The Road Ahead Goes Through the Wilderness

Now that I am almost healed from my successful surgery, I’m onto the next step in my cancer journey: radiation.

I’ll be getting 30 doses of radiation daily, targeted at where my lymph nodes are (well, were). My oncologists have warned me to strap in, as each dose contributes to lethargy and a sun burn in my arm pit, which I’m pretty sure the Geneva Convention would disallow for captured soldiers.

Anyways, this will get tougher as the days go by. Since I won’t get radiation on Saturday and Sunday, this round will take 40 days (give or take). That might sound like a familiar length of time that know Jesus’s story in the wilderness. The number forty itself might ring bells for those of you who know Noah’s story or that of the exodus. Forty’s one of those symbolic numbers that may approximate real time, but certainly tells you what that time will be like; it’s a time of trial and revelation that simply must be endured to end up where you want, whether it’s on dry ground, in the Promised Land, or back with those who love you.

My hope is that I will be able to endure this with intentionality, and able to see what God is revealing to me along the way and afterwards. I’m sure that will lead to much reflection and writing. I’ll offer those observations, thoughts and feelings on here. Maybe they’ll give more more insight into long-term illness if you haven’t encountered it before, and it’ll certainly help me process the experience.

I offer those future posts with gratitude to those of you who have been caring for me and my family in any and every way imaginable. I’m grateful, and because of you, I’m back in the saddle.