One year ago yesterday, I found out I had cancer. This week has been surreal. I have played the life-changing events of this week (one year ago) in my mind over and over this week. It would be impossible to describe in words what this year has meant to our family.
It was certainly the hardest year of life in many respects, but also one of the most blessed! God has been so gracious and good to us through this trial. And beyond all of His sustaining grace, He has provided healing and a good start to long-term recovery. Every week is “the best week” in a year, as I feel better and my lungs grow stronger with every passing day.
Every day, our family is enjoying life with a fresh perspective and a renewed gratitude for every breath and every blessing. Dana and I have been working on the house—inside and out—fixing and catching up on all the things that fell behind or that went undone over the past year. It’s been fun to tackle this project together. It has given us both a sense of a fresh start regarding home life.
To cap this week off, I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday—one year exactly from when I found out about the cancer. It was an official review of my PET scan, which was clear. The doctor also approved the removal of my port! That was like a BIRTHDAY GIFT! I left the doctor’s office so thankful that I can finally get this thing taken out… hopefully, and prayerfully to never have it put back in. We also had a good chance to talk about spiritual things, until the nurse interrupted and reminded the doctor that other patients were waiting.
There are a million things I want to share in this post. All the ways that God is good. All the ways His grace is real. All the people that God has used to bless and encourage us over these months. All the prayers that have been answered. All the amazing blessings that are unfolding every day in family and ministry. It would be much too long of a post.
For now, we rejoice in God’s love and grace. We rejoice that cancer is gone. It could return, but I don’t think it will. Right now, I’m enjoying waking up every day and living to the fullest for God’s purposes. I am grateful to be here!
This blog has 90 published posts that chronicle the journey over the last 365 days. I am grateful to God for all of His grace. I am grateful to Dana and my children for their unwavering love and care. I am grateful to family and friends for your abundant prayers and encouragement.
For now it’s good to be healed. Please continue to pray with us that this cancer would not recur.
PS – in partial celebration this week, I had both pancakes AND cinnamon rolls! 🙂
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Amen! Great post Bro. Schmidt. Even if you didn’t have any crab to celebrate… 🙂 Love you and we will keep praying for you.
Praise the Lord! Thank you for sharing your journey with us so that God can use it to encourage and strengthen us in our walk with Him. We will continue to pray for you and your family. And by the way, I will never look at pancakes and cinnamon rolls the same way again! Good thing is, every time we have pancakes and cinnamon rolls, we think and pray for you.
Praise the Lord! What great news to hear about your health! We have been praying for you diligently over the past year, and are excited to see God working. I praise the Lord for how He has used this trial to minister to so many with the gospel and with encouragement about drawing a fresh approach to our lives and our walk with God! We will continue to pray!
Our family was serving the Lord as missionaries to the island of Trinidad until November 2005, when our 15 year old son was diagnose with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma cancer. The doctor told us that he had a 50% – 30% chance to live and that most Neuroblastoma patients only live 3 – 5 years. He has gone through every treatment available and God has blessed him to live 6 years so far. He was married in May of 2011, but he had another tumor to come back in April. Our youngest son of five, is a match to donate his stem cells for Stephen in January for his 2nd bone marrow transplant. When the doctor first told us the news that he had cancer and asked if we were ok I told him, “If you had of told us that he had 0% chance to live, we still have hope in God.” I would not trade anything for the presence of God in all of this. God and His Word have been our constant trust in all of this. Stephen gave me your book, Off Script, for Christmas. I want to thank you for writing that and tell you what a great blessing it is to us.