Dear Kristy,

So much has happened since I have been on our dear blog! Let me see if I can catch you up to speed with everything that is going on around here. (We both know we have cheated a lot lately by calling each other!)

First, the not so good news. After all my smack talk about the breast MRI, I guess I need to be thankful for it now. I went back to Arkansas in October for follow up and breast biopsies which revealed breast cancer. It was DCIS which is the kind of cancer you want, I guess, if you have to have it. It is non-invasive yet it did show up in 25 of the 27 slides so that is not good. In 2008 when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer it was recommended then to have a mastectomy. But at that time, I was looking at a possible lymphoma diagnosis as well. So we went with having more breast tissue removed instead and not have a mastectomy. After it was all said and done, I did not have lymphoma again, praise the Lord. So now two years later I have the diagnosis of breast cancer again. We knew there was a 40% chance. A praise would be that as long as the pathology of the double mastectomy is good, I will not have to have any additional treatment. Once again, God has proved Himself faithful to me. It truly is amazing the peace we all have in this. I know that this would not be possible without the prayers of my family, friends and church. I can not thank God enough for where He has us in life right now. And because of that, it makes things so much more bearable.

On the other hand, I can not explain to you the experience of standing naked in front of a male plastic surgeon. One can never prepare oneself for such an intrusion. I will try to be rated PG here but let’s just say that a flimsy paper vest, a tape measure and a doctor sitting on the stool with  a perfect horizontal view is not your beauty shop experience. Many times I catch myself wondering why on earth anyone would have this done for pure vanity reasons. However, since I am having to have this procedure done for medical reasons, I am going to take advantage of the vain aspects as well. I have always hated the size of mine and will gladly choose the size I want. It might not be agreed upon by all but I will enjoy the fact that I will have youthful ones when I am Grandma Rosell’s age!!

The surgery is set for Monday, December 13th, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia. The Lord has literally placed in my life two incredible doctors, Dr. Davenport and Dr. Thomas. That was a huge answer to prayer. Moving away from the Little Rock Breast Center and Dr. Hagans was a big step for me. The service and professionalism there is top notch. I really didn’t think I could find something comparable here on my own. But God has made all the pieces fall in to place and I am beyond grateful.

My prayer request  now is that the surgery will go smoothly and recovery will be speedy. I would ask that you would pray for all infections to flee, this is very important for my healing. Another medical prayer request would be that I would be able to handle a foreign object inside of me. I know that is crazy, but it is a concern. Of course, my main worry is my family. Pray for peace for them. They are my rock but I know it can feel like an earthquake when you stop and think about it for too long. I know God will wrap up all of these requests and prove Himself faithful once again. Thanks for your part in praying for me. It means more than  you know. I rely on it.

On another note, Sam has bad grades! This is actually more frustrating to me than breast cancer. The kid is super smart, we have proof of it. However, he is now a teenager who has hairy legs and is taller than I am. All of this happening in a span of several months. Somewhere in his person, he has decided that classwork and homework are not important. I really could beat him if I could. I have chosen the high road instead and have grounded him from life in general. The only thing fun in his social life right now is burning leaves in the back yard. Jeff has been great in helping him structure his life. Although, he doesn’t have much life right now so it hasn’t been hard. Prayerfully, he has seen the seriousness of the wrath of his parents when he does not do good in school, especially when it is a matter of choice and not brains!! Grrr. Just wait!!

Adelyn,on the other hand, experienced her first real boyfriend break-up. She handled it well and you would be proud. I was not home the day it happened. But when I did get home I found her on the couch. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had the big bowl of Halloween candy in between her legs with many, many wrappers on the floor. The best part was when I caught her pull out the bottle of whipping cream and spray it directly in her mouth. I gave her a hug and didn’t say a word. I really wanted to say “You go girl!”. She is a smart cookie. No worries about her and how she handles adversity, but that is neither here nor there!

No more B words,

Carolyn

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