On August 30th, Michel (a passionate copywriter) used his blog to tell the world about our condition. His post spoke eloquently and elegantly of what we are going through, at a time when I would not have been able to put this into words.

I have always admired his ability to write from the heart. It’s what makes him such an amazing copywriter, and it is one of the very first things I knew about him that made me fall in love with him.

I also knew that he needed to do this. He needed to express himself the one way he knew how. He needed to pour out his tears in words, and tears of my own fell while I read it. I’m certain many others cried when reading it as well.

And as the comments began to come in, I was utterly amazed at how many people were listening and cared about us.

I’ve never seen such an outpouring of well wishes and prayers for a swift recovery. It was wonderful, and in the days after the initial post, as comments kept pouring in, I cried more than I thought I was capable fo crying. But these weren’t tears of sadness or fear. These were tears that came from being overwhelmed by the love that was being sent our way.

Here are just a few that touched me so deeply…(there are hundreds, and I wish I could print them all here)

“Prayers of healing, strength and boundless joy are coming your way.”

“Sylvie and Michael - you guys are an amzing couple. I have no doubt that Sylvie will be fine and you both will have many, many years together.”

“What can I say, but you are both very courageous. I was deeply touched by your conveyance of what many would be treating as a tragedy filled with why-me’s.”

“Please be assured that this fight will not be fought alone, as loved ones will undoubtedly intercede on your behalf, as will, I assure you, some of us who’s only to link to you is cyber in nature.”

“This is just a little bump in the road of life. I know you guys can leap small hurdles in a single bound. You are my heroes!”

“I know you both have the faith, the strength, the resolve and the inherent goodness to turn this temporary upset around.”

“I am inspired by your amazing upbeat and positive outlook. I shall keep your example in my mind as a way to handle life’s curveballs”

“God bless you both! Sylvie is lucky to have someone who believes in her and her recover as much as you do. WIth the faith and love that you share, I have no doubts at all that this hurdle will be overcome, and you’ll enjoy the rest of your lives together!”

“Michel, what a warm and extraordinarily loving husband you are - you are both blessed to have one another.”

“How blessed you both are to have found each other! Every life journey has a few bumps in the road - it’s all in how you handle them.”

“Stay positive and kick this things butt!”

“Sylvie I will definitely be praying for complete healing on Earth and I know God will give you the strength to get through this. Yes, you are one amazing lady and I look up to you tremendously.”

“The two of you are always in my thoughts and prayers - and I’m here for you 24/7 - always.”

I was literally blown away by all of it. As the hours ticked by after the announcement, and the well wishes just didn’t seem to stop, there were moments I just sat there reading them with a baffled expression on my face. People who have never met me before were genuinely concerned about me and praying for my recovery. I just couldn’t believe that so many people genuinely cared about us.

Amazing isn’t it? It’s amazing how much love there is in the world!

And there were also some comments I didn’t expect at all. Please understand that I was very grateful for all the comments from people who suggested a variety of healing remedies to help me in my research. I used that information and spent many hours searching for possible solutions and checking medical research to see what I can do to help the healing process after the mastectomy. Until now, I had no idea there were so many different ways of dealing with this type of cancer. And Michel and I are working on a plan to use natural remedies to complement the work the doctors will be doing for me.
But some made me sad, and I’ll explain why…

In times like these, one can expect that some people are going to be absolutely convinced that medical doctors have it all wrong. And for the most part, I do agree that doctors don’t know everything. It wasn’t that long ago that the medical profession didn’t “believe” in germs and the cure-all of the day was leeches and bloodletting.

However, medical science has come a long way since then, and I am so grateful that it has. Even 20 years ago, a woman diagnosed with breast cancer didn’t have the advantages we have today and survival rates were much lower.

So when I read the advice of some of the well-meaning advice givers who suggested that I refuse the mastectomy and opt for other alternative treatments, or just leave it to God who would heal me instantly, it made me sad. It made me sad because there are women out there who would choose that advice without consulting their doctor, and die needlessly, primarily because they would rather not face the truth about their illness.

Thankfully, I am of the belief that God works through doctors just as much as working directly with my body to heal it.

This reminded me of a joke I heard, and I want to share it with you all…

———-
A woman with breast cancer returns to religion with fervor. She knows that God will help her get better.

Early in her sickness, a surgeon proposes surgery.

“No”, she says, “I don’t want to get mutilated and suffer pain. It’s not necessary, God will help me”.

A while later, she sees a radiologist and he proposes radiation to treat the tumor, which by now is uncomfortably large. “No”, she says, “I don’t want radiation burns inside and out. It’s not necessary. God will help me.”

A year later, the cancer has metastasized. It’s painful and she is referred to an oncologist. Chemotherapy is advised. “No”, she says, “I don’t want to be sick all the time and lose my hair as well. It’s not necessary. God will help me”.

Soon after, she dies. She goes to Heaven and demands an audience with God. “Why didn’t you help me?,” she whines.

“What do you mean? I sent you help three times: a surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist. What more did you want?”

———-

The best advice I heard, about what type of treatment I should choose, touched me very deeply. I felt it was the best way to sum up how I felt about the process of determining exactly how we were going to travel down the healing path.

“As you get all kinds of well-meaning advice sent with heart-felt love and concern from near and far, we pray that The Lord would give you wisdom and direction to follow what is the best route for Sylvie at this time.”

Thank you Kay and Dave! Thank you for having faith. Faith in me and faith in God to tell me what was right for me.

And thank you to all the heroes out there who are helping me fight this every step of the way.