A little over a month ago while I was on a Skype call with my mom, she told me during her latest cancer scan they found some new tumors on her lungs and foot. She has been battling a cancer called leiomyosarcoma for almost ten years now, and has had numerous surgeries on her foot, liver, and lungs. I was devastated to hear her say they found new tumors because she had been in remission for well over a year. I immediately went to go talk to Peggy and Maki, but Peg wasn't home and Maks was on a Skype call. When Lace walked over to change out her laundry and saw me visibly upset on their porch she invited me over to her house to sit down and talk about it. The next few days consisted of a lot of tears because I just didn't know what to expect. It was hard not being at home! All I wanted to do was give my mom a hug. A few days later I sent an e-mail out to all of the volunteers requesting prayers and just filling them in. I received an outpour of love from all of them. I know I've said it over and over again but these people are beyond phenominal. I honestly don't know what I would do without them!
I also told my kids that next week at school that my mom was sick. They immediately wanted to say a prayer for her. Valeria volunteered first. She stood up in front of the class, made the sign of the cross, and then said "Dear God, thank you for Miss King, and God, thank you for ::looking at me:: Mom!" It was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard!
The next time I talked to my mom she told me that she would definitely have to have lung surgery and possibly a foot surgery. She got good news about a week later that the tumor in her foot was nothing and no surgery was needed. But the lung surgery was still a go. I thought I could handle staying in Honduras during all of this but as the date of her surgery grew closer I got increasingly more upset and homesick. When I talked to my mom a few days before her surgery she mentioned that a family friend, Judi, had offered to let me use her frequent flyer miles. But my mom said the surgery wasn't that big of a deal (she's always so strong) and that I didn't need to come home. I WANTED to go home though, and it was then that I got the great idea to go and surprise my mom. I called my Aunt Peggy right away and started to put things into motion. She contacted my Aunt Janie, who's good friends with Judi and got me in contact with her. Judi is an AMAZING woman and she took care of all the flight details. It all happened so fast that I could barely process it. When I printed my e-ticket in Tegus on Tuesday morning though my eyes welled up with tears, because I knew I was going home!!!
My Aunt Peggy, Aunt Janie, and Aunt Cindy came to pick me up at the airport because my sisters didn't even know I was coming home. It was going to be a big surprise for everyone! Peg called my sister Theresa on the way to the house and told her that they were on their way back from Indiana Live and had a surprise for my mom that couldn't wait until the morning. So of course Theres, Em, my mom, and Robbie all assumed they won $20,000 or a new car. So when we got to the house my three Aunts walked in first and then I walked in the door a few minutes behind them. My family was SHOCKED! Theresa saw me first and just said "Bridge!" and then tripped over Mo (her dog) trying to get to me. Emily and Robbie were speechless, and my mom had her hand over her chest in shock. That was a great moment :)!
My mom just kept saying "How did you get here?", "I can't believe this!", and "I think I'm still in shock."
It was such a blessing to be home for a week to take care of my mom and help out around the house. I enjoyed every minute I got to spend with my family and it was definitely bittersweet to board a plane back to Honduras.
Please keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers as she recovers from her surgery. They ended up removing three spots. Two were benign and one was a calcium deposit that did have cancer on it. She's going back to the doctor on June 1st and I'll update everyone then.
Judi started a retreat center in Quincy, Indiana that would be really great for a weekend getaway or a big group retreat. Please take a look at her website: http://www.retreathouseindiana.org/. The main retreat house is incredible and the land it sits on is crazy beautiful! I've been there, so I know from experience!
Judi -- I'll never have the words to express my gratitude towards you! You gave me the most incredible gift and I'm eternally grateful! I hope God blesses your life ten fold for all of the incredible things you do for other people! Thank you for being you :)!!
“God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, nor sun without rain. But he did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way”
