We wanted to share with you the testimony of what the Lord has done for us from August 2017 until now.
Here is everything about our journey with Cancer. Our first blog on this was during this crisis. You can read about
how Maurice found out that he had Multiple Myeloma and how we reacted. It was a trying time as the diagnosis was being confirmed through many tests and several painful procedures.
After some chemotherapy treatments through the months following, Maurice decided to have a stem cell bone marrow transplant. That was an extremely stressful ordeal that the Lord guided us through with great peace and tremendous outcomes.
It was quite a story so we had to blog about it!
Anita personally journaled her thoughts as a caregiver and was led to encourage other
spouses going through hard times in another blogpost.
Finally, Maurice wrote this testimony and shared it on facebook in 2018:
Let me briefly tell you my cancer story and conclusion. During our family vacation I had an overexertion back injury that just wouldn't seem to heal. Two months later with X-rays and a Bone Biopsy I was diagnosed with a deadly and incurable cancer called Multiple Myeloma (standard risk group) August of 2017 at the age of 47. Up until then I had zero pre-existing conditions, zero vices, I had never even been admitted to the hospital. And this was far beyond the typical temptation and invitation of the day.
My wife Anita started a Care Bridge and fundraiser website for me. Which I very very much appreciate the donations (cards and prayers). As an "easy patient" I remained positive through the whole experience and the verse that I clung to was "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess. 5: 16-18 HCSB). What is this disease that just seems to have come out of nowhere! And caused me to initially be bedridden (couldn't walk), some skeletal deformity and a permanent loss of two and a quarter inches of height (vertebral fractures). I wasn't allowed to cry about my situation! Myeloma bone pain was in my chest. So much so that sometimes it would feel like a knife being stabbed into my chest! Because of this I could not cry about my situation (four additional months) or the pain would be too great! Why would the one and only God allow me to not be able to cry about my situation? The only thing I can figure is that God was saying "THIS IS NOT THE END MY SOVEREIGN HAND WILL BE WITH YOU THROUGH THIS!" God showed me that he was with me through every stage of the cancer first reaching remission well before the norm! Like a Finals MVP almost every stage of my cancer experience was above the norm (with excellent insurance)!
The next step in my cancer treatment involved regenerative medicine. I was able to get an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (or Bone Marrow Transplant) on January 4th 2018! I requested that my pastor be with us and pray over the ceremony. The transplant went well, did my two weeks of hard of time in the hospital and came home (on MLK Day)! Now I'm in a real remission and not just a drug dependent remission. My boys (Delta Force) have been as sweet as pie this whole experience, picking up extra chores with no questions. I think the most important thing I've learned in this whole experience was how to walk with the God on a higher level!
Right now I'm cancer free but Multiple Myeloma (many legions) at this time is incurable. But I believe as of now I'm triple protected from it! First: A transplant has an average of five to twenty years plus success before relapse. Second: I'm on a life-long low dose maintenance chemo drug which by itself could keep me in remission. And third: I have the prayers of the saints! Each one of the three by itself could be a cure. We're tempted to all the time look for a miraculous healing in these situations "But the righteous shall live by faith..." (Hebrews 10:38a HNV)
A couple weeks ago (February 28 2018) I returned back to work (full-time). I hadn't worked since I had been admitted to the hospital in August. Returning back to repairing office equipment that I've been doing for almost eighteen years. It's been good to be back, trying to figure it out and making adjustments!
Thank you Lord for having me ready when the "evil day" came!
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." (Romans 8:18-19 NKJV)
Maurice
** We are excited to announce that we plan to write a short book for couples who experience strain
in their marriages due to illness. Look for it in 2020!!
