The mission of this blog:
Encourage all seeking answers to hope for, believe for and fight for a miraculous outcome ~ by sharing my miraculous story of overcoming pancreatic cancer.
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Welcome! I am so glad that you found me!
My desire is that you find hope and encouragement to fight your battles and that you can find...
for an Outstanding Outcome
HOPE
My new book HOPE is now available for purchase on Amazon & Barnes and Noble. Its official release date was May 15th, 2024.
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Blog Posts
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At times, we face losing something, gaining something and accepting the new uninvited normal. Within these events, we need to make decisions. I decided that in order to move into my healing I had to confront fear, step out in faith into unknown outcomes while trusting and believing that I would live to tell about it.
The ninth child of Betty and Ivan, in a family of ten, I grew up in a time when society seemed far less complicated. I am now married to Jim and we are empty nesters with three grown children that have graduated into their own life adventures. My pancreas cancer story started in February of 2018. Since that time, my husband, Jim and I have beat this disease. This blog tells the story of how we faced a giant and found peace and victory.
No matter the challenging life event you face, my prayer is that this blog helps you successfully walk through your distressing valley by listening to yourself, your body, your faith and approach it with positivity, faith, courage and strength one day at a time while finding purpose, meaning and a life that exceeds your expectations. This is my healing story.
Peace to you,
Rita
Close to God
Closing in on God can be done by laying down the distractions of our natural life. When we do this, we open our spirits to an awareness of God. Fasting was a key for me to unlock the door to be near to God and trust that He was in the details of all the medical treatments.
To fast or not to fast
Who of us hasn’t experienced the slow tick of the clock, temptations to snack, growling stomach and counting the hours until bedtime when you can avoid thinking about eating until the next morning?
Doing what I can
You can’t blame an analyst for being an analyst? While I believed that I had a strong faith in God, I also believed that I had to do what I was supposed to do for God to do what He does: Move mountains. A mustard seed of faith moves mountains, but faith without works is dead
PET Imaging
…It was humorous to me, thinking that I was like Devan Dubnyk, the goalie on the Minnesota Wild at the time. If I didn’t say, I am a huge Minnesota Wild fan.
St. George…Dragon Slayer
…. I had done some research about the doctor and read that a patient referred to him as the “Dragonslayer of Pancreatic Cancer”. This intrigued me because Satan is often referred in the bible as a dragon….
Woke and still local
I was gagging when I woke up from the anesthesia drug induced sleep. There was a flexible tube in my throat used to guide the scope through to my stomach and into my pancreas to capture the tumor’s tissue. The nurse was telling me to calm down. She said, “It will be okay.” ….
You’re not my doctor
…Who knows what I would have done without Jim’s mental clarity? I wasn’t in my right mind these days. It sounds like the line from the Cool Hand Luke movie with Paul Neuman as Luke, “You gotta get your mind right Luke…”…
The cancer care team…Oncology
“…While we are sitting in the consultation room, I become aware that Jim is talking to the oncology doctor about our band and how we have two songs in the rotation on a local radio station…..”
Everything Changed
…The surgeon quickly exited the room, realizing this was the first time I had heard the words pancreas cancer. The air seemed stagnant. It was as though I couldn’t breathe….