Miracles

I was going to keep this blog updated this year.  Now it's October.  Oops.  It's been quite a year so far.  I realized I never wrote about my miracle back in March.  So here goes...

I think it all began on Sunday, March 20th.  All day I had this nagging pain.  I sat around with a heating pad hoping that would do the trick.  I went to bed that night praying God would remove it.  When I woke up on Monday I felt fine.  I was very thankful.  Until I sneezed.  And doubled over in pain, broke out in a cold sweat and thought I was going to pass out.  Thank God Geoff was still home.  We headed out to the minor emergency clinic where we signed in and sat down in the crowded waiting room, wondering how long that would take.  Long story short we decided we could get in to our real doctor faster than we could get in there so we called and headed over there.  By 10:00 I was doing blood work, drinking weird stuff and waiting for a CT scan with Geoff right by my side.  I love that man.

At 1:00 the doctor's office called and asked us to come in and talk about the results at 3:00.  By this time I was feeling so much better I told Geoff I could handle it and he could go on to work.  But the doctor called and told him they wanted him there too.  That was the only point in the whole timeline that I lost my peace - for a minute.  Then it was back.  So at 3:00 we were sitting with the doctor and he was telling us that I had a 4 inch cystic mass and I needed to see a gynecologist.  I had been using him for all that stuff so we asked him who he would send his wife to and that's when Robert Ogdee entered my life.  They called to get me an appointment with him and he said send her right over.  Amazing.  He looked at the CT scan results and did a sonogram right then.  He was amazed that I hadn't felt that thing sooner. They were unable to tell what the thing was attached to - uterus, ovary, colon.  He wanted to do a couple more blood tests for ovarian cancer and colon cancer markers before we jumped in and started taking things out.  He wanted to have an oncologist in the OR if there was any chance he would be needed and he wouldn't know that without those tests.  So I ended the day with more blood work and a chest x-ray.

Those tests came back with a slightly elevated ovarian cancer marker and negative for colon cancer for which I was highly grateful!  Surgery was scheduled for the following Wednesday, March 30th.  And yes, he did decide to have an oncologist present.  That was a long weekend!

A few days before the surgery I woke up one morning and as I laid there I asked God what it was going to look like in the OR.  I had a vision of myself laying on the table and as Dr. Ogdee made the first cut Holy Spirit was released in the room along with an intensely bright light.  And then I saw them - the angels - dancing.  All over the place.  It was like they were having a party in there!  I asked God what the light meant.  I distinctly heard that it was His healing light.  Now that is a great way to go into surgery!  I actually became very excited about the whole thing!  And much to Geoff's chagrin I told several people we came into contact with through the pre-op process.  It was a blast to watch their reactions.  I even had one nurse ask if she could put me on her prayer list.  Uh.  Yes!  So cool!!

I had complete peace from this point on.  Complete. Peace.

I'd like to say the party went off without a hitch but this is what I've been told happened in that OR.  First of all - satan was defeated!  Here's how it looked in the natural:  When they got in there they realized they had underestimated the size of the mass and had to extend the incision in order to get it out.  It turned out to be more like 9 inches by 4 inches.  They had been looking at the end of it.  Once it was removed they took a good look at it (gross, I know) and saw one patch on it that looked suspicious.  The oncologist said, "there it is" and my amazing Dr. Ogdee replied, "NO!"  (At that very moment he agreed with heaven and I believe that was when my miracle took place and the angels started their dance!)  They did whatever they do to test it right then and sure enough it was NOT malignant!!  HALLELUJAH!  Praise the LORD!  They finished up and sent me off to the Recovery Room.  Dr. Ogdee went out and told Geoff and Squeaky what happened and the results and recovery began.

Now the one thing I haven't mentioned in the story is the best part.  Remember that sheep tattoo I got on December 30th?  I had more fun with that guy through this whole process.  Every time I went to someone new for blood work (3 different times), the CT scan guy, the Pre-Op nurse, AND Dr. Ogdee, I was asked if that thing was real and why a sheep.  I got to tell them how I was found, how Jesus came after me just like the sheep in the Parable of the Lost Sheep because He loved me so much.  When Dr. Ogdee came to see me in the hospital he told me the last thing he did before the surgery started was tell everyone in the OR my story of the sheep.  How cool is that??!!  And then on my followup visit I told him about my vision and how I believed when he said "No!" he agreed with heaven and in that moment I was healed and The Miracle took place.  I wish you could have seen his face.  I love that man.  He's my hero.  I believe God has huge plans for him in His Kingdom!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  God is amazing.  I love Him so much.  He has literally touched me.  I am so grateful for the people He put in my path and in my life during that whole experience.  All those who prayed, loved on me and my family by bringing food, visiting me, sending me cool stuff, facebook messages, etc.  You are all precious to me.  But more importantly you are all precious to Him. Thank you again.

 And 8 weeks later I went to Israel where I sat by the Sea of Galilee early one morning and thanked God for my healing and for Dr. Ogdee and for all of you.

I didn't know it then but my friend, Marla, was also out and she snapped this photo:

How cool is that?  Does the coolness every stop??