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If you are here by way of a paper card, it was handmade courtesy of Louise Cruetz. Thanks, Louise! She graciously sent me some handmade soap as well, to deal with my ... ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. If you are here by way of a FB link ... this could be redundant. MERRY Christmas! The gift of Jesus causes us to be grateful and merry (or the ancient meaning of the word ... strong). What a mixed bag of challenges and blessings 2018 was! January had us traveling to Florida to celebrate our 41st anniversary. We did something we'd never done before...went swamp sailing and saw more than a few gators! February saw Anthony and Tony Evans with Mark in the middle. During a WYLL gathering. I (Rhonda) was privileged to spend time with the four grandkids who live nearby, volunteering some time at their Classical Conversations community day each week. They concluded their homeschooling at the end of May 2018 . Dad turned 88 in March, with...

Monday's child is fair of face Tuesday's child is full of grace Wednesday's child is full of woe Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living, And the child that is born on the Sabbath day Is bonny and blithe, and good always. August 29, 1957, was a Thursday. There was no hospital in this tiny hamlet of Polo, Missouri, and so the mother, heavy with child as she was, knew that there was a drive to Cameron in her near future. If history had taught her anything, it was that she had better get to the hospital when she felt her first "pains." So she quickly got the two older children ("older" being a loose term, since the oldest daughter would turn 3 tomorrow, and the son just turned 1 three weeks earlier.) to the church babysitter. She then enlisted her minister husband in driving the 24 miles on a hot August day. The mother's obstetrician had warned her early on not to have...

September 7, 2001, we closed on our newly constructed home. We began the laborious move across town, and by "across town" I mean about 40 miles away. On Monday, September 10, we finally closed the new garage door, full of boxes, and went to sleep, wondering how we would acclimate to our commute to Moody Bible Institute the next day. Mark awoke just before 3 AM, as per usual, readied himself, and got to the radio station by 4:30. His morning program went from 5 AM to 9 AM. My alarm went off at 4:10, so that I could get on the road at around 5 AM and hopefully miss the dreadful commuter traffic on the Stevenson (I-55 heading into Chicago). My desk was in a quad toward the back of the building housing Moody Press (now called Moody Publishers) and Public Safety. I went to work ... which included greeting all my coworkers and combing through emails to find the urgent items of the day. And, as a dedicated wife, my hubby's program was on in the background. As the years g...

"Well, I don't like to toot my own horn, but that looks really good!" No, I did not say that. It is a direct quote from my surgeon, Dr. Beatrice Klade, of the Edward-Elmhurst Medical Group. It's the kind of thing a survivor likes to hear from her surgeon: that the 12-inch scar extending from the underarm to the breast bone has healed so far ... and has closed this chapter in this part of my cancer journey. I say "closed this chapter" because, to the even mildly observant, life is not to be taken for granted. The zero on my Onctotype DX test is fantastic, but it does not preclude a recurrence entirely, nor does it promise that the remaining side won't take off on its own.  The team at E-E has been nothing short of excellent. Caring. Thorough. Empathetic. Accessible. And transparent. But there's more to this journey than just the testing and the surgery. The emotions are part and parcel of the process. And for support there, I thank my frien...

I was attending college when I first started singing the jingle to "Sun In." Remember it? 🎵🎵Sun in and sunlight, and you'll be blonder toniiiiiight!🎵🎵 The best it ever did for me was to turn my ash colored hair a bit redder. More of a strawberry blonde. Then, when I was in my mid thirties, I noticed the dreaded stray gray hairs begin to appear. Over the counter color boosters worked just fine. But by the time I was in my mid forties, I alternated between over the counter color and paying someone to make me look "natural." Assuming "natural" is not gray, of course. So, now I'm sporting a full blown stripe of gray down the middle of my head. There's a fairly good reason for that. I'm pragmatic. I don't like to pay for something that may have a short shelf life. As you are aware, I had a single mastectomy on July 18. I'm not quite three weeks into recovery. The surgery went well. I only have slight aches and pains if I ov...

