Are you there, Traci? It's Me, God.

 February 28, 2025

In Judy Blume's, "Are you there, God?  It's me, Margaret" Margaret just needs God to hear her prayer for a period and for some boobs; she is just so anxious to not be a little girl anymore.  Margaret's prayers are eventually answered, and as is fitting, the books ends happily.  

Lately, God has been trying to get my attention, and Thanks be to God, I heard him.  Around Thanksgiving I noticed what I assumed was a knot of "stress" on the left side of my neck.  God's first sign to me.  I kept an eye on it and when it had not gone away I scheduled a doctor's appointment.  The doctor didn't seem too concerned about a swollen lymph node as I was recovering from a cold; so she and I dismissed it.  The Christmas holiday came and went but the swollen lymph node did not, God was still trying to get my attention.  I listened and had the doctor order an ultrasound.  The ultrasound showed at least two other swollen lymph nodes and a biopsy followed. 

 As I waited results my prayers to God turned in a new direction as fears and uncertainties crept in.  My prayers were of course asking for biopsy results that might involve an antibiotic to clear up some kind of infection; but that was not the case.  Instead, within those lymph nodes a Squamish cell cancer had metastasized; origin unknown. God now had my full attention and I believe I had His.  An appointment with an oncologist was arranged but we were not getting good reports on this guy.  

What happened next is so real in my mind, God tapped my husband on the shoulder and whispered in his ear to call his cousin at IU Health to see if she could get things going in a better and a faster direction.  Within hours a new plan was laid out for us, an appointment at the IU Cancer Center and a PET scan.  When your mind is left to wonder how cancer might be growing and spreading in your body, well suffice it to say one has to quiet the mind and turn to family, friends, community, and prayer.  

By the Grace of God, the PET scan showed the origin of cancer to be the left tonsil and it was isolated to that tonsil, caused by the HP virus, and to the lymph nodes.  Eleven days have passed since the neck dissection surgery where the tonsil was biopsied and tumorous lymph nodes removed.  Four days remain until my second surgery which will remove both tonsils and surrounding tissue.  Pathology from both surgeries and a blood test post surgery will determine if radiation is needed and will also help to plot my path forward to stay ever-vigilant of keeping my body cancer free.   

Will my prayers of a disease-free body be answered?  Will this story have, like Margaret's, a happy ending?  My faith and trust in God and in the plan that has been put into motion for my care tells me YES!