Dorothea
12th November 2007, 04:46 PM
Hello, all my dear friends,
I want to start off telling you what I've been doing the past couple months since getting the results of the last MRI in September. This is very important for me to share this, so I am going to do so now.
When I got the results in September from C's MRI at that time, I felt pessimistic, disappointed, and was ready to give up, thinking, "what's the use?" For the past several years in Christopher's dealing with the tumor, we've prayed every night for him, had him annointed once and a while by the local priests, but we were not really that proactive in this fight and struggle....until this last MRI in September. I had a talk with my husband that night with the results, and then he'd comforted me and supported me, and I remember him saying that we just had to stay strong and go with whatever comes our way. God's will, you know? And His time isn't ours. So, my way of thinking changed that night and has been the same since then.
For the past couple months, once a week, every week, I have been annointing Christopher with Saint John, the Wonderworker of San Francisco's holy oil that our priest gave us when we lived in WA. For the past couple weeks, I found a prayer of healing that a priest in Seattle had given us (a little tri-fold hard paper nice little prayer pamphlet). I typed the prayer up, printed it out, and it has been sitting on my nightstand since then, and I read it every night, pray to God.
I was baptized Orthodox, but I did not grow up in church. I really didn't come into my faith until my mid 20s. And in those past 13 years, I have never asked any Saints for prayers for my son...untiil this past Thursday...the day before my son's MRI. I felt compelled to do so because there was a Divine Liturgy for St. Nectarios this past Friday...the day of the MRI, and I have a great interest in him because I am reading a book about his life. I didn't know how to ask or petition a Saint for prayers. I didn't know how to go about it and felt uncomfortable, but I tried last Thursday, and I had asked St. Nectarios to pray for my son's healing. It was so simple. More simple than I had thought. I asked the same of the Holy Theotokos and St. John the Wonderworker. When I had gotten out these prayers late Thursday and through Friday evening, a burden was immediately lifted off my shoulders. It was as if they had taken my burdens as well as my prayers. So, over the whole weekend, I felt at peace, no anxiety, no stress. It was amazing.
So, today I went and stayed at C's class since the appointment was at 10:00, and I didn't have time to drive home and then turn around 15 minutes later and come back and pick him up. Waste gas and a wasted trip. Anyway, the whole morning I was at peace and happy. No worry over anticipating the results. None. Now, if anyone knows me well enough, I used to be a worry wart/basket case A LOT. This just wasn't happening.
Anyway, I drove C and I to his doctor. We got there, I was happy and felt really good about being there. I sat down to wait until C was called in, and I had a slight nervousness then and a bit of worry, but it was short-lived. Maybe a couple minutes tops. I told myself, "I am prepared for whatever the results are." So, we got called back there and we waited for a few minutes. I was somewhat looking forward to the news and so when the doc came in, I was happy. The first thing the doc said after saying our "hi's" and "how's C doing?" He said, "Well, I've good news for you today." I nodded almost expecting this. He said, "The tumor has not grown at all. They (the radiologists who read the scan) said that the cyst was unchanged, but I compared it to the September scan from all angles and everything, and the cyst has actually shrunk! I couldn't believe it." I was beaming and I said, "The cyst was around lima bean size before, right?" He said, "No! It was bigger than that! And now, it's shrunk a bit. I don't know if the catheter that's implanted in his head has created an area for the cyst to leak out or what. I don't know, but it has lost some of its thunder." I nodded cheerfully.
This is the best news, and he told me he'd talk to C's oncologist and see when we should be back for another MRI...maybe not until May. We see C's oncologist for regular check up in December.
Once we left the doctor's office, I was thanking the Saints and God...I was in and out of tears. Praise GOD!!!
So, I will continue my vigilance of the holy oil once a week, and all the prayers.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my friends for all of your wonderful prayers and support!!!
I want to start off telling you what I've been doing the past couple months since getting the results of the last MRI in September. This is very important for me to share this, so I am going to do so now.
When I got the results in September from C's MRI at that time, I felt pessimistic, disappointed, and was ready to give up, thinking, "what's the use?" For the past several years in Christopher's dealing with the tumor, we've prayed every night for him, had him annointed once and a while by the local priests, but we were not really that proactive in this fight and struggle....until this last MRI in September. I had a talk with my husband that night with the results, and then he'd comforted me and supported me, and I remember him saying that we just had to stay strong and go with whatever comes our way. God's will, you know? And His time isn't ours. So, my way of thinking changed that night and has been the same since then.
For the past couple months, once a week, every week, I have been annointing Christopher with Saint John, the Wonderworker of San Francisco's holy oil that our priest gave us when we lived in WA. For the past couple weeks, I found a prayer of healing that a priest in Seattle had given us (a little tri-fold hard paper nice little prayer pamphlet). I typed the prayer up, printed it out, and it has been sitting on my nightstand since then, and I read it every night, pray to God.
I was baptized Orthodox, but I did not grow up in church. I really didn't come into my faith until my mid 20s. And in those past 13 years, I have never asked any Saints for prayers for my son...untiil this past Thursday...the day before my son's MRI. I felt compelled to do so because there was a Divine Liturgy for St. Nectarios this past Friday...the day of the MRI, and I have a great interest in him because I am reading a book about his life. I didn't know how to ask or petition a Saint for prayers. I didn't know how to go about it and felt uncomfortable, but I tried last Thursday, and I had asked St. Nectarios to pray for my son's healing. It was so simple. More simple than I had thought. I asked the same of the Holy Theotokos and St. John the Wonderworker. When I had gotten out these prayers late Thursday and through Friday evening, a burden was immediately lifted off my shoulders. It was as if they had taken my burdens as well as my prayers. So, over the whole weekend, I felt at peace, no anxiety, no stress. It was amazing.
So, today I went and stayed at C's class since the appointment was at 10:00, and I didn't have time to drive home and then turn around 15 minutes later and come back and pick him up. Waste gas and a wasted trip. Anyway, the whole morning I was at peace and happy. No worry over anticipating the results. None. Now, if anyone knows me well enough, I used to be a worry wart/basket case A LOT. This just wasn't happening.
Anyway, I drove C and I to his doctor. We got there, I was happy and felt really good about being there. I sat down to wait until C was called in, and I had a slight nervousness then and a bit of worry, but it was short-lived. Maybe a couple minutes tops. I told myself, "I am prepared for whatever the results are." So, we got called back there and we waited for a few minutes. I was somewhat looking forward to the news and so when the doc came in, I was happy. The first thing the doc said after saying our "hi's" and "how's C doing?" He said, "Well, I've good news for you today." I nodded almost expecting this. He said, "The tumor has not grown at all. They (the radiologists who read the scan) said that the cyst was unchanged, but I compared it to the September scan from all angles and everything, and the cyst has actually shrunk! I couldn't believe it." I was beaming and I said, "The cyst was around lima bean size before, right?" He said, "No! It was bigger than that! And now, it's shrunk a bit. I don't know if the catheter that's implanted in his head has created an area for the cyst to leak out or what. I don't know, but it has lost some of its thunder." I nodded cheerfully.
This is the best news, and he told me he'd talk to C's oncologist and see when we should be back for another MRI...maybe not until May. We see C's oncologist for regular check up in December.
Once we left the doctor's office, I was thanking the Saints and God...I was in and out of tears. Praise GOD!!!
So, I will continue my vigilance of the holy oil once a week, and all the prayers.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my friends for all of your wonderful prayers and support!!!