My friend Lori's letter of THANKS.

Hello, All my Dear Family and Friends,
(sorry for the length but each of you are so special to me, I want to let you feel my experience)
I am just getting on my email this morning (Sat). I came home from the hospital Thursday afternoon. I THANK EACH OF YOU for your LOVE, SUPPORT & PRAYERS!! I felt each one of them. I also greatly thank my Mom for everything she has done and is doing, including keeping everyone informed - a special thank you to Mary Lou as well for sending this to so many of you.
Dr. Porterfield felt the surgery was successful. Additionally, our prayers for my post-op nausea worked! I thank the Lord and praise Him for His mercy that He has heard all of our prayers and blessed me so abundantly through this stage of the process! The Lord sent wonderful RNs and CAs to care for me - all that I can remember were Believers in Christ. I had my Christian books on my bed and as they saw them it opened up great conversations about how mighty our Lord is in all situations. One of the RN's mother is a missionary - she, Susan Velez, and I prayed together, a CA who had me for several shifts teaches Bible Study at FAU with her Pastor and we had great Godly conversations. Even pre-op when I met the Anestsiologist, we shared that we were praying for him and he said, "we try, He guides." He had an intern and several of us prayed with both of them and a Surgical Nurse who would be in the operating room with me who shared that she is also a devout Christian. This was awesome support for me. I felt His presence all around me!
As most/all of you know, my next phase is Chemo (about 4.5 months) then radiation (7 weeks). With my cancer having spread into my lymph nodes, the Chemo is especially critical to my complete healing because its purpose is to attack and kill any cancer that may be floating elsewhere in my body. The Radiation treatment thereafter returns to my breast area to kill off any remnants that might be there from my mastectomy. I will know exactly what chemo regimen I will do at my Jan 29th meeting with my Oncologist, Dr. Vogel, who is very highly regarded in his field. Please continue to pray for Dr. Vogel to have the Lord's Wisdom for my particular case and me to have His wisdom and discernment in what Dr. Vogel advises. Please know, while I talk of these treatments, I know the Lord is the True Healer and it is in His Sovereignty that I will be healed.
As for me physically, I am very grateful as to how I feel considering I have had two surgeries (lumpectomy then mastectomy within 2 weeks - 1/4 then 1/16). I also praise God for the advancement of medicine. I now have two drains post surgery (possibly to be removed next Wed) and feel some pain, mainly in the drain area, but the pain medication has reduced that significantly. I felt high energy when I came home but found by the next morning that I need to limit my activity to ensure that I have enough quiet time and rest. I plan to try to work some next week based on my body - I work for Michael Dunford who is a true blessing from the Lord to me! As some of you know, when I start chemo, I will have low immunity so will have to limit interaction with my dear friends/family, especially anyone not 100% healthy so my interaction at that point will likely be more by email/phone or through my Mom. I will also be very tired and very likely nauseated for several days around my chemo infusions. I plan to work during that time.
As I've shared, I am taking one day at a time as Jesus tells us to do in His Living Word (Matt 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.") Interestingly, as I looked at my situation...where I'm at and where I still must walk with the Lord through this journey and the unanswered questions ... certainly not where I would have put myself, I said to the Lord, I know I am to be thankful for everything but it is hard right now to thank you for this ... and, the Lord laid on my heart Psalm 118:24 to help me "This is the day the Lord has made; We will be rejoice and be glad in it." I can be thankful for the beauty of the day and so many blessings within the trial - like all of you! Every morning I start my thoughts with these two verses, then remember many others like Psa 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God", Matt 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest..." Rom 8:28 tells us "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." He does not say we will like it or it will be pleasant but we can trust that all things are working together for His purpose and plan. Then I pray and find His strength. I know the Lord is in control - this is where my hope and peace comes from! I continue to persevere but only with His strength and try to remain open for the Lord to use me to spread His glory through this trial.
I THANK GOD DAILY FOR EACH ONE OF YOU! Your prayers have helped me keep my eyes focused on Him, helped me to stop my mind from wondering too far down the unhealthy paths of "what ifs." I ask humbly that you keep praying for me to have His strength and peace and for my complete healing if it be His Will. I thank each one of you for the calls, emails, hospital visits, gifts, all the different manners in which God has used you to bless me during this time. "Thank you" is not a big enough sentiment - many of you don't even know me but have received this through prayer chains and have lifted me up - what a blessing!!! I pray that God blesses each of you for your intercessory prayers! I send my love, my deep thank you from the bottom of my heart ... Love, Lori