Fighting a New Enemy…Cancer

I’ve found myself feeling apprehensive the week following David’s most recent skin graft surgery but I thought it was just because it had been nearly 8 years since our last surgery and we were just out of practice.  Throughout the week, I’ve been praying for healing and for the skin graft to look good under the dressings.  We haven’t been able to peek at any of it all week and we were getting a little anxious to know if the surgery was successful at closing up the gaping wound that’s been on David’s right calf for a year and a half.  Yesterday morning, while getting ready to head back for the first follow-up  appointment I kept feeling nudged to remember that God has been faithful to our family in the past and He would continue to be faithful to us in the future and that God is good.  We made the three hour trek to the doctor’s office, but before we exited the car we shared a prayer together thanking God for all He has seen our family through in the past and we asked Him to be with us in whatever we were about to face in the future.

We didn’t anticipate that our future would include a new battle. 

This time, the battle will be against squamous cell carcinoma, otherwise known as skin cancer.

We received good news yesterday.  David’s donor site, where they removed his skin, is healing very nicely.  And the skin graft site looks good too.  It has about an 80% “take.”  But the doctor informed us that we will need to remove this beautiful skin graft within the next few weeks, when David will undergo at least 2 more surgeries.

Earlier this Spring, we were made aware of a recent link that possibly showed that the cultured skin that was initially engineered to very quickly grow David’s skin cells into new skin for him back in 1999 to save his life was possibly being linked to squamous cell carcinoma.  A former surgeon warned us to be on the lookout for it.  So the cells that were once used to save his life, now have the opportunity to take it away.  Talk about scary!

We are unaware at this time, if any lymph nodes have been effected or if this cancer has spread anywhere else in David’s body.  We are looking at another surgery to try to remove the cancerous tissue in his leg within the next few weeks.  Then we will try another skin graft surgery to cover the area a few weeks after that.  There’s an issue with the fact that David’s legs are already compromised from his initial injury and he has very little muscle and tissue remaining under the current wound.  If the surgeon needs to remove all the tissue down to the bone, then David will have to undergo a more serious surgery to transplant a flap from his belly, containing muscle and arteries/veins to his leg and there is a slight, inherent risk of losing his right leg altogether.

I have to be honest and say that thoughts of doubt and questions have been running rampant.  The questions of, “why does our family have to go through trials again?” and “hasn’t my husband been through enough?” have come to the surface.

But I don’t want to get swallowed up by the self-pity and the woe-is-me mentality.

I’m reminded that it’s through the times of trial and struggle that we will come to rely on God even more because when we face situations that we cannot tackle on our own we are forced to turn to something…or rather, someone much more powerful than ourselves.  We used to ask our selves, “Now that this has happened, what are we supposed to do?” I have a feeling our family will once again be finding ways to encourage and to serve others through the amazing story that God has given us.

Our family is in a slight state of shock as we process this new development.  Over the years, we have learned the needed tactics to battle a burn injury.  Facing a new enemy is a bit overwhelming, but we will tackle it one day at a time, one strategic move at a time with a hopeful victory at the end of the battle.  We know we have an army of prayer warriors on our side and that our Commanding Officer will be with us in the trenches and guide us through the battle.   We are Overcomers because of what Christ overcame for us!

If you find yourself facing a battle today, please know that you don’t have to face it alone.