Trials of Life

“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” ~ Chinese Proverb

Bittersweet refinement!  All too often we travel through this life without truly realizing the very miracle of our existence.  Consumed by daily stresses and routines we can fall into a ‘comfort zone’ with the state of our lives and our families’ health and wellness.

The past few weeks have been extremely draining emotionally for my family and I.  Back in August of 08' my sweet husband Troy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  After undergoing eight very aggressive chemotherapy treatments the Lymphoma was found to be in remission.  We were overjoyed with this amazing victory for our family and went on living our lives to the best of our abilities.  That is until a few weeks ago. Troy began experiencing stomach pains and we decided it was necessary for him to go see his doctor.  He made an appointment with his Oncologist who decided that Troy should have a PET CT scan done since he hadn't had one in over a year.  Dr. Hansen explained that this would show any issues within Troy's body.  We were completely shocked when we received the results of the scan stating that Troy has several lymph nodes throughout his body that were reactive to the scan.  With this news Troy's Oncologist decided to have a surgical biopsy done.  We thought we were cleared when we learned that the results of the three lymph nodes taken were negative but this was simply not the case.  Dr. Hansen stated that the results of the biopsy were inconclusive and that the three nodes that were taken were without cancer however, others within Troy's body may be affected.  His suggestion was that Troy be seen by a bone marrow transplant specialist.  Yesterday, Troy and I met with Dr. Hoda who is a Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist with the Intermountain Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic at LDS Hospital.  He told us about this very arduous process and the possibility of Troy receiving a transplant.  Needless to say we are incredibly overwhelmed and are once again in a state of waiting.  Dr. Hoda wanted to speak to Troy's Oncologist as well as a cancer board up at LDS Hospital before proceeding with his case.  This may involve yet one more PET CT scan within the next two weeks to check the progression of what was found in his previous scan.

It is times like these that remind us of what is truly precious and good in this life.  We are all given this most amazing gift of life and we mustn't take it for granted.  I can only hope and pray that this trial will serve to strengthen our family and the loving bond that we share. 

Until next time...