On Monday, December 1st she will walk out of that clinic with chemo behind her, and a full life ahead of her. Very full I might add! I just spent the last few days visiting her and my family up in Fort Thomas, and full it is. Life with a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 year old is bound to be filled with lots of laughter, tears, joy, frustration, patience, impatience, fun, exhaustion, and diapers, diapers, diapers. Until I was able to be with Liz at her infusion, I was not able to fully grasp the extent to which she has handled all of this so admirably, with such grace and fortitude. Seeing those chemicals drip into her body, drip by tiny drip, for hours on end and seeing how each drip took away another bit of her energy with each drop and YET she walked out of that clinic went home and still had to be happy, encouraging, enthusiastic mommy to Austin and Mae that very afternoon. I can't imagine still having a good attitude and remaining cheery, and perhaps most amazingly still being patient with my young children while feeling so ravaged by the chemicals that are literally designed to kill the cells of the body.
Living in Texas and mainly just hearing about Liz's experience over the phone, in some ways for me, it was able to seem like life wasn't all that different. Liz still took the kids to the park, still found time to go to things like the pumpkin patch and the county fair, a trip to Michigan to say goodbye to our Aunt Laurie who passed into the next life after her own battle with cancer, and all the while kept life quite normal for Austin and Mae. The thing is I don't know how she did it! How did she muster the energy and endurance to continue life as nearly normal for her two sweet children? The answer is simple: sacrificial love. Liz set aside her own needs for her children many, many times over the past 6 months in a way most of us will never do. I saw her get out of bed after her chemo infusion as soon as her kids arrived home, despite feeling completely drained, weak, and "out of it" from the chemicals and act as energetic as possible as she played with Austin and gave him a bath because he wanted "mommy to do it," as she cuddled Mae and praised her for crawling, as she's just starting to hone that skill. You can tell, when you really look and observe, that Liz is so very fatigued, but it is beautiful to see the way she presses on. I will always treasure the example she has given to me of perseverance, positivity and love.
With a 22 month old and 6 week old, I can't tell you how many times over the past 22 months of parenthood that I have felt sorry for myself, thinking "oh poor me, I can't come home and take a nap...I have to wait to eat dinner so I can feed the kids...I have to wake up and feed the baby in the middle of the night...I have to pick up ALL these toys...do ALL this laundry...go to the grocery store AGAIN?" How petty those things sound, and how embarrassed or even ashamed I am that I complain about such minor inconveniences when I see the ways that Liz has continued to do all of those things and so much more while undergoing a battle against cancer, enduring 6 months of chemotherapy. Liz nor any of us would have ever imagined her going through something like this at such a time as this, and thankfully it will soon be in in the past. You can never know quite how you will handle something until you go through it. I couldn't be more proud of the way my sister has handled her cancer journey.
Last but not least, the other remarkable and inspiring part of these last 6+ months has been the many, many people that have shown unending love and support to Liz and our family. So many have brought meals, helped with the kids, offered prayers and encouragement, sent cards and packages, run errands, and helped in countless other ways. It has truly been God's provision for our family. We will be forever grateful for the way that so many were a part of bringing Liz and all of us through this journey.
So mark December 1st as a day of celebration! While the affects of chemo can take up to 6 months to fully subside, it will be downhill from there. It will be the day that Liz will be able to say that she is finished with her chemo treatment and she is cancer free!
~Tina Hubert (Liz's Sister)
"Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my
goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have
taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:12-14
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him!" Psalm 28:7
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him!" Psalm 28:7
No comments:
Post a Comment