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> ANNOUNCER: COMING UP ON TIME FOR HOPE:
>IF THERE'S ANY INDICATION THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE CANCER, IF YOUR
DOCTOR SAYS I WANT TO TEST FOR THIS, BY ALL MEANS YOU NEED TO
FOLLOW THROUGH. AND IF YOU NOTICE SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT
YOUR BODY, TELL THE DOCTOR. I KNOW AS WE GET OLDER, THINGS
DON'T WORK AS WELL AND YOU KIND OF IGNORE LITTLE THINGS THAT
JUST COME ALONG, BUT YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR DOCTOR CHECK ON THEM.
>ANNOUNCER: JOIN DR. FREDA CREWS, LICENSED PROFESSIONAL
COUNSELOR, AND HER GUESTS AS THEY PROVIDE PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
TO REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS...ON "TIME FOR HOPE".
>YOU HAVE JUST JOINED US FOR ANOTHER ADDITION OF TIME FOR
HOPE, A FAITH BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM. I'M DR. FREDA
CREWS YOUR HOST, AND FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS I AM BEING JOINED
BY AUTHOR AND SPEAKER DEBBIE HARDY, AND SHE IS HERE TO SHARE
HER OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF SUPPORTING HER HUSBAND THROUGH
TERMINAL CANCER AND HER BOOK TITLED STEPPING THROUGH CANCER A
GUIDE FOR THE JOURNEY. IN STUDYING THE BOOK, I BELIEVE
THAT I CAN SAY DEBBIE HAS NOT LEFT A STONE UNTURNED IN
ATTEMPTING TO HELP ANYONE EITHER THE PATIENT OR THOSE SUPPORTING
CANCER PATIENTS LEARN WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW AND DO TO MAKE THE
JOURNEY LESS PAINFUL AND EVEN MEANINGFUL FOR ALL CONCERNED.
FOR MORE STAY WITH US.
>AND DEBBIE IT'S GREAT HAVING YOU ON TIME FOR HOPE.
>THANK YOU DR. FREDA, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
>THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO COME ALL THE WAY FROM
COLORADO. LOVELY WEATHER OUT THERE OR HAVE YOU HAD THE HOT
SUMMER WE'VE HAD HERE IN SPARTANBURG?
>WE'VE HAD THE HOT SUMMER, BUT IT'S A LOT DRIER IN DENVER THAN
IT IS HERE IN SPARTANBURG.
>YOU HAVE DONE JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB IN YOUR BOOK
RELATED TO THE CANCER JOURNEY WE COULD CALL IT, STEPPING THROUGH
CANCER, AND THAT'S WHY I'VE CHOSEN TO GO WITH TWO WEEKS,
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE COULD COVER IT ALL IN A WEEK AND STILL
LEAVE ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE OUR VIEWERS TO GET THE BOOK FOR THE
REST OF THE STORY SO WE'RE GOING TO HIT THE HIGH POINTS, AND
HOPEFULLY THEY WILL ORDER YOUR BOOK. I HAVE A LETTER HERE THAT
I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU RIGHT OFF THE BAT, BECAUSE IT
TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'LL START OUT WITH AND
HAVE STARTED OUT WITH IN YOUR BOOK. DEAR DR. FREDA, PLEASE
PRAY FOR ME AND FOR THE TESTS I AM HAVING NEXT WEEK. THE DOCTOR
SAID THEY FOUND CANCER AND THAT IT DOES NOT LOOK TOO GOOD. THANK
YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS. NOW FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE AND FROM
READING THE BOOK I KNOW, AND IT WOULD BE FOR ME ALSO BUT YOU
KNOW THAT'S A TOUGH TIME TO WAIT ON THOSE TESTS DON'T YOU?
>WAITING IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO DO WHETHER THERE'S
CANCER INVOLVED OR NOT. BUT WAITING FOR HER TEST RESULTS IS
EXCRUCIATING. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU CAN GET TEST RESULTS
IMMEDIATELY. WHEN BRIAN WAS SENT TO HAVE A PET SCAN DONE WE ASKED
FOR A CD OF THE TESTS, AND WE TOOK IT HOME WITH US, BECAUSE
THE DOCTOR WILL CALL YOU USUALLY WITHIN 24 TO 48 HOURS AND OUR
DOCTOR MADE IT 48 SO WE WOULD'VE HAD TO WAIT TWO DAYS. BUT WE
COULD LOOK AT THE CD, WELL IT WAS ACTUALLY A DVD, WE COULD
LOOK AT IT ON OUR COMPUTER AT HOME AND WE COULD SEE FOR
OURSELVES. SO, SOMETIMES WAITING IS THE HARDEST, BUT I DON'T KNOW
IF FINDING OUT ANY EARLIER WOULD HAVE BEEN ANY BETTER.
>WAITING WAS HARD TO DO AND YOU LOOKED AT THE CD TO LEARN ABOUT
CANCER, BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW YET WHAT THE TESTS WERE GOING TO
SHOW DID YOU?
>WE KNEW THAT HE HAD CANCER.
