Clark is working!

What a difference one year makes!

Today Clark started a new full time local job with benefits. The company that hired him is fully aware that he has battled cancer.

It is strange to think in less than a year that Clark went from not being to lift his arm and function to now being able to work.

Recently as we were gathering information for our taxes, we came across disability forms that were filled out when Clark first went out on disability.

On Clark’s disability paperwork, it states Stage 4 B cell lymphoma. This is what the doctor signed off on. We only found out later that the doctor initially told us wrong and in fact, Clark had Stage 2 Large B cell lymphoma. In the cancer area, the stages make a BIG difference.

We have only recently begun to talk about the initial diagnosis and the care Clark received in the beginning when cancer was rude and interrupted our lives. It makes me feel good when Clark tells someone my wife fought for me. And he was right. In the beginning I fought with everything I had and when I could no longer fight, he was then well enough to do it for himself.

One of things I have learned about cancer is that when you hear the word cancer, you should not be afraid. Cancer is a foe and a friend. I have truly learned it is how you embrace cancer. At first the natural instinct to survive should kick in especially when you are the one with cancer and the one who is the caregiver because you will need to fight in different races. The cancer patient needs to fight for wellness and the caregiver needs to ensure the patient needs are being met. For me, I just wanted my husband well. We joke now that Clark buried his head in the sand in the beginning, but he was not alone.

You want to cancer to be a friend later on because once you have it and you are not in remission it is still part of the luggage you carry around and you want to be comfortable with it. I want Clark to know even if he is never in remission; he is still my husband and the father of our child. I have literally seen him stripped naked of almost all his hair and sicker than I have ever seen him and I still want to be with him.

Many of our family friends choose to be with us on our journey. They prayed for us when at times it was dreary.

Our faith is from the heart. I know I cannot quote scripture (Clark is better at this than I) but I know what is true and in our darkest hour it was and is our faith that provides us the footprints to come forward.

Really in the end, our journey is not over and God only knows where we will be led next.

Stay tuned.