{"id":223,"date":"2014-07-28T13:22:38","date_gmt":"2014-07-28T21:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mmoutreach.org\/cheryl\/?p=223"},"modified":"2016-12-16T16:49:48","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T00:49:48","slug":"life-after-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmoutreach.org\/cheryl\/life-after-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Life after cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Life<\/p>\n

Life after Cancer<\/h1>\n

Living life after cancer is a whole new mindset. I guess I never realized how much cancer had changed the way I look at life. When I found out that the cancer I had was stage 3 (mine was a very aggressive cancer with a high chance of recurrence) I went into survival mode. Every purchase I considered, I weighed, “Is this item worth the price if I only live a short time?” After months of living this way, my decision-making progressed from a habit to a mindset. This mindset was now Cheryl living with cancer. However, there is a definite paradigm shift when the treatment is over. How do I now live life after cancer?<\/p>\n

I find that I need to re-evaluate life again, yet with a view that takes in the brevity of life. Living with a death sentence over my head was helpful in that it made me clearly aware of the nearness of eternity. Ecclesiastes 7:2 shows that it is important to take the eternal into consideration.<\/p>\n

Ecclesiastes 7:2 (NASB)
\nIt is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Decisions made without eternity in view may be regretted when our end comes. However, having spent so much time with my own expiry date before my eyes, it is now time to consider this season of life as a longer span of opportunity. I need to rebuild years built into my pattern of thought. I need God’s help.<\/p>\n

Update<\/h2>\n

I mentioned in a previous post that there were some spots on my chest that I was watching. The bumps have disappeared, so it looks like nothing at all in the way of cancer, praise the Lord! I also had surgery this past Friday to remove tissue around my scar. The surgeon didn’t think there was any concern of cancer, but as a precaution, he sent it to pathology. Tomorrow (July 29, 2014) I have another bone scan to verify whether the white areas the scans found on my spine in January are growing (consistent with cancer) or are old age (consistent with degenerative disease in the spine). I have not had any pain in my spine since January, so that is a good sign. My bone scan was to be in September, but the hospital bumped me up to the end of July. Even if the scan shows a problem area, I think I will continue to focus on the future. I want to move from trusting God with all my todays to trusting Him with all my remaining years. I want to be able to comfort those who need comforting and helping them see the sturdy Hands that have held me secure.<\/p>\n

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