Collene Kent: A wife,mother,missionary, breast cancer survivor
Here’s just a little about the experience I’ve had this past year and half withcancer. During this, I was able to do the Bible Study by James MacDonald called, Always True. I’d like to share a few things that encouraged me and share a few of the REMINDER’s I was given during breast cancer.
I.The first reminder is, God is ALWAYS with ME, I don’t need to FEAR Isaiah41:10 “Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I[am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Well, I am a person who could worry over everything, I also have a mind that doesn’t stop thinking and I like to be prepared, know all the facts. I can think about the “What if’s” for any circumstance! Illustrations: My family use to go hiking/camping in the Dominican Republic once a year. It was a remote area way up in the mountains, no showers, no toilets. Man and nature. That is not my cup of tea so I would stay home and watch the house!:-) But when they would prepare for this trip I would say, do you have this or that because “WHAT IF” this or that happens. After awhile, I was forbidden to help with the packing process!:-))
When I was 12, my dad at age 32 was diagnosed with Lymphoma and given a year to live. I would worry about the day he would die. God had to teach me that I didn’t need to worry about things until they happened, He taught me His grace would be sufficient when the time came, and God gave him an extra 9 years to live!
I was afraid to move to a 3rd world country and having to “rough it”!:-) I like an air conditioner and a port a potty in my pop up camper. God showed me it wasn’t so bad and I could handle it and even come to love it there!!Moving to the UK I was afraid of living and surviving in cold weather, again He showed me I could do this! Face my fears!!
I was afraid of having surgery, since I’d never had it. Greg would say you’re more worried about having surgery than you are of having cancer!With my family history of cancer, I always dreaded getting it. I believe it’s another one of those times, God was saying we’re going to meet this fear head on and I have lots of treasures, opportunities and lessons for you and when you’re on the other side of this trial, you’ll be able to look back and say I was able to face my fear and God got me through once again!
I was diagnosed on January 6, 2012 with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma grade 3(fast growing) stage 2 B, ER/PR positive Breast Cancer. Ladies, DO YOURSELF BREAST EXAMS! I had an almost 2 inch tumor and my Mammogram came back normal, the tumor never showed up on the Mammogram!!
A few days before my surgery, one of our supporting churches showered me with pink gifts that I could wear to surgery. I had a pink top, with pink slippers, with a pink Fascinator and a pink purse, and not to forget my pink manicure and pedicure!
So many people had called, sent cards, emails and were praying. It was overwhelming as well as humbling to say the least knowing that literally,people all over the world are praying for you in preparation for a bilateral mastectomy.January 26, 2012 was the day of my surgery and it was like Christmas morning! Greg said I was “sick”!:-) I got dressed in all my pink attire, had my list of verses on fear and I was ready to go! I later told my surgeon, I don’t know if you could have a “perfect day of surgery” but mine was.When we arrived at the hospital, there were 3 different Pastors and their wives to pray with us, and that was just before. In the waiting room (which I obviously didn’t know about) with Greg and my kids were 2 Pastors, 2 Missionaries, a Deacon and his wife as well as some college students who were friends of my kids.NOTE: I must say sometimes when on the mission field you sometimes wonder if people really care or even think about you. But through all of this, I was able to realize they really DO!!
The first thing they had to do before my surgery was to give me two nuclear injections. From what I had been told it was terrible, very painful, and worse than the surgery itself! I know people were praying and I didn’t feel any pain. For me, it was not painful at all!After the injections I was wheeled to the holding area outside of the surgery room, a Nurse from our church in Springfield was working that day,came by and checked on me.My Gynecologist, who also goes to our church in Springfield said she’d probably not see me before my surgery but would check on me during surgery and let my family know how I was doing. That day, her operating room was delayed and she spent most of the time with me in the holding area and was there when my surgeon came to talk with me as well.One of the other nurses in the holding area had a daughter married to aWelsh man and had visited Wales, she too was a Christian.In the OR, the anesthesiologist had been on mission’s trips to Haiti and was trying to find ways of going out of the DR to Haiti. Conversation was short,but another Christian in the room.So this is why I say I had a perfect day of surgery!
