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My husband Doug decided to accompany me on this particular day, because we were going to squeeze in a meeting between appointments. We had the day planned like Bonnie and Clyde... he'd drive the car and drop me off outside the door to the cancer center, so I could quickly dash in to change into a gown and scoot down the hallway to be zapped with radiation.
To my surpriise he's made his way in to the radiation area... one friendly nurse said so are you here for the tour? As if it were a school tour or something. She told him he could go into the radiation treatment area. At that point Doug witnessed these professionals pushing, pulling, tugging at a towel under my back and a cradle to get me perfectly lined up so the radiation beams would hit only the target area. It had to be just right. I almost felt like a race car at Talledega and the pit crew had just finished with me. They all headed out of the room. It's a room with six feet thick concrete walls and a door that looks like a bank vault door. I"m sure the one at Fort Knox couldn't be any thicker than this one. Posted on the door in bright red and yellow is the sign radiation... it's a warning sign. During treatment the door is closed, to keep the radiation contained.
As the crew was leaving, I heard my dear sweet husband say so should I stay in here with Bren??? He was prepared to stay by my side all the way to the radiation table! No thankfully the pit crew shooed him out the thick metal door. They explained the entire room could be filled with some form of radiation and since Doug wasn't on the treatment schedule... he should probably vacate the room.
By the time lunch rolled around, we found a nice Chinese restaurant to talk about the options and a probably upcoming surgery. It was serious stuff, until.... my left eyelash sprang to life and almost popped right off into my hot n' sour soup! We laughed and laughed and he said you'd better go fix that!
The next morning my children had a big laugh when they too saw the false eye lashes spring off the corner of my eye lid. Mom you better fix that they said..... and giggled.
Then I'd realized I was glue challenged. Not only was I wearing the rebellious lashes on one end... I was also wearing the sticky container on the other end. I must have sat on the eyelash container, which had just enough glue to stick. We realized it was funny that the container stuck better to my back side than the lashes held onto the other end!
Thank you Lord for the laughter. If I'd known false eyelashes would have been this funny I would have tried them a long time ago. See without cancer we never would have shared such an intimate experience.
God really uses things like cancer. Families can use it to draw closer. Just the other day I prayed with a woman having chemo. She told me she'd spent more time with her family in the last few weeks of treatments than she had in the last sixteen years! Look for the good and remember Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose."
I feel left out (just kidding)!!!!! How can the rest of us see the video that was seen at the Church of the Highlands? I know that I would benefit from it and I think that many would also. Is there anyway that it can be purchased?
Can't wait til Saturday. I am confident the cure is just around the next bend in the road!
God Bless!
Thank you so much for the inspiring video at Church of the Highlands this morning. You and your family are all in our prayers.
Julie Duckworth
What an inspiration you are. Thank you so much for sharing your testimony at Church of the Highlands-what a blessing it was to hear-you represent the body of Christ so faithfully, and I am encouraged and inspired by your constant joy through trials. Lifting up complete healing for you!
What a great article and wonderful spirit.
Several of us were watching the news last night and commented on how great you look. You are really a great example of someone, with great faith, facing a trying time and handling it with such grace and poise.
Please know that many of us have you, Doug, and your children in our daitly prayers.
I am always blessed by your articles. I was diagnosised in 1998 with breast cancer. I was 46 years old. I used an associate of Dr. Wincester (whom I believe is your surgeon) at St. Vincent, Dr. Sam Gillis, who is now retired. I live in Winfield, AL and although Birmingham is quite a distance from me, I am glad I chose the wonderful staff there to care for me. I can relate to some of your experiences, although I lost all hair and eyelashes, I never tried the false eye-lashes. After reading your story, sounds like a missed a few laughs. I did go heavy with eyeliner and even though I only had glasses for reading, I had them tinted and wore them all the time, practically running in to everything when I had them on. My story is also a story of faith. My prognosis was slightly unfavorable, but as I tell so many, God's not impressed with statistics, only with His plans for our life. Only a cancer patient can understand what I am about to say, "I wouldn't go back being "cancer-free" for anything." The cancer made me realize what a faithful, caring God we serve, learning to lean completely on my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the life that I now live. Yes, I sometimes have to have a pity-party about some of the "left over" side effects of losing my breast and the effects of chemo to my body, but I still wouldn't go back. I admire you for sharing your life with so many. Christ is certainly being glorified.
God Bless you and your family!!
In 2004, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. I am one of the Blessed, because I am on the low end of the scale. It is non-Hodgekins, non-agressive. But, it is also non-treatable and there is no cure. My treatment is watch and wait and treat the symptoms when they occur. My oncologist says I will probably outlive it; meaning, at my age, I will probably leave this earth from something else besides lymphoma!
Thank you for your blog!
May God Bless you and yours!
Wanted to drop you a line to tell you that I found your "eyelash" story quite amusing and a great joy to read. It made me laugh and confirmed that the Lord really does have a great sense of humor. It also says that Laughter doeth good like a medicine, and as you know, laughter is much more enjoyable than a dose of radiation. SO LAUGH, My friend, I pray for times of refreshing and laughter to come upon you and your family during this season of your life. I'm still praying for you and your entire family. :)
Blessings, Shanna
Mark Lumpkin Jacksonville, AL
I have prayed for your family. I notice your husband has a good name (Doug) as I do. I would hope to be as brave and strong as the two of you.
My son, who is 32 and lives in NC, had to go through six weeks of radiation perhaps similar to your treatments. He had a special mask built for his head. His tumor was/is located on the left side of his neck and is about 6 - 8 centimeters long. Fortunately the tumor is not malignant but was a very aggressive tumor and the growth had to be stopped before it wrapped around everything and chocked off the arteries to his brain. The growth has stopped and the tumor is slowly shrinking. We are rejoicing in the Lord and are so very thankful.
God bless you Miss Brenda. You are a great encouragement to many.
Your friend and viewer, Doug Cate
I just read your blog enrty about the perils of false eyelashes and I can totally understand what you're going through! I had to use them for a theatre production when I was in college and I couldn't get them to stay on no matter what! You still look beautiful telling the news ... lashes and all!
Praying for you!
May
