Prov. 31:25

Cancer is a word, not a sentence.

Hi! My name is Jenny. I have been married to my best friend for 33 years, I have two wonderful children and on June 30, 2015 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am determined to get well and I know that with the strength my Lord provides and the love and support of my family and friends, that will happen. The road to healing is a difficult one… however I strive to be thankful for the blessings I have, to find joy in every day and maybe in some small way be a blessing to those I come in contact with. The support and encouragement that I find on this blog makes my heart smile and helps me to realize that I am not alone. All of you are so much appreciated and help me more than you will ever know. So thanks for stopping by....if you would like please leave a comment after my post....I would love to hear from you.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Taking A Deep Breath……and Finding the Blessing

Hello Dear Friends and Welcome!

It has been awhile since I last posted on this blog and I thought it was about time I did…lol. I know Andrew and Scott have kept all of you in the loop about what has been happening with me and for that I am really grateful.

I am home, recovering from surgery and having WAY too much time to think! I am usually a positive person and I like to find the good in every day but this week has been an emotional one for me and I have had a lot to absorb. Time to look for the blessings! Once I started looking I was so excited I thought I would share some of my thoughts with you. So here goes…..

I love angels. I always have. The thought of them being there for me, sharing love and protection has always brought me comfort. My dear friend Barbara shares that love of angels with me and gifted me a beautiful book about angels before I went into surgery. I saved it to read for after surgery and I have been enjoying every page! Thank you Barbara! Anyway….while I was reading I came across this saying and it really touched my heart.

“ When we suffer, angels wrap their wings around us to comfort and protect us and give us time to heal. When we are stronger, angels unfold their wings and set us free to experience life again. “


 This week has been hard. Surgery and then hearing the news that there was more cancer then we thought, the chemotherapy didn’t work as well as we had first believed and I would have to travel to City of Hope to get a second opinion and possibly face more chemotherapy or another form of treatment. Ok! Time for that deep breath! Where is the blessings in that? Where are my angels? What about God? This was NOT the plan! When I started looking however the blessings abound!

My angels are not wearing white robes, at least not that I can see…grins…and the wings are not visible either, but they have been there this week in large numbers.

One angel came to me in the way of my surgeon. My Doctor is the most amazing woman! Her skill is wonderful but that is not all. She is kind, compassionate, caring, understanding and incredible! Do you know that she met me at the door of Pre-Op as I was being wheeled into surgery and WALKED with me to the operating room? She was confident, reassuring and kind and that made me confident too! I was not a woman alone going into surgery to have a mastectomy, I was part of a team to help save my life, and I was in the best hands possible! That simple act of kindness meant the world to me and it will be one I will never forget. Another small, priceless moment! Later in the week she had to break the news to me that I didn’t really want to hear, but again she was kind and compassionate! She has been a real blessing in my life, a true gift from God at a time when I really needed her! I am so grateful for her skills and her knowledge and for her insistence that I get a second opinion! She is absolutely right and I need to extend my journey and possibly travel yet another path to my recovery but I will do it and I will be okay! God is still watching out for me!

Nurses were another form the angels took this week. Lisa, Kerry and Mary I never could have done it without you. You saw to my every need and did a wonderful job both in Pre-Op and recovery! You are a true blessing not only to me but to all the patients you care for! We are all so blessed to have your experience and compassion. You truly touch people’s lives. Thank-you!

Many, many angels came to me this week in the form of my friends! All of you have been there to offer up many prayers, my I was surrounded by those this week….smiles…words of encouragement, countless emails, cards and phone calls. Thank you all so much for all the love and support that you have sent not only to me but to my family! Oh how I treasure each and every one of my “angels!” I have certainly recovered faster because of them!

Angels also made their presence known in the form of a group of ladies at church who took the time to pray for me and send me a card. Inside the card was something I really needed! I was really struggling with all this news….
I kept telling God that this was impossible but in Luke 18:27 He reminds me that” All things are possible!”

I kept telling God that I was too tired but in Matthew 11:28-30 He reminds me that “I will give you rest.”

I kept telling God that I just can’t do it but in Philippians 4:13 He says “ You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.”

And I told God that I am afraid and He says in 2 Timothy 1:7 “ I have not given you the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love…..

You know what….the best angel appeared to me in recovery. He was just an ordinary man with brown hair who had love in his eyes and took my hand and just held on….and kept his promise to be my side always and to be there when I woke up! And that was when I knew I would be okay….even with a possible new path….because love is there!

So my dear friends I am healing! Both in body and in spirit! My journey may go on longer than any of us would want but I know there is a reason and whatever happens down this road called life I know that God is there, He will continue to send His angels to care for me, and I am never for a single moment alone! I have taken my deep breath, I have found the blessings, and I will carry on! I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!

So as you go through your day….do me a favor. Keep your eyes open for the angels that God sends your way and you never know….you just might be an angel for someone else!


 Hugs to all of you… with many thanks!

Love, Jenny


Oh before I leave I thought I would share this video with you. It is one of my very favorite hymns….one that has been going through my mind the last few days. I just took this off the internet…it is not my church or choir but I loved it anyway J I thought you might like it too!



Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Post Surgery Update - May 10th, 2016

Good evening everyone. This is a small update post on my mom (Jenny) post surgery.

My mom has been out of surgery and is recovering in the comforts of our home after a successful surgery. She is doing well, happy to be home with her family.

The procedure lasted about two hours early this afternoon. Jenny's surgeon and hospital staff did an amazing job both inside and outside of the operating room.

I thank God today for a successful surgery and watching over my mom, and everyone's friend in Jenny.

I want to say that I am so proud of you mom, we all are, for your incredible courage and fight against breast cancer.

Our entire family thanks everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers.

Blessings,
Andrew (Jenny's son)

Surgery Day - May 10th, 2016

Good morning everyone. I hope all who read this post today are doing well.

Today marks a huge milestone in my mom's (Jenny's) battle with breast cancer. Later today at approximately 1:00PM PST, my mom will undergo a mastectomy surgery of her left breast to remove a tumor of about a centimeter in diameter, as well as at least two of her underarm lymph nodes that have been affected by cancer.

After twenty-four weeks of two responsive chemotherapy treatments, we are thankful that with the guidance of the Lord, the treatments Jenny received shrunk the tumor from the original size of nearly 6 centimeters to less than 1 centimeter.

My mom has worked and fought so hard both physically and mentally for nearly a year to date leading up to this one procedure. I couldn't be more proud of her as her son.

My mom is in good spirits, and is ready to take this huge step in her battle against cancer. Our entire family asks for your continued thoughts and prayers today as we pray that her surgery is successful and the cancerous tumor is completely removed from her body.

Later today I will write an update about the status of Jenny and how the surgery went.

Blessings,
Andrew (Jenny's son)