Right now, Diane is going through my discharge papers, which tell me what kinds of activities I should be doing ... most include the word REST. But others say shoulder rolls and 90-degree arm raises. You know, the hard stuff ... ;-) Really, not supposed to do anything else until given the okay by the surgeon on Monday. Speaking of the surgeon, I was blissfully sitting with my personal comfort dog, Pepito, when the phone rang. It was my surgeon, Dr. Klade (I think this is the first time I've named her.). She said, "I hope I didn't disturb you. I know it's Saturday, and I'll see you on Monday, but I didn't want you to worry until then. We got your pathology report back, and ... ALL MARGINS ARE CLEAR and ALL LYMPH NODES ARE NEGATIVE! So, I just might do my happy dance in whatever way is permissible without damaging a stitch or two. PRAISE GOD from Whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above, ye heavenly ho...

Buckle your seatbelt, this is long. Before the residual fog of anesthesia and time blur the memories, I need to recount (to myself, if not to you) the events of my single mastectomy on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. I drank my required 12 ounces of Gatorade at 10 PM the night before, and again at just before 7 AM, along with 1000 mg of Tylenol ... this, they say, to just start to take the edge off of upcoming tests before surgery. Thanks to Sue Meilleur, I packed up my tiara and pink feather boa, along with all the various and sundry things the hospital said I should bring, and headed for the hospital in Naperville just before 7 AM. Pete Tammeling, our church's care pastor, called on our way to pray with us. Sidenote and repetition: I am SO grateful for the prayers of family and friends! My goodness, I feel like the young man whose friends lowered him through the ceiling to get to the healing power of Jesus. Just that thought makes me want to weep. Thank you, thank you, thank yo...

Are you a detail person? Or are you a "just give me the big picture/bottom line" kind of person? Call it a control issue (I know you will), but I want it all. Give me the goal, and then I want all the details that will get me there. Some say "the devil is in the details," which is true if those details go awry. However, God is a God of order, and therefore I can trust him with the details. Here are some details I'm dealing with right now. My mastectomy surgery is on Wednesday, but I still don't know what time. I'm told that the hospital will call me on Tuesday with the time I'm to arrive. Important detail. Before surgery, I will first go for sentinel node mapping. (What are the details of that, you ask.)... Head to Nuclear Medicine in the hospital. I'll be wheeled there, thank you very much. Mark can follow me. I'll change into "the gown."  I'll be given an IV. Cream will cover the surgical area (they don't wan...

Things got real with the call from the surgeon's office. "What time would you like to schedule your operation?" (You mean I actually have a choice? Well, let's get this thing going!) "What is her first availability?" "Let's see ... looks like next Wednesday, the 18th." "What time?" "We won't know what time until you get a phone call the day before." Well, okay then. Here we go. T-minus 6 and counting. Notes from the pre-op instructions: No blood thinners from now until surgery. No multi-vitamins until surgery. No more coQ-10. Zi-cam seems to be okay. Nothing to eat after 11 PM on the 17th. But wait ... Drink 12 ounces of Gatorade 12 hours before surgery. Drink another 12 ounces 4 hours prior to surgery. Take 1000mg (if my math serves me correctly, that would equal 1 gram) 4 hours before surgery. We can park on the second floor of the south parking garage that states "reserved for surgery patients....

For Women Only! (Men, read at your own risk.) This blog is really just an elaborate ruse to say thanks to my own private comedy company: our daughter, Ingrid. Between my husband and her, their lot in life is to make me see the bright and humorous side of everything. And so began my day with the plastic surgeon. Ingrid agreed to accompany me to give her womanly wisdom on the subject of reconstruction. I mean, really, should that be cause for laughter? Only when you can see that God is saving you from something far worse and, therefore, whether or not to add a stand-in for a soon-to-be-removed breast qualifies as joke fodder. First, there's the fact that I had to weigh in ... again! Horrors. But the nurse laughed. Ingrid laughed. I removed my glasses, shoes, and anything else that I could without being indiscreet ... and laughed. At one point, I think we probably discussed how much weight I would lose by having my breast removed, but ... I may have been raised in the 60s, b...

