it deeply touched me, and summed up how I view my breast cancer diagnosis now, my mission, my calling.  "It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary."  Wow have I been placed in and sought out situations to put that into action!  Praise God for giving me His strength and tenderness to share a word and a prayer and a message of hope to so many who are weary.

Thank you Jesus for all the ways you blew my heart and my life wide open after my diagnosis.  Thank you Lord for all the Sisters I met through this blog, thank you Lord for all the Sisters I met on the Y-me message boards, thank you Lord for all the survivors I met and walked with as a Hero of Hope for the American Cancer Society.  Thank you Lord for this newest opportunity to be a servant leader for the Cancer Survivors Circle just started at my church.

Yes yes it sure would have been nice to receive an EARLY DIAGNOSIS, not Stage 3 and every bit of the toughest cancer treatment, but hey, as The Good Witch, my oncologist once said, "Baby you got street cred."

Every fear, every heartache, every horror, every tear, every loss, every poke, cut, poison and burn from breast cancer, will never diminish what I have been abundantly given in BLESSINGS AND PURPOSE.

I used to say "why me why me Jesus?"

Now I say "Thank you Lord, thank you Lord for taking my greatest challenge and darkest hour, shining your LOVE AND LIGHT ON IT, and using it all for Your glory."

Thank you Lord.  Thank you.

GOT JESUS?

Don't take my word for it.

Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

When it seems as if things just can't get any worse,

THAT'S WHEN GOD IS COMING WITH HIS BEST.

Give Me Some Hope to Follow, And I Will Run

Cara Girl and I had a great time walking the survivor's lap August 3rd at the Vallejo Relay for Life last weekend.  Oh what a victory for us both, especially Cara, who didn't let her pain or her cane weaken her determination to get around that track!  With the donations of friends and coworkers, I raised almost $1600 for the American Cancer Society.  (It's not too late to make a donation in my honor, JUST CLICK ON THIS LINK until August 31, 2013.

3 year survivor, proud of my balloon!

That lady saved my life, The Good Witch, Dr. Lesley Martin

My rock and photographer, my Husband.

Cara Girl and me.

Happy happy happy cancer survivin Diva's!

Some of the luminaries I made.

It was such a great weekend, little did we know in just a couple days, everything would change.

From Cara's Facebook post, 8/7/13:

Hello! So I would really appreciate it if most of you would take the time to read this. So I have received some really BAD news. So as you all pretty much know that I have been fighting a tough 1 year and a 1/2 fight against the cancer called leukemia. Well just recently I have been having a ton of bruising again, a ton of bone pain, and some headaches. So we raised the concern of what has been going on to my doctors and they decided they wanted to run a bunch of tests. Since they were not for sure of what it could be. Yesterday I had a bone marrow biopsy and we ended up getting the bad news. I HAVE RELAPSED. Meaning all my bone marrow (why I've been having bone pain) is filled with leukemia cells everywhere again. So this has been another scary roller coaster for my family and I but I feel like my doctors are on board, they know what they are doing, and have a good game plan to get this nasty stuff out and to go back into remission. I have been hospitalized for the next month. But most of my treatment will be me staying in the hospital months at a time. I will be getting a bone marrow transplant at some time and I might possibly have to go to New York to get another type of treatment. Where I will be the first one from UCSF to do it. Which is kind of a cool thing even considering the circumstances. It will be a long journey of things so I don't want to bore any of you right now. So as I go I will keep you guys updated as best I can. Just please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers! We sincerely need it right now. Thanks for all your support already. xoxo. -C — at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.

My reply:


Cara, I keep thinking about this last Saturday morning, when we walked the Survivors Lap at Vallejo Relay. We were so happy, and I was so proud of us. Every step was a victory, and I saw you didn't let your pain or your cane stop you. Little did we know in just a couple days our joy would be dashed and pulled out from under us with news that leukemia was back with a vengeance.

Many people break under the stress and strain of heartache and uncertainty and suffering. Many people break wide open and become the living dead. There are some people though, very few, who do not break, BUT RISE. They rise and show us this is how you do it.

Cara Hansen is one of those warriors who faces the unthinkable and does it with courage, grace, optimism and humor. Cara I cannot help but think you were chosen to blaze a trail, not only in leukemia treatment, but as a beacon to all of us. Girl I love you, I'm proud of you, and I'm sorry for everything you've already been through and what's to come. There is not a one of us who are survivors who don't look over our shoulders to see if cancer is coming for us again. Honey, this ain't your first rodeo, you will do it, you'll do it good, and I know many others will be helped by your sacrifice. I only wish you didn't have to.

Please my FB friends and family, please keep Cara in your prayers, pray that she'll be given strength when she feels like giving up. Pray she'll be given hope in the wee hours of the night when it seems like dawn will never come. Pray that her body and spirit will ready up for this next battle. Pray for her family too. When cancer happens, it happens to the whole family, and Cara's family is under the terrible stress of cancer and it's financial devastation. Please help however you can, but mostly, pray for Cara, and in her honor, LIVE with gratitude that you or someone you love never has to face something like this. 

We all love you Cara, we are heartsick about this, but so very proud of you. 

Lord hear our prayers for Cara, we cry out to you, Jesus hear our prayers. Take this suffering Lord and turn it into Your glory. Help us trust You have Cara in Your hands and have a plan for her health and her life. Give us peace knowing that when we fall in despair, that's when You are there to catch us, console us, strengthen us. Hear our prayers Lord, we need a miracle right about now.

Cara I love you. You're the bravest girl I ever met, and the brightest light. 

Rise baby. Rise.



Will you please keep Cara Girl in your thoughts and prayers as she readies up for her latest battle against leukemia?  If you are so inclined and able, here is the link to donate towards Cara's medical bills:

Cara Hansen's Leukemia related expenses. | Medical Expenses - YouCaring.com

Thank you for all your help and support for this beautiful girl that I love so much, we all do.

Cara and her Sissy Bonnie, at UCSF