In the Bible, many amazing miracles were performed. Some of them were by Jesus but there were miracles performed by others. Sick people were healed. Lame was made to walk. The blind's sight was restored. The dead were raised. And we believe all those miracles, yet so many people have said miracles do not happen today. I met a man who chose not to believe in God because he has not seen miracles today as what is recorded in the Bible. I am sad to admit that I did not handle that conversation well and I have thought about what I would say now.
It seems cliche to say "I believe in miracles because I am one." But it's true.
On October 11 of 2019, I was told that I had cancer of unknown origin. I would go through multiple tests and scans. I would have scopes with no answers. I would start treatment, not for the cancer I had. All the while, God knew that my miracle was sitting just around the corner. My miracle was brought to fruition by multiple health care professionals that God ordained to be in my path for this exact moment in my life.
My miracle began with Sandy Stringer Riley, my ARNP. On July 28, 2019, I went to see her because of a small marble size lump above my collar bone. She said it could be trapped drainage but it could be something worse. She said we will give steroids and a month. She could have easily brushed it off and tell me it was nothing. But she was honest. When I came back to her in a month, she immediately started writing orders for more testing. She and her assistant, Sandra, were on top of things setting up ultrasounds and mammograms at record speed.
My miracle was then continued through the hands of Dr. James Whitely, a surgeon at Jackson Purchase Medical Center. He scheduled a biopsy within a week and a half and would have done it sooner if my schedule allowed. He then called as soon as he got word from the pathologist about the results and said "we are not waiting around."
My miracle was then continued through Dr. Winston Chua and his staff. He already had a plan when we walked through the doors of his office. And, on this day, I felt God's presence stronger than I ever have in my life. On the day of my appointment with Dr. Chua, my mother, my best friend Dawn, and her daughter Maggie and myself went to lunch prior to the appointment. We were all shell shocked. But the word that just kept coming back to my heart was PLAN. After praying over lunch, an employee walked by with a white hoodie with bright red block letter "GOD'S PLAN." Mom and I headed to the cancer center to meet Michael for the appointment. As I am driving over there, I receive a group text from a friend about a new job he is taking on and asking for prayers and says "I know God has a plan in all of this." Hmmmmm. 30 seconds into meeting Dr. Chua, he says "I have a plan and then plan B."
Coincidence.... not with my mighty God 😍.
I don't know if I count Dr. S. Jones in my miracle since he took my tonsils out and resected the base of my tongue which was the most painful thing ever. Just kidding... I totally count him in there as well. You see, two days after my initial consult, I was in his operating room looking for this elusive cancer. Two days!
Then Dr. Gilbert with Vanderbilt came on the scene of the miracle. She is a firecracker. She didn't quit. While Michael and I said we were done looking, she was still looking for the source of the cancer. She was in her office on a Sunday afternoon looking at my DNA results and calling me. And her attitude throughout the whole fiasco gave me the absolute confidence that we were in the right place.
Dr. Locken's honesty with what Tater (meet Tater here) would do was a miracle in preparing us. All we had heard up to this point regarding the tumor is "I've never seen anything like this." They said it at Vandy and other offices. So to have him say "this is what could happen" was such an answered prayer to us. Each visit with him ended with God Bless. I was reminded each time I saw him, that God was in each step of this miracle. Not to mention, Dr. Locken called it melanoma or thyroid cancer from the first day I saw him.
Dr. Sarah Rohde, ENT at Vanderbilt brought her gifted skills as a surgeon to clean out the rest of Tater. It's a miracle when you look at Tater at its worst point and you see where I am today.
The women and men at the cancer center in chemo and radiation were just God-sends as I mentioned in the last post.
Ali Sasseen, oncology ARNP, used her passion for those with cancer to continue the miracle. She answered texts and calls after hours and on weekends. She walked us through some moments that we were in a panic. All with confidence and a calming tone.
My point in all of this is: today our miracles often start in the hands of some of the most amazing and brilliant medical professionals.
Each one anointed by God and called into careers where they use their God-given talent to work miracles in our lives. Miracles of healing, of comfort, of peace.
Let's stop looking for the miracles we think we should see and focus on the ones before us.