Grateful Because…CANCER FREE! The Red Headed Hostess

I am so happy and grateful to report that I have received official word that I am now cancer FREE!  All the tests came back and it looks like we took care of it early enough that it hadn’t spread and they were able to get everything in surgery.  YAY!

I know that there are countless of you out there who have gone through much more than I have.  I know my personal bout with cancer is minimal compared to many, and my hat is off to you.  I have peeked into that world, and I understand things I have never considered before, and frankly never hoped to.  But I am grateful.  This experience has changed my life for the better.

Here are a few things that I want to always remember.  Lessons I have learned that I hope to never need to re-learn.

1.  I am so grateful we were sent to earth in families.  The longer I live and the more experience I gain, family just becomes increasingly more important.

2.  I am really grateful to those who have excelled in their field.  I had an amazing surgeon and I am grateful to her for all of the years of intense study and fine tuning of her abilities until I needed it.  While laying outside of the operating room my heart was filled with gratitude for her.   And there are others out there like her that I or my family may need in the future, and their skill will bring us hope and peace.  I cheer them on.

3.  Health is an amazing gift.  When you don’t have it, you suddenly look at others and are aware of what they possess and wonder if they get it.  It is something we should be grateful for everyday and understand what it allows us to do and have in our lives.

4.  Sickness can also be a gift.  It gives us experience that health does not.  And everyone in our life can benefit from the change that happens to our character.  It also has given me greater capacity to “mourn with those that mourn” and to “comfort those who stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 17:9), which I will surely be grateful for in the future.

5.  It is important to be “there”.  Whenever possible I want to be at family events, receptions, funerals, etc.  There is always a reason not to be, but I am pretty sure in the long run, I will be glad I was “there” for the people I love.  I want to be remembered for being there when it really matters.

6.  I hope I never forget how wonderful it is be present for every little thing that happens to those I love.  Every time my husband walks in the door from work, I get to be there for.  Every “first” in Hannah’s life, I get to celebrate with her.  Every good day, hard day, sick day, tired day… I get to see.  I really hope I never forget how wonderful it is to be there to clean up after my family and to run them around to all of their activities.  I hope when the day comes that I am at my wits end as a child is throwing a fit in the grocery store, that I will remember that I get to be here to teach my children how to control their emotions.  THAT is a priceless gift.

7.  I am beginning to understand how Faith, Hope and Charity are all linked together.  It is easy to say you have faith, but hope?  I think we can have faith in God and know that he answers prayers and works miracles.  But hope for a miracle for YOU is a different story.  When it really matters, when something really serious is at stake, faith AND hope brings peace, not just faith alone.

And something I have really learned from this experience is that my faith and hope should be evident by how I treat others.  As my faith and hope grow, I should become more kind, more generous and more full of charity.  If I ever have faith enough to move a mountain, you should never need to see me do that to know I can.  It should be seen through my relationships and how much I love.

26 comments

  2. What great lessons you learned. So glad to hear you are cancer free! I remember the day I was told I was cancer free- it was hard to believe and seemed unreal. I liked #4- sickness can truly give us a gift that helps us understand the health struggles others are experiencing.

  3. What a blessing! I am so happy that you are cancer free and healthy. Thank you for reminding me how GREAT life really is and all that I have to be grateful for!

  4. Wonderful news! I’ve been hoping you would be able to post this! Thank you for looking for the blessings in this experience, and for being willing to share with us.

  6. Our daughter is in her 3rd year of remission. So glad to hear of someone else saying those blessed words “cancer free”. Hooray!
    We too had lessons we learned. The biggest one, right from my daughter’s diagnosis, was to remember that she was Heavenly Father’s before she was mine. He had only His best intentions for her life. Whether that time here was to be short or long I couldn’t control, but I could make sure that she had all the love and reassurance and strength from me that I could possibly give.
    He truly carried our family, guided the doctors and nurses – and I sincerely believe our faith grew so much during that time that I would still say that even if it hadn’t turned out the way it has.
    Gratitude is interesting.
    It’s has nothing to do with getting what you want but recognizing that Heavenly Father has blessed us with what we need.
    Sorry to be so long…:)
    Again, congratulations on your good news…and your many blessings.

  7. That’s great news. I have been there. Have been in remission now about 6 years or so.

    It really does change your outlooks on things.

    I am glad that you are ok. 🙂

    Have a great day.

    Take care, Janet W

  9. I just took a huge breath of relief! What a wonderful blessing to your husband and sweet little one and many other blessings in lessons learned. It’s a great day!

  11. So happy for you !!! We have been there and know the feelings you are experiencing. Steve has been cancer free for exactly 5 years now.
    What a wonderful tribute you wrote for being GRATEFUL. It helps me to put things in perspective.

  12. YEA!!!!! I am so happy for you! that was a intense quick trial!!! but you are once again an amazing example to us all! thank you and we are so happy for you that you are cancer free!!!

  13. I am so impressed with your gospel knowledge and that you share it with others. This article is such a reminder of the many wonderful blessings Heavenly Father has given us. I am so glad you are cancer free. This article also gives hope to those who just need a reminder of their blessings. Thank you

  16. Hi, I’m a member of the Church in Spain. I’ve been following your blog for two months and I was really sad when you published your illness. Today, it’s my birthday and I’m really happy to read you are cancer free. It’s been a great gift for me. I hope you keep expressing your ideas in this great blog.

  17. Thank you for the update, but also especially for your words on how faith, hope and charity work together. It’s true and I’d never thought of it in that way. This gives me hope and I also am extremely glad to hear your good news. That new little girl of yours needs her mommy so much and I am glad to hear you will be around!

  19. I’m so happy for you. Having a brush with a deadly disease helps you see life in a new light. You will forever changed…….for the good.

  20. I don’t know you (Amy J. is a mutual friend and I linked over from her blog), but I’m SO happy for you and your good news.

    Thank you for the reminder of how cancer can clarify what it is good (nay, great) in our lives. It is a terrible, awful, horrible disease… but the gratitude and strengthening of relationshps that CAN come with it are tremendous blessings.

    Thank you for sharing your struggle. Thank you for sharing your testimony and your faith.

  21. I was so moved when I read this post. The wonderful news must be a joyous feeling, and I am happy for you and your family.

    The truly moving part of this post for me are the lessons that you have learned and the appreciation you have for the life you have been given. Your reasons 5 and 6 made me think about my attitude and the way that I approach my life, my trials and blessings. Thank you for sharing your perspective, and hope with me.

  23. Oh, Shannon. I hear you through the words you didn’t say as well as the ones you carefully scripted. I read your post, “Strengthening My Rope” and completely panicked even though I had found this one first. I know how scary that must have truly been. Heavenly Father still needs you HERE and I am so grateful that you got to learn that now. I love reading your inspiring posts and watching you grow into motherhood. I too became a mother after much waiting and yearning and I think that there is something about all of that waiting that makes the difficulties seem so minimal. However prepared and stoked we are for this job, there will be days when it will lick the tar out of us and leave us crying. But as you know, it will always be worth it and I am so glad that you get to be here to experience it, pain/struggle/immense joy and all. My love and prayers are with you all!

    Mary, mother of my own little Hannah, 7 months

  26. Thank you so much for expressing in such a beautiful way the feelings of my heart. I have been there and have gone thru the anxiety, the surgery, the recovery – even tho I would not want to go thru the experience again – I am grateful for the lessons Heavenly Father taught me. I feel like I’m a much better person, appreciate life so much more and don’t take each day for granted. Thank you for putting my thoughts and feelings into words.

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