Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Sometimes I am amazed as I see things unfold.  Life has a lot of little coincidences, and it's amazing when I am able to look back and see that some of them weren't coincidental at all . . .

I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous post, but in December, a member of our bishopric (Brother Wells) was talking to me and he asked me if I would talk at a 5th Sunday meeting sometime in the future about the things I have learned through this delightful breast cancer experience.  In hindsight, it seems like he hadn't "pre-planned" to ask me; it seems it just came to him then, though I don't know for sure about that, of course.  I do remember him saying he needed to ask the bishop and get back to me.  I told him I really had no desire to do it, but I felt like Heavenly Father expects us to try to help each other, so I would talk . . . I guess.  He later talked to the bishop and got approval.  During the "waiting time" I began jotting down thoughts, etc, in preparation for that future event.

Fast forward to March, when there was a 5th Sunday coming up.  As anticipated, I was asked to speak.  As I was preparing, I kept thinking about talking about medical stuff--do your exams, what to look for, etc.  As I was preparing, I kept trying to take that part of my talk out, feeling it wasn't super-appropriate to include it in a 5th Sunday meeting, with the youth there, BESIDES which, I don't have any real medical training, and so I don't really feel that I am qualified.  I wondered if we should just do an Enrichment on breast cancer instead, but concluded that since they are generally poorly attended, that might not really help get the word out to the women.  I also realized (sorry to be graphic) that men really do need to know this--sometimes they are the ones that notice there's a problem with their wife.  I was really stewing about this.  One day, a week or so before I was to speak, Brother Wells caught me in the hall at church, and asked me how the preparations were going.  I told him I was working on it, told him my problem, and then asked if it would be ok if I talked a little about the medical angle.  He said he thought so, and the bishop, who had just come up behind him, said he thought so, too.

So, I prepared . . .  I tried to think of which medical things I SHOULD say, and which things I SHOULDN'T say.  It was hard, and it was nerve-wracking.  I gave the 5th Sunday talk, even the squirmy, uncomfortable parts about the medical stuff, and didn't think another thing about it . . . I was just glad to be done!

Last Thursday evening, my visiting teaching partner stopped by, but I wasn't home.  So, when I got home, I called to see what she needed.  She told me that there was a lady in our ward that was there that day who had just found out she had breast cancer.  The next day, I took her some flowers and visited with her.  She told me she had been a bit uncomfortable with the medical part of my talk (I think everyone was!) but had, one week later (on Easter Sunday) decided she should do an exam.  She found a lump, which turned out to be cancerous.  She had surgery yesterday.  She doesn't know her treatment plan yet, but it will include chemo.

This morning, as I have been thinking about the events up to this point, I am realizing how many things that I thought were "coincidence" that are not.  Brother Wells just "happened" to think of asking me to speak.  I just "couldn't" leave out that uncomfortable medical part, even though I kept trying to re-write my talk without it.  This morning, I have been trying to think of how I can best help her through this experience---how I can pay it forward---and all of a sudden, something I saw just last week that may be of help came to my mind.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

I won't be publishing this post right away.  At this point, this lady is still trying to keep a low profile, as she grapples with the news.  I understand--I've been there!  But when it's common knowledge--it WILL go viral--I'll post it.  And I am going to try my very hardest to pay it forward--to help her as others have helped me.

Sunday, April 26th

I can post now; I've heard it from other sources.  And, as I am usually the very last to hear about anything, I'm sure I can safely assume it is common knowledge now.

In other news, my dad had surgery for his prostate cancer on Friday.  The MRI they did on Wednesday showed that the cancer went to the very edge of the prostate; they were hopeful that it had not spread beyond.  Pathology results will take a week, so we don't know any more yet.

Gotta run---I have a Primary lesson to prepare!