If you were standing near me right now, you might hear me singing those words. Here are some things I am thankful for today: Compassionate surgeon, who is thorough and has a sense of humor Compassionate medical oncologist, who promises empowerment Friendly medical staff Reconstructive surgeon's office rearranging their schedule so I can get a consultation before their normal 30-day wait! Praying friends and family Culver's frozen custard ... okay, I shouldn't have eaten that, but it was delicious I cannot imagine doing surgery or oncology for decades. Unless you have faith in the Almighty God, how do you possibly keep your empathy and patience for every single person who comes through the door with a new diagnosis? But these folks I've run into sure do. I am so grateful that God has placed them where they are. Here's how the schedule has gone so far: May 23 ... appointment with primary care physician. Lump was enough of a concern that she scheduled ...

When one takes a test, one would love to be in the top (or most unique) 1%, don't you think? Well, then there's this ... From Johns Hopkins:   Papillary Breast Cancer Papillary Breast Cancer Diagnosis Papillary breast cancer is a very rare type of  invasive ductal breast cancer  that accounts for fewer than 1% of all breast cancers.  The name comes from finger-like projections, or  papules , which are seen when the cells are looked at under the microscope.  Many papillary tumors are benign.   These are called  papillomas .  Even when a biopsy is negative for cancer, the pathologist often needs to look at the whole tumor under the microscope to be sure about the diagnosis. This is why surgery to remove a papilloma is usually recommended, even if it is thought to be benign.  Malignant papillary tumors are a form of breast cancer.   Like other types of invasive ductal cancer, papillary breast cancer begins in ...

I got the sweetest texts from one of my granddaughters the other day. She and the family had been talking about "Nana's cancer." And like most of us with limited experience (or no experience) with the topic, she immediately went to the worst case scenario. "Ur (sic) one of the most healthy person (sic) I know." Yes, weird, isn't it? We seem to always hear the phrase, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." But what about the fact that sometimes we cannot even see what is killing us??? Or has the potential to, anyway. It's the hidden disease that has the most potential to harm. Disease that we don't even want to admit exists. As I've written before, "I'm an idiot!" I ignored the warning signs, attributing them to experiences with which I was more acquainted, rather than having them checked for ... breast cancer. The same holds true for spiritual disease. We don't want to admit sin and so we igno...

No, thank you. I'd like to decline membership. I've just been admitted to a club I never wanted to join. As a matter of fact, Caroline (my favorite nurse so far) said, "Welcome to the club no one wants to be in." You see, she is also a member. It's called The Breast Cancer Club. Whether you've just been diagnosed (me) or are in treatment or have been cleared for many years, you are part of the club. But I'm choosing to think that's okay. I have friends and acquaintances and friends yet to come who have wisdom and strength I don't yet possess but may be able to share with someone down the road. This morning my loving husband went with me for the initial "results consultation." I was really hoping for, "This was all just a big misunderstanding. You can go home now." But no. The pathologist who read my biopsy results said, "I hate to be the one to relay this kind of news, but I have bad news and I have good news. Yes, yo...

God, You have my attention. But this is an adventure I never wanted to sign up for. I have started the roller coaster of emotions and thoughts, and have to remind myself of the "EVEN IF" clause. On Monday, the 25th of June, I arrived early for my core needle biopsy. Fairly calm, actually. The prayers of my friends were lifting me up, for sure. The staff at Edward mammography is so good at what they do, including caring for the human who is going through some trying times. So, gowned and ready to go, I was covered in a warm blanket by Caroline, while the ultrasound tech circled the trouble spots in purple on my skin. The doctor came in and introduced herself, keeping the conversation friendly and light. Caroline held the hand that wasn't behind my head and patted my arm at various intervals. I think I have a natural aversion for anything that may cause me to get drowsy or resist pain, because they always have to double dose me with the numbing stuff. This was no di...