I'm joining The Gnome's Mom for "Manic Mommy Monday!" This is the second week and while there are no weekly topics so to speak, it's a fun way to re-cap on your weekend, give an update on your life or anything else you feel led to "talk" or blog about on Monday! If you're so inclined, join us fellow "Manic Mommas," link-up and join the fun!
While most Mondays can tend to be a bit "manic," today I'm making my Monday about praise. I'm making my Monday about peace. I'm making my Monday about thankfulness...
On Saturday, February 25th, I was spending the morning at home with my boys. My husband was working, so the boys and I were having a lazy Saturday watching cartoons, playing with cars, trucks and virtually anything else with wheels. I was chatting with my mom on the phone, when my dad's wife called. I never talk with my dad's wife on the phone, so if she calls, there's usually something wrong or amiss. I clicked over.
"Toni?" she asked. "Hey, Debbie. What's up?" I replied. "Well, your dad is in the ER with chest pains and shortness of breath," she said. Her voice was shaking and I could tell that she was on the verge of crying.
I usually tend to be the calm one in the bunch when dealing with tough situations, so I steadied my voice and asked for any details that she could offer me. After finishing on the phone with Debbie, I immediately called my mom back to let her know what was going on with my dad so that she could get in touch with my younger sister. My husband returned home about an hour later to watch the boys so that I could head up to the hospital to be with my family.
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| My sister, my dad and me (Toni The Chic Momma). |
The whole drive to the hospital, I prayed for my dad. See, this was the third "scare" that my dad had in the last few years. In the summer of 2007, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was a difficult time and as the word "cancer" can literally shake you to your core. My dad had surgery to remove his prostate in November 2007 and did remarkably well. He did have some complications with his bladder after the surgery, but was blessed to not have to endure chemo or radiation. Then in February 2010, my dad was hospitalized with a blood clot in his lung. My dad's kidneys were also in pretty bad shape, too. It was about a 2-week hospital stay with countless tests, procedures and loads of medicine. And then two years later, here we were again back in the hospital.
The doctors said that my dad was being treated for a heart attack. With the history of past blood clots, the doctors performed a scan to look for more blood clots in his legs. While there were no additional blood clots found, the scan did show a large tumor/mass (about the size of a lemon) in my dad's liver. A second scan was done and focused on the liver. However, the results were inconclusive and the doctors wanted to perform a biopsy. This was a risky procedure as my dad was on blood thinners and there was a risk of increased bleeding. There was a sense of urgency from the doctors and so my dad proceeded with the biopsy.
After a 9-day stay in the hospital, my dad was able to return home, on Monday, March 5th. He was absolutely thrilled, yet was naturally a little anxious about the biopsy results that were due on March 7th.
I have to say that during my dad's hospital stay and the various ups-and-downs, I remained extremely calm, peaceful. No tears were ever shed. I'm a Christian and the strength of my faith was tested during that time. While bad news and reports tried to get me down, I stood my ground and said, "my dad doesn't have cancer." My dad's wife seemed to immediately go to the worse case scenario and I remember emphatically telling her, "my dad doesn't have cancer." It rolled so easily off my tongue because I really believed it.
On March 7th, I received a phone call from my dad. He had just met with his primary care doctor who had the results of the biopsy. My phone rang around 12:20pm. It was my dad. "Hey, Toni. I just wanted to call and let you know how things went this morning," my dad said. He continued, "I wanted to share the good news with you. I don't have cancer." I, of course, was thrilled, over the moon, excited. I could hear the relief in my dad's voice. I could hear the victory. No cancer.
After I hung up with my dad, the flood gates burst. Up until then, I had been the calm, cool, collected, peaceful, positive one. I was standing strong in my faith, unwavering to all that was going on around me. Yet, upon hearing the glorious news, I cried my eyes out and could no longer hold anything back. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from me. I could finally let everything come flooding out. I praised God for His faithfulness... "With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation" (Psalm 91:16).
I want to also thank those of you who follow my
blog and
Facebook page for your thoughts and prayer during that time. Your kind words and encouragement meant the world to me. Thank you!
So, this Monday is about praise for me. I'm making my Monday about peace. I'm making my Monday about thankfulness. What will this Monday be for you?
Happy Blogging!
Toni The Chic Momma
