Changes...
Most of you have already heard what is posted below. Please understand that for the time being, I will not be updating this website as often as I would like. For current information, please visit our CaringBridge site as often as you like - you are a great encouragement to us.
Dear Friends, I send warm greetings from our family to all of you. I know many of you have been waiting for word from us as to how my medical situation has turned out; and I apologize that it has taken an entire week to get this email sent out - we have had quite a week.
It brings me sadness to tell you all that I have breast cancer and require a mastectomy. It is being strongly recommended that I have a double mastectomy on account of the very high risk of future cancer on the other side. There will be chemotherapy, radiation, and at some point reconstruction. Kevin and the kids were waiting in Kiev until we got the diagnosis and they arrived in Minnesota on Saturday, 10/13.
With that sad and bad news out of the way, let me tell you that God is SO good to us, and His fingerprints are all over this situation. From the very beginning, when I found this lump on September 17, He has been gently leading and comforting and clearing the way for me to receive AMAZING care.
I am at the finest medical facility in the world, as far as I’m concerned. The staff have been kind and helpful and just really very, very good. I have decided that I need to start writing down all the ways that I can see God in this, and all the sweetness that will come out of it.
I know there is a hard road ahead of us. But, as one of you has already said, we will lock arms, we are closing ranks, and we are going to war with my cancer. I cannot express my intense gratitude for the family and nearby friends who have rallied and come near to us in the past week. I pray that there will be some joy and sweetness in all of this for you as well.
I want you to know how you can be aware of all that is happening with us. We are renting a home in Rochester, MN. The address is: 128 21st Street SE; Rochester, MN 55904 and I don’t know the phone number yet. Our email addresses will stay the same.
Also, we have started a new blog that is specific to the breast cancer side of our life. You can find information about my health and our process by visiting http://emmaslatest.blogspot.com If you would like to know how you might help us in physical ways, you can contact Karmen Saski at teamsaski@msn.com and she can guide you to what we may need at a particular time. More than anything, at any time, we need your prayers.
Now, I leave you with a passage highlighted for me by my dear sister, Christa:
But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep in to the water. Such trees are not bothered by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit. ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
Reaching deep into the water, Emma
