Since we first found out in October of 2006 that my Mom had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer our family has been through some tough days. Today was probably the toughest yet. As some of you know we found out last week that the Cancer has been spreading again and resisting the latest treatment. Today my Mom’s oncologist had to tell us what we never wanted to hear. Essentially, there is only one other chemo option left before her quality of life on the chemo would be worse than living with the cancer. The Doctor told us that with the way things are going he expects that my Mom may only have 6 months to a year left here on earth. He was very honest and told us that he doesn’t like to tell his patients things like that because “no one knows the future” but he thought it best to warn us as a family to be prepared. This of course is not the news we wanted to hear, rather it is the news we knew might happen someday.
Over the next few weeks as my Mom transitions to this “last” option we will need your prayers, we will need your support and most of all we will need the Lord’s guidance and peace. Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll be setting up a website that will be updated regularly by our family and will be able to keep you posted on how things are going. As soon as it’s ready I’ll let you know.
I want to close with one last thought. In 1 Samuel 7 the prophet Samuel has called the Israelites back to the Lord after they had been disobedient. Despite the bad circumstances and the bleak outlook for the future Samuel does something incredible.
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘ ‘Till now the LORD has helped us.’”
- 1 Samuel 7:12 (ESV)
Although my Mom’s illness is not God’s punishment for sin, nor is it consequences of sinful behavior, our broken messy world and our frail earthly bodies are all subject to the consequences of the fall in the garden. Thank God for His Son Jesus Christ, who was sent to put enmity between us and the Accuser, to pay for our sin, to Rise again, conquering over death Hell and the grave, and to Ascend into Heaven so we know that our eternal hope is secure.
God has brought us this far, He is not going to let us go.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Cliff, thank you for your display of faith in the power and providence of our God. I know it pleases Him because is shows Him off as great. I love you, brother and will continue to pray for you and your family. Count it all joy!