>OH, BECAUSE THAT VIEWER SAID THE SAME THING THAT THEY HAD
BEEN TOLD THEY HAD CANCER. SO, WHAT KIND OF TEST, WOULD THEY BE
RUNNING AFTER YOU'VE BEEN TOLD YOU HAVE CANCER?
>THEY NEED TO SEE WHERE IT IS, HOW FAR IT HAS SPREAD, THE SIZE
OF THE TUMOR, IF THERE'S MORE THAN ONE THEY LOOK FOR THINGS
LIKE THAT AND SEE HOW FAST IT'S GROWING. AND SO THERE ARE TIMES
WHEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE CANCER, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BAD IT
IS. IN SOME CASES IT CAN BE VERY LOCALIZED, WHICH IS CALLED STAGE
ONE CANCER, IT'S JUST IN ONE ORGAN, AND HOPEFULLY YOUR
READER'S, YOUR VIEWER'S TESTS WILL SHOW HER THAT THAT IT'S
LOCALIZED AND IT CAN BE EASILY TREATED. IN BRIAN'S CASE IT WAS
NOT, IT HAD ALREADY SPREAD.
>SO WHAT WAS THE FIRST TEST THAT HE HAD THAT MADE YOU KNOW THAT
HE ALREADY HAD CANCER WHILE YOU WERE WAITING ON OTHER TESTS?
>BRIAN HAD A VERY UNUSUAL FORM OF CANCER, IT WAS BILE DUCT
CANCER. YOUR LIVER TAKES ALL OF THE TOXINS IN YOUR BODY AND
DRAINS IT OUT THROUGH THE BILE DUCTS INTO YOUR INTESTINES. AND
HE WAS HAVING HEARTBURN FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND HE KEPT GOING
TO THE DOCTOR AND THE DOCTOR COULDN'T FIND ANY REASON FOR IT
SO HE WAS JUST ON ANTACIDS. AND ONE NIGHT, WE GRILLED STEAKS,
AND IT WAS STEAKS WRAPPED IN BACON, WHICH WERE YUMMY, BUT THE
BACON JUST DIDN'T WANT TO GO THROUGH AND IT GOT LODGED AND SO
HE WAS IN SEVERE PAIN AND BECAME JAUNDICE. SO WE WENT TO THE ER,
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS AN INFECTION SO THEY PUT HIM ON ANTIBIOTICS
FOR A WEEK AND A WEEK LATER WE WERE BACK IN THE ER AND THEY RAN
MORE TESTS, AND HE HAD X-RAYS AND A CAT SCAN IN THE HOSPITAL
WHEN THEY DETERMINED THERE WAS A TUMOR PRESENT. WE THEN HAD TO GO
FOR A PET SCAN ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER TO DETERMINE HOW FAR IT
HAD SPREAD. SO THERE ARE SEVERAL TESTS THAT CAN TELL YOU.
>I LOST A DEAR FRIEND THIS YEAR WITH LIVER CANCER, AND IT WAS
UNEXPECTED. SHE WAS SPEAKING AND I THINK FELL OR PASSED OUT OR
SOMETHING OR OTHER. SHE WAS GONE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
>OH MY THAT CAN HAPPEN.
>YES. THEN, SO YOU WERE WITH BRIAN, AND YOU'RE THERE AND HE
GETS THE DIAGNOSIS, I MEAN HE GETS THE COLD HARD FACTS THAT HE
HAS CANCER AND THAT IT HAD ALREADY SPREAD, IS THAT WHAT I'M
UNDERSTANDING?
>NOT IMMEDIATELY, BUT GOD HAS A WAY OF PREPARING YOU FOR EVEN
WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO GET BAD NEWS. ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE THAT A
FRIEND OF MINE AT WORK, WE HAD TALKED ON THE PHONE, WORKED ON
PROJECTS FOR ABOUT A YEAR. EVEN THOUGH I LIVE IN DENVER, AND HE
LIVED IN WASHINGTON WE WERE STILL FRIENDS. AND ABOUT A YEAR
EARLIER MARK WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. AND SO WE HAD TALKED ON
THE PHONE ABOUT IT AND PRAYED TOGETHER ABOUT IT AND THROUGH
HIS CANCER HIS SALES MANAGER BROUGHT HIM TO KNOW THE LORD AND
TO ACCEPT JESUS AS HIS SAVIOR. AND SO I PRAYED WITH HIM, WELL
WHEN WE GOT THE DIAGNOSIS WE WERE SITTING IN BRIAN'S HOSPITAL
ROOM TOTALLY STUNNED NOT SURE WHAT TO DO AND MARK CALLED ON MY
CELL PHONE AND HE PRAYED WITH ME. SO GOD KNEW THAT I NEEDED
MARK TO CALL AT THAT MOMENT, AND THAT FRIENDSHIP AND THAT BOND WE
HAD CREATED A YEAR BEFORE, WOULD THEN HELP BRIAN AND ME THROUGH
THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
>GODS NEVER LATE, NOR EARLY IS HE? HE'S ALWAYS ON TIME, AND
IT'S AN APPOINTED TIME, THAT THE SCRIPTURES REFER TO. SO YOU HAD
THE DIAGNOSIS, AND YOU RECOMMEND THREE THINGS IMMEDIATELY. SLOW
DOWN, WRITE IT DOWN AND SIT DOWN. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THE
SIT DOWN MIGHT BE THE FIRST THING THAT I WOULD WANT TO DO.