TRANSITION: I KNEW God was with me, and I didn’t have to FEAR! He gave me a PEACE AND CALM that only HE can do!
II.The second reminder is God is always in Control, I don’t need to DOUBT: Proverbs 3:5&6, “ Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”I did the Bible study by Linda Dillow, “Lord Calm my Anxious Heart”. In it there’s a Portuguese story about a man and his misfortunes and blessings. All the people around him, let him know what things were his misfortunes and what things were his blessings.His response was always…All I know is this… and he would state the facts that he knew. At the end he summed up all that had happened to him by stating, “That which God chooses is better than what I choose.”
Sunday in church after my first chemo treatment we sang, “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnWKehsOXu8
I began to think of how blessed I have been, I’ve not had much taken from me,I’ve had discouragement, the death of my father and father in law, but so many blessings. Other than Dengue fever I’ve never really been sick or hospitalized (other than births) I physically had not had anything taken away.**Even though this is nothing in comparison to Job, I felt as though I was stripped of everything that made me feel like a Woman. I felt the Lord had taken away the parts of me that were so personal and I knew the chemo would take my hair away. I asked the Lord to help me that no matter what He gives or what He takes away, to Bless HIS Name!
After my first chemo treatment I realized I truly am weak, and ( there were some days I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to have faith, to call on the Lord, to pray, read His word or to do anything. As Moses had to have his hands lifted, so did I. I too realized I was going to need the faith of OTHERS to help me get through this.
After some mind games with Satan,that Sunday message was on Phil 4:9-13. Things I needed to think on. I knew my mind was extra weak during this and I needed to be surrounded by good preaching, music and God’s word.TRANSITION: Through all of this, I would pray and reminded myself that God knows where I am, He’s in Control and that He’s got a purpose for all of this.
III.The third reminder is God is ALWAYS GOOD, I don’t need to DESPAIR Psalms27:13 “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” NASB
Going to the oncologist office for my first visit Feb 21, 2012 was another emotional day with heavy breathing and sighing for both of us.The day of my first treatment (March 28, 2012) was a little overwhelming and solemn but we made it through. About the 2nd-3rd day I was in the kitchen cooking and not feeling well, and Greg asked what was wrong, I began to cry and told him I didn’t know if I was up to going through Chemo, if I would have the strength to make it through. I didn’t know if I could handle loosing my hair and anything else that would come up.The day of my Second Chemo treatment, Greg dropped me off at the front door, when I got to the office I went straight to the bathroom and I began to cry. I don’t know why, if it was just the thought of treatment #2 and here we go again.
After Greg arrived, he said he didn’t like being there. I told him to go to the bathroom and cry, it would make him feel better. 
After I finished my 8 weeks of one chemo treatment, I began 12 weeks of another. I would always begin to feel good the closer I was to my next treatment. On our way to one of my treatments a supporting pastor called and asked how I was doing. I told him I felt like an MMA fighter, I was feeling good and going in for another round, knowing I was going to be knocked down!!:-)
When I felt and looked the worse, I would always remind myself, in a year from now, things will be different.In spite of all the unknowns, low spots and difficulties, I have been so blessed, and had so much to be thankful for.
God has been so GOOD to me. I’ve seen His Perfect Timing in all of this!I was in Springfield with a home to stay in and wonderful medical doctors.I’m blessed that I wasn’t a single mom or a mom with young kids goingthrough Chemo/breast cancer,I have a wonderful supportive husband, kids, family and friends.I know someone, somewhere is worse off than me-I’m blessed to have had only had breast cancer and not something worse.
CONCLUSION: Two other verses that encouraged me during this time were:
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and [that] spreadeth outher roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leafshall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shallcease from yielding fruit.”
Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.I have been blessed to be reminded again and to SEE that my God is ALWAYS WITH ME, my God is ALWAYS IN CONTROL, and my God is ALWAYS GOOD!!
No Comments
Leave a comment