"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:5-8

This is exactly what I have been doing the past few days, finding rest in God. But I must admit, I also find earthly rest in my family and friends. Thank you all for the amazing words of comfort provided through cards, fb messages, texts, phone calls and hugs! I feel so very loved! When the nurse practitioner told us the other day that a study revealed that those with cancer who are cared for are the ones who overcome, I felt like saying, "then I probably won't even need chemo as I am SO VERY CARED FOR!!!"

Let me take you back to Wednesday when mom went with me to visit Pretty Please, the boutique in Decatur owned by our friends Melinda and Warren Smith. They sell all types of bras from ones for nursing mothers to all types for all women. They also sell wigs, turbans and head covers for those going through chemo and they even work with insurance companies. Mom and I actually had fun as Melinda (another angel) took her time explaining the wigs to us and gave me time to try several on. We all finally agreed on one that looked most like me. I really feel I need one for work and any formal events that may come up. I had flash backs to going wedding dress shopping with mom. I was so blessed then as I am now, to have her by my side during all times in my life. She always goes the extra mile to support me and my family!

That evening I had the honor of going to serve 25 Wounded Warriors at the Wounded Warrior of Atlanta office when Ricky and I taught them all about how essential oils might benefit them. They were such a fun group of people. We laughed and laughed at their jokes and reactions to the potency of the oils. They truly lifted my spirits. And working side by side with my little Ricky (who turns 12 today) was an immense pleasure!

So, Thursday I had the MRI of my breasts and met another angel. Her name is Kristy. She was the MRI tech who guided me through the process and took such good care of me. She even engaged me a great conversation about essential oils, reminding me that the road I have been on is not ending. I can continue serving others even through my illness.

Thankfully I was able to go to work that afternoon to work with the amazing EL Programs team. They have rallied around me and have even made a plan to cover for me when I am out. They completely eased my mind about the work load and my work responsibilities. Again, I am grateful that I will be able to continue working when I have the strength.

Friday was a marathon day as Pete and I bounced around from doctor to doctor. The day began with an Echo cardiogram where I met yet another angel, Yemi, the echo tech! She is from Ethiopia and had a radiant energy that could brighten up any room and lift any spirit. I had so much talking with her about her days in ESOL and hearing about her impressions of America. She is living the dream! We promised to stay in touch and she promised me that I would be o.k. What a joyful soul!!!! I have always found that people from Ethiopia are so beautiful inside and out!

From there we went shopping for a new robe (I had been alerted to a robe sale by my good friend Nicole) and on to a nice lunch date with the love of my life! Then we were on to our Chemo Teaching, a time to learn about the drugs I will be given and their side effects as well as what to expect as I sit to receive chemo. It will be an 8 hour process one Thursday every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. Mr. Wan, the nurse practitioner, walked us through every detail and answered all 15 of my questions. He was so patient with me and even humored me by smelling my Ginger essential oil when I offered it to him.  Ha ha, he told me I have a wide open market when it comes to assisting those undergoing chemo treatments with their symptoms, using essential oils. We'll see where God leads me.

Then we sprinted across town to go see Dr. Yamaguchi, the breast surgeon, She explained the process of putting in the port that will allow them to give me the medications without having to get to my veins each time. The port will be placed under my right collarbone just under my skin. They will be able to access each time they need to take blood and/or administer the drugs. This procedure will take place Monday morning bright and early at 7am. Mom will be taking me. Please pray for me and Dr. Yamaguchi at that time. Thank you!

In between all of this, I have received numerous phone calls and messages from other friends who have been through this breast cancer journey. They offer great words of advice and support! I truly love it that so many have felt moved to reach out to me. You never know who God is going to use to shine light on the way he intends for me to go.

One day my friend Sonia called me to say she really thinks we should explore MD Anderson since they have the only Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Center in America. Within an hour of her telling me that, a high school friend, Beth, messaged me to let me know that she lives 20 minutes from MD Anderson and that I am welcome to stay with her any time. WOW! Then another friend messaged me on FB and expressed that I should be prepared to seek a second opinion from somewhere like MD Anderson. So, MD Anderson came up 3 times from 3 different people all within one hour. I'll take that as a sign. I'm calling them Monday morning to see what I need to do get an opinion from them. God is taking care of every detail.

It has been a wonderful weekend of spending great time with my boys as we prepared for Ricky's birthday. I had decided that I would not do any cancer research this weekend. I needed to just concentrate on family and having fun! Thank you Lord the time to rest in you and with my family!
Love to all of you. Thank you for the continued prayers.

I love hearing from all of you! My e-mail address is cristinazakis@yahoo.com and my cell phone number is 404-542-9210 and my physical address is 578 Dorsey Circle SW, Lilburn, GA 30047.