Thankful for YOU

It was one year ago, the day after Thanksgiving, that Rory decided (with a little encouragement from his sister-in-law) that the pain in his abdomen was intense enough that it was probably time to head to the ER.  And while we were all optimistic that it was something easily treated, we never imagined the heavy dose of information we were about receive that night.  With a year of fighting behind us, I decided to reflect on that very night.  

Earlier that week, as Rory continued to complain about his pain that seemed to come and go, he finally decided to head to an Urgent Care center.  He was examined by the doctor who believed his problems were stemming from an enlarged prostate and so a CT scan was scheduled for the following week.  We kind of joked about it and went about our Thanksgiving celebrations we had planned for the week.  The morning of Thanksgiving, Rory and I ran the Detroit Turkey Troy (a 10k - for those of you that don't know that equals 6.2 miles).  Rory ran the whole thing and said he even felt great.  Little did we know at the time, that he was carrying around a nerf football sized tumor in his abdomen.  Talk about being strong!  That evening we enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with both his parents and mine and the following day we headed to his brother's house where we were going to spend the rest of the weekend with his family who came in town from Illinois.  That Friday afternoon we arrived at his brother's house and Rory's pain just seemed to intensify as the day went on.  With a little encouragement from Rachel (Rory's sister-in-law who is a nurse), we decided to eat dinner and then head to the ER where she worked.  We decided that we wanted to get the treatment going for whatever was causing the pain asap and not wait for the scheduled CT next week.  When we got to the ER, Rory was immediately given some pain meds and finally was getting some relief.  I knew he was feeling "good" when he told me to "take a picture so everyone can see what we're doing tonight."

The night Rory checked into the ER

I remember sitting in the ER room waiting for the CT scan results when the doctor came back and told us that he needed to do further testing and that what they were seeing on the CT scan was "not good," but that they didn't want to say anymore than that before more tests were conducted.  And with those words, my gut dropped and Rory was wheeled back for more tests.  With the second round of tests came the spot-on diagnosis that whatever Rory had was an extremely rare tumor and we were advised to seek out a transfer to U of M.  The ER doctor could neither confirm nor deny whether it was cancerous or not without a biopsy, but believed from the looks of things on the scan that it was indeed cancerous.  The rest of the night was the longest night of my life.  In fact, I didn't sleep for over 48 hours and the next few days all we did was hurry up and wait for a room at U of M to open so Rory could get transfered.  While much of the night was a blur, the one thing that stuck out in my head was the immediate reaction I had.  I never got angry at God, I never asked God why, but I remember just saying to God, ok, I've never been in a situation like this before, and I'm not sure how to quite handle it, and so if ever, I NEED YOU NOW!  And with that, He took over.    

Finally on Monday, Rory was transfered to U of M and a biopsy would be preformed on Rory's tumor to figure out whether or not the tumor was cancerous or not.  To make a long story short, by the end of the week, Rory was diagnosed with DSRCT.  But remember how I had already given it over to God in the ER?  Before Rory was even diagnosed, He was already in the works.  When Rory got transfered to U of M, the doctor who happened to be on-call when we were transfered, was a doctor at U of M who specializes in sarcomas and who has treated DSRCT patients in the past.  God put us right where we needed to be to get the proper diagnosis because many times DSRCT is misdiagnosed as lymphoma by doctors who have never had experience with it before.

This year, as we approached the one-year anniversary of Rory's diagnosis, emotions overwhelmed me.   And yet I now understand that it was God's perfect timing, that Rory's diagnosis was the same week where we we celebrate a holiday known as Thanksgiving.  This year, more than ever, I am thankful for the things that really matter: my faith in God, Rory, my family, Rory's family, and our friends.  I am thankful for all the support and prayers that all of you have been giving to Rory and I in this year long battle.  We would be no where without it.  It is your love, and your prayers, and your words of encouragement that keep us going.

Katie, Rory, and Karen

This year Rory and I were able to enjoy a much more calm and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend and for that we have God to thank.  He is the one who continues to give Rory the strength to fight.  For those of you who know Rory, you know he is not a cancer patient.  He is still a 27 year old handsome young man, who continues to live life to the fullest and seems to have more energy than I do most days!

I can't express how blessed I am to have Rory in my life.  He has made me a better person and he has made my faith in God stronger.  When Rory was diagnosed we had only been dating 10 months and while many may believe it would have been easier to walk away, that thought never crossed my mind.  After weeks of dating, Rory was already the love of my life and I was already in it for "in sickness and in health."  Rory, If you ever read this blog, which I know you do sometimes, I love you so much more than you will ever understand.  There is no doubt in my mind that God made us for each other and I am so blessed to have finally found you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A personal prayer that I have never shared with anyone involved Rory and I's engagement.  While I trusted God with everything going on in our lives, after Rory's diagnosis I continually prayed to God that I DID NOT want a ring on my finger unless it was a promise from God that He was going to watch over the two of us.  When Rory surprised me with the ring, it was so much more than a proposal.  It was a promise from God telling me that He was watching over Rory and I and that we were in the palm of His hands.  Now every time I look at my ring, it not only reminds me of Rory's love for me, but of God's love for us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE.  I am thankful for all of YOU!

Kristen    

~“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”   Psalm 107:1