"I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Genesis 15:1

How great it is to know that the Lord is our shield and our reward! Even in the midst of this health crisis, I do feel completely protected by God and I know it is in great part due the way that each of you are reflecting His love to us. Thank you!

We received some more good news yesterday. It turns out that I am negative for the BRACA gene. That means I am not a carrier for the cancer gene. Therefore, it appears that for now we can proceed with the treatment, surgery and radiation plan as recommended by the doctors. We will not have to worry about removing the other healthy breast. Praise God!

Our second opinion appointment with Dr. Bowen went very well. We truly appreciated the full hour she dedicated to explaining my diagnosis and recommended treatment plan. She was so thorough and answered our many questions. We did walk away feeling that there is no need to switch doctors at this point. The convenience of Gwinnett Medical is worth its weight in gold and we know we are being served by a stellar medical staff! We will continue to move forward with the 6 rounds of chemo treatments and then we'll see Dr. Yamaguchi again to discuss the surgery.

I'm looking forward to continuing to work as much as possible and am so grateful for the amazing support of my colleagues. My work in supporting students who are learning English is so dear to me. I love that I can support the teachers and administrators even without having to physically enter the schools while my immune system is low. Soon I'll be back in there with them.

As I "Savor the Blessings" I do want to list a few beautiful blessings that I know I would have not received had I not been diagnosed with breast cancer: a beautiful walk with my mom while praying the Rosary in Spanish, my dad bringing me the Holy Eucharist, one on one time with my dear husband reminiscing about the days when we used to meet for lunch in Atlanta, special visits from friends, phone calls from family and friends, having Ricky cook me a delicious breakfast, having Paul take care of my every need not allowing me to lift a finger, getting to know amazing nurses and doctors who are excellent at what they do and full of compassion, and I could go on and on! Truly there are many blessings to SAVOR! I pray that I will continue to identify them and truly savor them.