Two years ago doctors FINALLY uncovered what was causing me so much distress in my digestive system and within two months of diagnosis the surgeons completed a double small bowel resection. Biopsy revealed an extremely rare, incurable form of cancer.

Following surgery and a brief recovery at home I was back at the hospital meeting with an oncologist who explained that the biopsy had also revealed that it was a very slow growing cancer in my case, and so we would just watch it for a while. While it is incurable there is a shot that they can give once a month to try and keep tumors under control and symptoms at bay. My condition wasn’t at that point yet and so I merrily went on my way, returning every six months for either a CT scan or a PET scan to check disease progress.

Six months ago (that’s 18 months post surgery) I was at my “normal” visit when the resident on duty mentioned my ‘lymphoma’ and assured me that I was doing fine. I think I must have been in shock with the word ‘lymphoma’, knowing that my kind of cancer is incurable and then if we add it to the lymphatic system – yikes! Needless to say that by the time my doctor came in I didn’t even have any questions. I just kept hearing ‘lymphoma’ in my ears.

For the next six months I planned to die. You know, getting my affairs in order. Throwing out junk. Donating other junk. Updating my will. Ensuring I had a living will and appropriate powers-of-attorney drawn up for when I could not longer make my own decision. And in all of that, I was fine. I didn’t feel stressed over it. I was actually looking forward to being with Jesus. My life, as it is, is pretty much over anyway. All of my friends have gone on to be with the Lord and my marriage is over and my kids and grand-kids are grown and have their own lives. I was ready to meet my maker and felt pretty certain I only had about another year.

But GOD.

God has His own plans and purposes. Certainly I prayed for deliverance and I had others pray for me too. I mean, I’m not suicidal. And then one evening almost six months to the day of the ‘lymphoma’ statement I had what can only be described as a healing visitation from the Lord. I felt it. I knew it. And from that moment on my entire thought processes changed. The interesting thing about it was that the visitation occurred five days before my next scheduled PET scan. I was flying high that week. I didn’t tell anyone what had happened but I lay on that scan table for 45 minutes without moving a muscle and all the time singing in my mind about the goodness of God.

I didn’t check on-line to read the scan report when the results were ready. I waited to hear it from my doctor. And exactly one week after the scan I visited the oncologist and he said the words “crystal clear”. The scan was “crystal clear”. No evidence of lymphoma or anything else. So I asked him about the ‘lymphoma’ statement and he said it was a mistake.

So let’s take a minute here and give God a praise offering. A thanksgiving offering. A ‘GO GOD!’ celebration!

Nothing there. So now, instead of planning to die I am planning to live! Thank you Jesus.

“I shall not die, but live and declare the works of God.” Psalm 118:17