Have you heard those words? Were they addressed to you? Or to someone you care about?
Eleven years ago, I sat, dumbfounded, in front of a radiologist as he used those very words. I
had heard them often before -- but never addressed to me.
As a registered nurse (RN) I had been present when patients received this diagnosis. As a
minister's wife, I came alongside members of the congregation when they heard the dreadful
news. I thought I understood what they were going through. The day the news was directed at me, I
realised I had no idea.
The year that followed was what people glibly call, "A learning curve". I certainly did learn, much
of it through my mistakes. But it was no curve. Not unless you call a rollercoaster a curve.
Each time I improved and thought, "I can do this", I seemed to reach the top of the loop and start
a downward slide. On the other hand, when I felt as if I'd reached the bottom, that I couldn't go
on, I would suddenly find myself rising back up.
During that horrible period, I found myself desperate for two things:
a friend who survived the path I was now on and could speak to me from personal experience,
and
reading material, either books or articles, that offered me knowledge, and encouragement.
One day, when I was particularily low, both physically and emotionally, the Lord spoke to me
through the words of Psalm 118:17. "I will not die; instead, I will live and proclaim what
the LORD has done." (GNB) From that moment, I knew I was not going to die. Well, not that
day anyway. I had work to do. I needed to tell others what the Lord did for me.
This section of my website is for this purpose. You will find words of encouragement
and inspiration as I share ideas that worked for me, and lessons I learned during the treatment
year and beyond. I will also be sharing my cancer story with you, starting with
"The Clock is Ticking."
Please bookmark this page and check back regularly. If you find it helpful, I would love you to
drop me an e-mail at
shirley@shirleycorder.com
.
©Shirley M. Corder
October is International Breast Cancer Awareness Month.