Don't worry.... It's not cancer!

For those of you that don't know, I am sorry this is the way you are finding out.

Recently I was in a car accident and after three weeks of the pain not getting better, I decided to go to the doctor and find out what was going on (yes I should have gone sooner but I did not).

At the urgent care, they did an X-Ray and when the X-Ray's came out, the doctor found a lesion on my femur bone. Let's be real, lots of thoughts flooded my brain, a little fear came rushing into my heart. I asked the questions of what that means and what do I do. The doctor explained that I would need to see my primary care physician and go from there.

The next day I got a call from the radiologist. I was informed that in fact it is a lesion and that I would most likely need a cat scan to see what exactly it is. The next week I saw my primary care physician and was informed that the lesion is called NOF, which means a non-ossifying fibroma. In normal human talk, a benign tumor that is normally only seen in adolescents. Due to that fact, I was referred to an orthopedist to find out if anything needed to be done.

All the while that this is going on, I also have had a cyst under my arm and my primary care was concerned that it is too close to lymph nodes. So she referred me to a general surgeon to have him look at it and determine if it needs to be removed or not.

So fast forward to today. I saw both specialists. One I am having surgery and the other is nothing to be concerned with and no further treatment will happen. I am glad to say that the lesion on my femur bone is not anything to be concerned and will go away on its own and is not cancer! Woohoo! Praise God. The cyst under my arm is being removed next month so that it does not get infected and cause more damage than it has. The general surgeon said that the cyst should be nothing but will be sent off for testing just in case.

I am thankful to have good news and am thankful that God's provision is better than mine. I also want to thank every person who said a prayer for me. I appreciate all of you. I still have a journey to go on and know that it will all work out for the good. I would appreciate the continued prayers. My trust is growing and my faith in Jesus is standing strong.

I do not know what the future holds and I do not know what will happen tomorrow. But for tonight, I celebrate the fact that I do not have cancer! Tomorrow is a new day so why not trust a little more in that fact that everything will work out for the good!

2015

What do you think of when you hear the word.... Reflect?

You could reflect on a certain situation, your family life, your work life, how about even your year? 

2014.... Some would say that it was a fantastic year, some would see it was a good year, some would say it was an okay year, some would say it was a bad year, and some could even say it was an awful, no good, very bad, terrible year.  Which one do you fall under?

For me, 2014 was a a little bit of everything. I got to travel a lot, I paid off some debt, I worked, I spent time with friends, got great advice from those I love, learned that I am worth it, lost a family member, lost friendships, but gained some new ones too, read a book that made me want to be brave in everything I do, and loving myself if the first step.

Some of us can say that we love ourselves, and some of can say we don't. Loving myself, for me, has been a huge struggle my entire life. I've grown up thinking that I am not beautiful, worth it, or even lovable. But over the course of 2014, my perspective has been changing and I can now see that I was made uniquely, that I am beautiful, and that loving myself, where I am at, is worth it. 

As 2015 starts, I want to encourage you all that we are all unique, we are all worth it, and you can love yourself. These three statements have been big learning steps in my life and everyday I wake up, look myself in the mirror and tell myself these statements. I didn't believe it at first, but I wanted to challenge myself to speak positive into my own life and see what happens. And boy, have I changed. You can too!

Your statements might be different to you. If we can say positive statements to other people to encourage them, why can't we do the same for ourselves? Yes, it is difficult to speak positively about myself, and accept my own compliments, but as I keep saying those statements, I am believing them more and more. I am starting to see that I was created for a purpose, a purpose that no one else can do. 

Each one of us has one, and each one of us needs to see that and live it out. Living a life of purpose is what we were all created to do, but each one is different. Some may have some similarities, but each one is unique. 

So I encourage your to be brave, to step out and start speaking positively to yourself, start seeing your purpose, start living out your purpose. 2015 is the year of bravery for me. What is 2015 going to be for you?