Rear-view Mirrors

We all know what rear-view mirrors are. They are those annoying things attached to our cars that show us where we have been. We are in too big of a hurry charging ahead with places to go and people to see to worry about what we have left behind. We only check the rear-view mirrors to see if those flashing lights behind are for us. I have recognized over the past few months that God has blessed each of us a rear-view mirror in our minds. They call it memory. Unfortunately, we do not use this one very often either. Over these past few weeks, I have had ample opportunities to check my rear-view mirror while lying on the radiation treatment table.

On Friday morning, October 22, after receiving the news that the MRI showed good results concerning the brain tumor, I was immediately sent to the MDA Emergency Center with a high fever. I was officially admitted to the hospital later that night and was not a happy camper. I was receiving IV antibiotics every few hours, and with each IV change came the question: “Why was this happening again?” I was still confident that God had a plan, but I was beginning to lose confidence in the plan. My faith was being stretched to new lengths.

I will not recount everything that happened that weekend, but there were two significant things that happened. First, the oncologist on call that weekend correctly diagnosed what was happening to me and recommended a complete change in my treatment plan to include radiation treatments that started two days later. Second, this doctor was informed about a new lung cancer mutation that was being found in never-smokers who had tested negative for the other two known mutations. ELM4-ALK is known to exist in only 4% of all lung cancer patients. This would be the proverbial shot in the dark, but he was recommending that my biopsies be sent for analysis. Test results would take six to eight weeks.

On November 16, I completed the recommended radiation treatments. On November 17, my birthday, God gave me a present of a lifetime. The mutation test results had come back positive in less than four weeks. The enemy in my chest now has a name. We are no longer fighting the unknown. The battle and journey are far from over, but now we have a map.

Looking in my rear-view mirror now, I can see that God knew well in advance the doctor who would be on duty, his capabilities, and his knowledge. Too often I forget my simple prayer that God put the right people in the right place at the right time. Once again, He has been faithful to supply that person.

Thinking about the rear-view mirror in my truck, I remember that it has a compass in it. Sometimes you have to look backwards to build your faith that God knows the direction going forward.