All Clear

All clear. The PET scan is negative. No abnormal cellular activity in my body at all. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Praise God. Praise His Holy and Matchless name. We are overjoyed. Overwhelmed. Over-the-moon. 

So thankful. 

So grateful.

So relieved.

I'm pretty sure I freaked out my oncologist when he called this afternoon with all my tears and "praise Jesus" enthusiasm. He said, "stop crying, Jody. You can smile, but you can't cry." Well, Dr. Jolly (I love his name, wish you could meet my uber-serious, smart and sweet oncologist) I am crying! God has answered our prayers after all these weeks of poking and prodding and testing and scanning. These are some pretty BIG answers to some pretty BIG prayers.

I'm going to go on tell you something else, dear friends. [If you are still reading and still listening]. Yes, this is God's goodness and we are beyond grateful for the result today, BUT I want you to know, that what I wrote earlier today still stands. There was nothing this doctor was going to say to me today which was going to change WHO God is. He is Sovereign over all. He is on His throne when the news is good and when it is hard. Nothing changes Who He Is. He doesn't change. He is faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

He woke me this morning with the sweetest confidence. Not a confidence that the results would be favorable, but a confidence that He would be faithful. I have never faced something which has had me so shaken and so, honestly, flat out scared. But this morning He woke me with a reminder that whatever I heard today He and His truths are unshakeable. That is why I wrote what I did this morning. Not flippantly or casually, but completely confident that He would see me through whatever it was. I don't know how to explain this to you on this thing called Facebook. But what I want you to know most is that Jesus is the answer to anything we FACE and Jesus is the answer to whatever is written in the BOOK of our lives. When the chapters are sweet and wonderful and when they are tear-stained and bitterly trying. He is the answer. I've been in both places a lot since September 16th and He has been with me in all of it. He showed me this morning in Isaiah 25:10 that "the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain." And I knew that mountain could contain a mountain top, a valley ... or possibly even a deeper valley. But I knew, regardless, His hand was already there.

I don't know why my family and I have walked through this particular valley in these past few weeks. But I do want you to know that He was with us all the way. As my favorite, Corrie ten Boom (survivor of the Holocaust) once said, “there is no pit so deep, God’s love is not deeper still.”

We will meet with the oncologist Thursday to discuss next steps. It still remains I have a good smattering of "thickened lesions" on my pelvis and spine. (lovely, right?) We have to get to the bottom of that at some point. The doctor doesn't think a biopsy is needed or warranted at this point, but probably will rescan in 3 months and we will pursue other possibilities for this kind of lesion growth. But tonight ... we are happy to report we are ruling out the ugliest beast called cancer. And we praise the name of Jesus. To Him be the glory.