Most books or movies have a plot that builds to a conclusion at the end of the story. I may not have realized it at the time but my plot may have reached it's summit in the week and a half prior to my second chemo.
I failed to mention in my previous posts that I had a tongue biopsy performed at Baylor Grapevine before starting treatment. The portion of my tongue where the tumor was is far enough back in my mouth that the layman would call it "throat" instead of "tongue". Dr. G told me there was no way he could get his sample with me awake as I would fight too much so it would have to be outpatient surgery. It was a piece of cake, so much so that I didn't even have a sore throat. Shortly after, Robin and I went to Roanoke, TX to a restaraunt called Twisted Root for a burger and several selections from the pickle bar (don't laugh til you've tried it). Before our food was ready Robin's phone rang. She answered and then went outside as the music is quite loud in this place. About five minutes later she returned to our table visibly upset. "I just got fired for missing work." That is, missing work to take me to and bring me home from my surgery. I didn't freak out as I had been praying for a new job for her primarily because there were things going on that were ethical problems and Robin had taken heat for not going along. We decided then not to pursue legal action as our plates were pretty full. Really, she was "free" from them. We also decided not to badmouth Dossett Dental or even really mention them by name. Oops, that slipped. Anyway, firing a 10+ year employee for taking her husband to a cancer related surgery...I want to be miles away from that Karma.
Robin quickly found another job and her new fellow employees would prove to be very supportive and would help her through some rough times. The new office approached her about becoming certified to use a laser but the class was in California and would be during my second chemo treatment. I felt great at the time and strongly encouraged her to go ahead and go to the class. I had family that could take me, bring me home and hang out in case it got bad (which I doubted would happen). Not only was it a great opportunity for her career but it was a chance for her to get away from the drama before things got bad. It wasn't easy but I talked her into it.
Before she left on her trip, a very dear friend of mine had asked if he and another mutual friend could pray for Robin and I. I have known Ken a very long time and he is the very definition of a prayer warrior. If Ken wanted to pray for me I was going to let him. We were to meet them early evening on a Saturday. That day, I walked into the house to pick Robin up and interrupted a fight between two of our dogs in the living room. In the process of breaking up the fight, I was bitten in the thumb of my left hand. Kind of the opposite of "avoiding infection" like I had been told. We separated the dogs, bandaged the bite and took a deep breath. There were certainly several reasons to call Ken and cancel but for some reason I felt I needed to go. Robin would stay home with the dogs. Next thing I know, she walks up with her purse. "I'm not going to make you go alone."
As we pulled up to the house, there were close to what seemed like dozens of vehicles parked at the house and along both sides of the street. We walked up to the door and followed someone else in. There were close to thirty people standing and talking in small groups everywhere you looked. I found Ken and he found JJ (the mutual friend). We spoke briefly and then JJ asked Robin and I to sit in the center of the living room and called the room to order. JJ introduced Robin and I to the group. He then looked at us and said "I have not told anyone what you are facing. We would like to pray and if anyone is giving something they need to share with you, they will do so." Ken sang a song and no one approached us. As he sang the second, a woman walked up to me and said "It's something in your neck isn't it?" The cancerous lymph node on the right side of my neck was very large but not large enough to see across the room. At least I think it wasn't. "I want to pray for you", turns to look at Robin, "..and I will get to you in a minute." Her prayer was whispered and I didn't hear it. It wasn't meant for me to hear anyway. Shortly, she moved over to Robin.
"You just seem to be carrying so much guilt." Robin told her she didn't believe she was. "Could it be that you have prayed for the Lord to take this from Chris and He hasn't and you think you haven't prayed hard enough?" No, don't think so. The lady went back to her seat but as several people came to pray for me, she periodically stood up and addressed Robin with another possible source of guilt. That sentence sounds horrible but the experience wasn't like that at all. It was like watching someone search for a word they could not remember; she knew something was there but couldn't find it. After the prayers, JJ delivered a message about the body of Christ and then Robin and I rose to leave. We thanked everyone for praying on our behalf. As we reached the door a young woman and her husband asked if she could pray for me before I left. She took one of my hands and placed her other hand on the lymph node. Once again, I could not hear her prayer but after several moments she quickly withdrew her hands, said "I'm sorry" and ran away. Yes, she ran. That freaked me out a bit.
The entire experience was well outside of both our comfort zones but we discussed what was said all the way home and even as we lay in bed before going to sleep. At about 4 am, Robin shook me awake and said "Feel your neck!". Where there was once a large lymph node there was now a small hard spot. It had shrunk in size by close to 90% in 6 hours! I believed in healing before my experience even though I had never personally witnessed it. There are several people I know and trust who have told me they HAVE seen it and I believe them. In my heart, I knew I had not been healed in the strictest sense. I think I had received a message from the Lord that no matter how hard this was, I would not be alone.
As for Robin, she was at her class in Cali and shared with the instructor that her husband was receiving chemo and she would be texting during class periodically to check on me. Turns out the instructors husband was also in a cancer fight. They hugged and the instructor asked if she could share the news with the rest of the class after the break. Robin agreed. Quite a different environment from her previous employer, huh? At the next break, one of the other hygienist approached Robin and asked "If you clean your husband's teeth, how could you not have seen the tumor?" It hit her like a ton of bricks. Obviously, the tumor was in my throat and not visible from inside my mouth so there was no way she could have seen it. Yet, she still had the feeling she had let me down.
Suddenly, that Saturday night made more sense....
No comments:
Post a Comment