It was Friday, September 25, 1998 the day the earth had literally shook (an Earthquake was reported in the news), it stretched from Ohio to Michigan; and I was celebrating my 30th birthday, with some coworkers, at the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department-Main Office Building, 10th fl. Meter Read Audit. As we stood at the counter singing, “♫Happy Birthday to you♫”, the building had shaken and we all said, “What was that?” An Earthquake, on my birthday, and this big ole’ lump (the size of the palm of my hand), protruding underneath my skin on the left side of my knee: what a day to remember, one I’ll never forget! That was 12 ½ years ago.
The 1st biopsy had been done on a Friday, Sweetest Day-October 16, 1998 . “Ok Lord there’s beginning to be a pattern here, dates of remembrance.” The diagnosis had already been delivered: “Osteosarcoma (High Grade-Bone Cancer); and we’re only going to give you a 20% chance of living! Also, you’re going to have chest X-Ray’s done every week to make sure that the cancer didn’t spread to your lungs!” Ok! I was scared—for real! I cried, I was mad, and I was angry at God! I was confused, and I had questions! What did I do wrong? Lord, what will my mother and brothers & sister do? “Wait a minute! I haven’t been married yet nor do I have children!” I was afraid that I was going to die from this disease.
I had been a member at Word of Faith Int’l Christian Center-Southfield, MI; Bishop Keith Butler was my Pastor at that time. I remembered how embarrassed I was to tell the Bishop and ask for prayer, didn’t want anyone to know. I was so nervous walking down the aisle in church, (with my mother as a comfort by my side), to talk to Bishop Butler. I was trembling in my voice and my body while telling him that “I’ve been diagnosed with Bone Cancer”—and he immediately saying to me, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I want you to go and see my secretary, Minister Herd—tell her I sent you!” And the Fight was on!
I was scheduled to have 8 treatments of Chemotherapy (which I was hospitalized for 5 days, during treatments). At that time, I battled with hair loss; slight loss of hearing; spots on the palms of my hands and bottom of my feet; extreme weight loss; body sensitive to the touch; low Potassium; and an allergic reaction to morphine. I even had the audacity to shout at the devil, “COME ON, YOU WANT A FIGHT! I’M READY TO FIGHT! YOU’RE NOT TAKING ME OUT LIKE THIS!” And if that was not enough, I had the nerve to say, “THAT’S ALL YOU GOT!” Whoa! What was I saying? I was out-of-my-mind! And yes, the fight got worse! At one point my body temperature had reached up to 104 degrees. I experienced “hot flashes”; boils on my body and sores in my mouth; numerous blood transfusions; Septic Arthritis; was on Antibiotics (according to my doctor-indefinitely); a ruptured esophagus; developed ulcers; and the ultimate-I loss my leg bone (left femur & knee-replaced with Titanium Metal). Talk about a Job experience!
The Prayer Warrior within me was just as amplified as the fight. I stood on scriptures like:
(Ps.118:8-9 kjv) For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.
(John 11:4 kjv) “…This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
(Is. 53:4-5 kjv) But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
I was confessing that the cancer was DEAD! I didn’t want remission because it was subject to come back. I used every arsenal of weapons I could: I had to “Put on the whole armor of God…” I was “fighting against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. -17). I prayed in my natural language and I prayed in the spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Eph. ). I also laughed a lot! (Prov. 17:22) “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” I would plead “The Blood of Jesus”; pour anointing oil on my bald head; put oil on a red cloth and taped it onto my body and prayed! My family was actively involved in praying for me and even my doctors would say, “I’m praying for you!” The days when I was at home I would open the blinds and lay prostrate, on the floor, and allow the sunlight in-to soak in the sun. You see, I did this because I heard a story about an eagle: when it got sick and had poison in its body, it would fly to the highest part of the mountain and lay prostrate and spread its wings and allow the sun to penetrate its body-to draw out all the poison from it. Like the eagle, that’s what I did!
The Miracle was made known! The Cancer was dead and I only had 4 aggressive Chemo treatments along with the surgery, February 23rd, 1999 (just 3 days before my mother’s birthday), to remove the cancerous bone. I didn’t have the 8 treatments that they planned! I’m no longer on Antibiotics either. Praise God! Everything is functioning, in my body, the way it was designed from the beginning of time, except for the loss of my left femur & knee. They said that I cannot wear heels-well! I stride in 2 up to 5 in. high heels (only for a short period of time). My doctor called me his “Miracle Baby”, because he said that he never had a case like mine. There are times you’ll see me walking with a limp, or taking my shoes off, because my knee is swollen and I’m in pain or some discomfort due to the pressure from climbing the stairs and sitting/standing too long.
I could see the hand of God all in my struggles and him teaching me how to strategically fight in his Army…wait-a-minute, I just took a praise break—Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! A war was waged and I WON! Did I want to go through this? Absolutely NOT! I may have come out with some battle scars and lost a bone but God has kept His promise: that I would not lose my life or my leg; that he would keep my feet on the ground; and that I would share my Testimony. My prayer is for those that has been or have been diagnosed with Cancer—for you to be empowered by my story. I am walking before the Lord In the land of the living. Amen! ◘
Embrace!
Thank you so much for sharing your testimony. Our God is soooooo awesome and He will do what He says He will do!
ReplyDeleteAwesome testimony..my grandson was diagnosed with leukemia at 2 yrs old and is now 6. The many miracles God performed were supernatural as well. God bless u. Thank u for sharing!!
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