Mid-January, I (Karen) started experiencing intense pain that was diagnosed as mastitis (very rare when not lactating) and needed an ultrasound to examine a painful bump. That bump turned out to be a cyst (harmless, and apparently very common), but they found “something” nearby that required a biopsy. I suddenly found myself surrounded by prayer, encouragement, and solidarity from friends near and far. Though I know God answers His children in many different ways—and whether He says yes or no does not define His love for us—I believe prayer is the reason my test results were benign and no follow-up is needed.
I am grateful for the clear test result, of course, but also struck by how God carried me through the whole situation. Medical stuff usually freaks me out, especially waiting on answers. This time, I felt at peace during the waiting. I kept thinking, “if it IS something, I am so grateful we found it early by looking at something unrelated.” The day I found out I needed the biopsy, God helped me write a whole list of things I was grateful for.
High on the list was my experience in the waiting room. I was there for hours (they wanted additional testing after the ultrasound showed “something”) and I connected with some other ladies there. One lady eventually teared-up and expressed that she was scared (she needed extra testing as well). I went over and put my arm around her, and she cried and opened up to me. I was thankful to be a comfort to her, even though her English and my Spanish were both very limited.
After the biopsy, I was surprised by how difficult the recovery was. Jeff and the kids were amazing at holding down the fort and letting me focus on resting and recovering, and some friends and family cared for us in various ways. I was able to rest and be “okay with not being okay,” which is also pretty new for me because of issues related to some chronic medical stuff I’ve dealt with. I felt like I was able to process it with God and be more okay with it than I ever have been.
Grant Ministry 