...Here's that "Huge Jump"

In 2003 after living in Colorado 8 years, I found a lump in my breast. Most women would really panic and be devastated about this. I was afraid it was cancer, and much to my regret, it was. At the beginning of 2004 I had the lump removed and found out that it was not the typical cancer most women get. It was a rare form of cancer that, at the time, there was no other treatment than complete removal.

My surgeon advised it would be the best to have a larger margin of clear or non-cancerous tissue around the tumor site removed to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. A month later, I was in surgery having a partial mastectomy with a reduction on the other side to make me symmetrical. This would be the first major surgery I'd have since I had my tonsils out as a child. The thought of having surgery was scarier to me than what I was having done. As a matter of fact, I truly believe it was exactly the way that God wanted to heal me at that time. I still believe this today.

3 years later, I was having a ton of pain in my right knee, my lower back and right hip. After seeing doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors and the emergency room for what was thought to be sciatica over the course of a year, I was referred to a pain management specialist for a consultation to try pain meds. After a month or so of no relief, I was referred to get an MRI of my lower abdomen to the knees.

In the circle is the tumor on my right hip and
socket in the pelvic bone, which was removed.

In May 2008 I went to the imaging facility at 7pm by myself. I was not sure how I was going to make it through an MRI since I am majorly claustrophobic. To my surprise and great relief to my nerves, they took the images placing me in the machine feet first, so my head was NEVER in the machine!!!! It seemed pretty routine to lay on the table while someone fiddled around for a while. When I thought things were going to wrap up, the tech explained to me that he was going to need to inject some dye in me so he could run the MRI again because he "saw something cooking in there." Something Cooking!

I knew this was not the type of news I wanted to hear. I lay there though talking to God telling Him, "Whatever this is, we are going through this together."