A long time friend, Sue Thornburg Fellows, posted the above pic on FB, and I commented with a simple “Lemonade!” Her husband responded with “????”, and I quoted the cliché, “When life gives you lemons (cancer), make lemonade (ear warmers).” Sue has battled cancer, and decided to make lemonade. Here’s her story, in her words.
My journey began in January of 2017 with the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The first thing my oncologist told my husband and I is that it’s not “when I get over it, it’s where will it show up next.” That was hard to take.
My first surgery was at the end of March – my surgeon opened me up and basically closed me back up after taking out about 20 lbs of mass. But, she couldn’t do anymore because there was so much cancer. I started my first rounds of chemo in April. I experienced a lot of pain and discomfort…and I lost my hair. It was a hard time, but my husband and I kept our humor and faith in God through it. The hope was that the chemo would reduce the amount of cancer, so the next surgery could remove it.
My next surgery was in July and my surgeon…was able to remove ALL the cancer she could see….My recovery from this much more invasive surgery was amazing…
After finishing up the chemo I opted to be involved in a clinical trial. I have continued to improve while on the clinical trial and my oncologist is amazed at my recovery from basically the death sentence she had given me at the beginning. She calls my current condition—stable.
Through all of this I have had an amazing group of prayers warrior – literally.
In times like this you can choose to laugh or cry. My husband and I have chosen to laugh often. In fact he got me a yarn wig as a joke when I had lost my hair – which we both got a good laugh over. My hair has since returned but I wear it now to keep my ears warm! God has been good to us – we give Him all the praise!
When the inevitable hard times hit us, we choose our responses. We can fight, or quit. We can complain, or laugh. I hope we never minimize the seriousness of what we or others face. All I know is—God lives in the trouble zone. He loves and doesn’t abandon us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). That’s why Sue can fight and laugh.
Kick Starting the Application
Think back to when a hard time hit you. Did complaining or laughing predominate? Why? If complaining won, did it improve the overall situation? If laughing won, did it improve the overall situation? For you, what one practical act would help you laugh when troubles arrive?