Miracles and Wonders
The lump is cancer
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Our very first miracle was the appearance of a cancerous lump on my neck. This may
seem like a pretty odd miracle. Cancers are graded primarily by the degree of spreading
that has occurred and the fact that my cancer had spread beyond my abdomen is what
made my diagnosis Stage IV (the worst stage with the smallest hope for survival). But
there were things about that spread that puzzled my doctors. It appeared that the cancer
from my ovaries had spread quickly to the lymph nodes in my abdomen and then
immediately traveled up the thoracic duct to the lymph nodes in my neck. And it did this
without spreading to my abdominal wall or to any other organs. My oncologist
frequently said that my cancer was more like a Stage III except for this extra lump in
my neck, and that it responded to therapy more like a Stage III or even Stage II cancer.
He also searched the medical literature and could not uncover a single case that had
presented with this type of spread. So it was very unusual.
The thing that makes it a miracle is that my abdominal tumors were very fast growing
and had not caused me any pain or even discomfort. I would have had no idea that
those tumors were there had I not gone to see the doctor to ask about the lump in my
neck. That lump saved my life, without it the cancer would most likely have progressed
much farther before I sought medical attention, and in all likelihood my disease would
have been too extensive to respond well to treatment.
Looking back, I think that this lump was God's way of getting my attention and getting
me in to see a doctor before it was too late. And with that in mind, the miracles that
follow seem like steps along a preordained path.
seem like a pretty odd miracle. Cancers are graded primarily by the degree of spreading
that has occurred and the fact that my cancer had spread beyond my abdomen is what
made my diagnosis Stage IV (the worst stage with the smallest hope for survival). But
there were things about that spread that puzzled my doctors. It appeared that the cancer
from my ovaries had spread quickly to the lymph nodes in my abdomen and then
immediately traveled up the thoracic duct to the lymph nodes in my neck. And it did this
without spreading to my abdominal wall or to any other organs. My oncologist
frequently said that my cancer was more like a Stage III except for this extra lump in
my neck, and that it responded to therapy more like a Stage III or even Stage II cancer.
He also searched the medical literature and could not uncover a single case that had
presented with this type of spread. So it was very unusual.
The thing that makes it a miracle is that my abdominal tumors were very fast growing
and had not caused me any pain or even discomfort. I would have had no idea that
those tumors were there had I not gone to see the doctor to ask about the lump in my
neck. That lump saved my life, without it the cancer would most likely have progressed
much farther before I sought medical attention, and in all likelihood my disease would
have been too extensive to respond well to treatment.
Looking back, I think that this lump was God's way of getting my attention and getting
me in to see a doctor before it was too late. And with that in mind, the miracles that
follow seem like steps along a preordained path.