2023 Miracle
You Can't Predict the Future so Don't Worry
The text came out of nowhere:
“The doctor thinks I have multiple myeloma. I am kind of shocked.”
The text was from my mother - we are very, very, very, close.
Her sister had multiple myeloma (blood cancer) - and died an excruciatingly painful death from it - around 10 years earlier.
So, we were all extremely scared.
Family members sent us links to info about multiple myeloma and I couldn’t bring myself to finish reading it - the end stages looked too devastating.
All I could do was ask friends for prayer, pray, read my Bible, and read books on Heaven.
And yet when I look back on this year I see so many blessings- and dare I say miracles.
The first miracle was that we found it.
Multiple myeloma is quite rare and normally strikes older black men, not Asian women. It typically has few symptoms so it is typically found at a late stage.
My mom had seemingly innocuous symptoms but another family member who is an extremely vigilant doctor told her to get it checked out.
And surprise surprise…my mom had the exact same exceedingly rare cancer as her sister - and we later discovered it is not genetic.
My mom then got the full body PET scan to see if it spread.
It came back clear, which is our second miracle. The cancer had not spread to any organs or bone.
My mom’s doctor at the local hospital recommended no treatment until it spread, but we decided to get a second opinion at UCSF, and that oncologist recommended treatment to prevent spread.
Our third opinion at Stanford agreed.
The doctor decided to try immunotherapy, a newer therapy than my mom’s sister had.
Immunotherapy does not work on every patient.
I accompanied my mom to her first treatment.
She took multiple pills to prevent an allergic reaction to the treatment.
We held hands as the nurse slowly injected the immunotherapy drug into my mom’s stomach.
We waited for 30 minutes.
No allergic response.
The injections were twice a week and then once a month.
We’re coming up on a year of treatment, which also includes daily meds, in Feb. 2024.
And that brings us to the final, biggest miracle:
My mom has had a complete response to the immunotherapy.
Aside from a few minor side effects (fatigue, digestive issues, etc.) you wouldn’t be able to tell my mom has cancer.
Her levels are essentially back to normal.
My mom still exercises every day, can travel, lives on her own and is as mentally sharp as someone decades younger.
I often forget she is sick.
So what I’ve learned from this journey is don’t worry about the future— it is unpredictable and you waste a lot of energy.
Pray.
Focus on the reality of God and heaven.
Even when horrible things are happening, focus on today and do your to best to enjoy every day.
What had been your greatest blessing this year?
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