Miracles

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about miracles. I have been the recipient of countless blessings from heaven. It is such a testimony to me that we are not left alone in our struggles. Heavenly Father doesn't take our troubles away but he does provide the support we need to make it through them. From time to time I hope to share these miracles with you. Here is a beginning:

• Doctors: I have been blessed with the most amazing and inspired doctors. I didn't search them out, but over and over again I have been sent to the doctors I needed to see. I'm not talking about them just knowing what I've needed medically although that is part of it. This goes way beyond that. They have watched me with vigilance even when I had decided I was tired of the continuous visits and testing. This is particularly true of my surgeon who has been tracking me for the past three years. He wanted me to come in for various tests every three months. I know I wouldn't have done this if left on my own. He called me up every three months and insisted I come in. Time after time he encouraged me to have genetic testing. He is the doctor that did the surgery that finally found my cancer after it had been missed by countless mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs over the past few years. He and others have worked together and taken on my insurance company so that I could finally get the treatment needed. It is a miracle to me that I have been blessed with so many good doctors where I am not a number, but a person with unique needs they have been willing to fight for.

• My Aunt and cousin: For a couple of years my doctor had been encouraging me to get tested for the BRCA genes. I never got the test because my insurance wouldn't pay for it and it was quite expensive. Then my sister told me about a Facebook post from one of my cousins. She talked about how her mom (my aunt) and my cousin had the testing and were positive for the BRCA2 gene. When I heard this news I immediately knew I had to have the test. I tested positive as well and opted for prophylactic surgery. My cancer was found in that surgery. Without this test and subsequent surgery, who knows how long it would have been and how much my cancer would have spread before it showed up on imaging. I am so grateful for the courage of my aunt and cousin to be tested and the miracle that I was able to know about it. Without them I don't know if I would have done the test.

• Initial denial of my surgery by my insurance: Okay, I can hear you asking why I consider being denied coverage of my surgery a miracle. This denial postponed my first surgery by almost a month which also delayed the starting date of my medical leave from teaching. As a result of this delay I have enough leave to last until four days from of the end of the school year should I need to take that much time off. If I had had surgery when originally planned this would not be the case.
  

In the months to come I hope to share more of the miracles I have been blessed with. Without a doubt I know Heavenly Father watches over His children. I know His hand is guiding my life and that of my family.