Rejoice in the Lord. Always.

Well, I find that an update is necessary.  Life is changing for me, and I’m not even sure how much yet.  But I want to write what I know so far for one major reason: I need your prayers.

This past Tuesday, I had a colonoscopy.  Maybe a bit unusual for someone my age (I just turned 27 on Saturday), but I had some symptoms that seemed to warrant it.  Nothing major, but just enough to get me to the doctor.  My doctor didn’t seem to think it was anything too serious, but wanted to check me out.  I went into the colonoscopy thinking the worst case scenario was celiac disease (gluten intolerance).  I thought I would leave that day with perhaps some instructions on dietary changes.

My pleasant anesthesia-induced grogginess in recovery was unfortunately cut short by some much harder news.  This is how I remember it: They had found more polyps than they could count in my colon.  My colon would have to be removed.  We needed to wait on biopsy results to make sure it was still precancerous.  The most likely explanation was a rare genetic disease that results in colorectal cancer 100% of the time.  A complete colectomy is the only treatment.  They would try to reconstruct a substitute colon out of my small intestine, but otherwise I’d have a permanent external bag.  We would be referred to a genetic therapist to see if our now 7-month-old daughter had inherited the disease from me.  We needed to do blood work, CT scan, GI tract scope.  My doctor absolutely needed to see me next week.  I should try to just enjoy each day until then.

Suddenly, celiac disease wasn’t the worst case scenario anymore.

Here it is in a nutshell.  Somewhere inside me, something has gone terribly wrong.  My body, left to its own devices, is a ticking time bomb with a short timer.  And the only way to diffuse it is to literally gut it.

My next appointment is Thursday morning, and I should get the biopsy results then.  Basically, I should find out if I get to keep my hair while I go through the process of losing my colon.  Waiting is hard, but it’s not like I haven’t had some good days.  Cinnamon rolls have been dropped off at the house, friends have come over for impromptu game nights, we’ve taken family walks in the park, and ridiculous amounts of cheesecake have been consumed.  In general, I’ve tried to keep my mind off of things, and friends have been obliged to help.  I know mobs of people are praying for me, and that means the world to me.  And here’s how I’m really getting by:

 ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24

Please pray for me.  Pray for healing.  Pray for my doctor’s wisdom and skill.  Pray that Evie will never have to deal with this.  But most of all, pray that I would rejoice in the Lord today and every day, that He would receive all glory, for He alone is worthy.  He is the Great Physician and Lord of All, including, as ridiculous as it sounds, my colon.  What happens next is completely out of my control but completely in His.  And that, as hard as this all is, should be good enough for me.

Thank you.  And may God bless you and your neighbor through you today.

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