>YES, BUT YOU NEED TO GET FROM THE HOSPITAL OR THE DOCTOR'S
APPOINTMENT OR WHATEVER, YOU NEED TO GET HOME. SO YOU HAVE TO
SLOW DOWN IN THAT PERIOD, RIGHT THERE. WE FOUND OUT WHEN BRIAN
HAD BEEN ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL, WE FOUND OUT ABOUT HIS
CANCER AND I THEN HAD TO DRIVE HOME AFTER THAT. SO I PURPOSELY
DROVE SLOWER, AND IT'S ALL HIGHWAY BETWEEN THE HOSPITAL AND
MY HOUSE WITH A 70 MILE AN HOUR SPEED LIMIT. AND I SAID OKAY
LORD I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT AT 70, I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO MAKE
IT AT 65, SO PLEASE LET THE CARS AROUND ME KNOW THAT I'M DRIVING
SLOW. IT WAS TWO IN THE MORNING SO THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF CARS
AT THAT TIME. BUT I HAD TO SLOW DOWN THERE AND I HAD TO SLOW
DOWN DOING EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOUR REACTION TIME ISN'T AS
GOOD, YOU DROP THINGS, YOU RUN INTO THINGS, SO YOU HAVE TO DO
THINGS A LITTLE MORE SLOWLY. EVEN PUTTING AWAY YOUR BREAKFAST
FOODS AND DISHES, YOU NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE CAREFUL. I OPENED
THE REFRIGERATOR, ONE DAY AND FOUND MY BOX OF OATMEAL, WHERE
THE MILK SHOULD HAVE BEEN, AND THE MILK WAS IN THE CUPBOARD
WHERE THE OATMEAL SHOULD HAVE BEEN. SO I LEARNED THE HARD WAY
TO SLOW DOWN, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THE SECOND ITEM ON
THERE, IS WRITE IT DOWN BECAUSE YOU CAN'T REMEMBER EVERYTHING,
YOUR BRAIN IS JUST OVERWHELMED RIGHT NOW. AND CANCER KIND OF
SHORT CIRCUITS EVERYTHING SO YOU NEED TO WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING
THAT YOU GO THROUGH DURING THE DAY. WRITE DOWN YOUR LOVED ONES,
OR IF YOU'RE THE PATIENT, WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU'RE FEELING
PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY. IF YOU HAVE PAIN WRITE IT BETWEEN ZERO
AND 10 JUST LIKE THEY TELL YOU IN THE HOSPITAL. WHEN YOU'RE
HUNGRY, OR WHEN YOU'RE NAUSEATED, WHEN YOU CAN'T SLEEP,
WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU DID AND THEN WHAT THE RESULTS WERE BECAUSE IF
SOMETHING DIDN'T WORK FOR NAUSEA ONE TIME YOU DON'T WANT TO TRY
IT AGAIN AND AGAIN SO YOU'LL KNOW WHAT NOT TO DO. YOU ALSO
WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING THE DOCTOR TELLS YOU BECAUSE YOU DEFINITELY
WON'T REMEMBER ALL OF THAT WHEN YOU GET HOME. AND WE FOUND OUT
THAT BRIAN AND I REMEMBERED THINGS DIFFERENTLY. AND HE WOULD
SAY, WELL DIDN'T THE DOCTOR SAY THUS AND SO AND I WOULD JUST
OPEN MY NOTEBOOK AND SAY NO I WROTE IT DOWN AS HE TOLD US AND
SINCE IT WAS IN WRITING HE BELIEVED IT SO IT WAS A LITTLE
CLOSER TO WHAT THE DOCTOR ACTUALLY SAID. THE THIRD THING
YOU NEED TO DO IS SIT DOWN. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF
WAITING TO DO, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR TESTS, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR
DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR SURGERIES, YOU HAVE
TO WAIT FOR RESULTS, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR A RECOVERY PERIOD AND
YOU NEED TO LEARN TO BE PATIENT. AND THAT'S WHEN THE SCRIPTURE
COMES TO MIND AS REPEATED SO MANY TIMES IN THE BIBLE IS BE
STILL, BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. AND SOMETIMES THAT'S THE
HARDEST THING TO DO IS TO LET GOD BE GOD AND TO JUST ABIDE IN
HIS PRESENCE AND TRUST HIM.
>BY THE WAY, DID YOU CALL YOUR PASTOR IMMEDIATELY ABOUT THIS
AND HAVE HIM JOIN YOU IN SUPPORT AND PRAYER AND THAT KIND OF
THING?
>OH YES, OH YES. WE'RE VERY ACTIVE IN OUR CHURCH, VERY
INVOLVED AND SO WE HAD A LOT OF FRIENDS THERE. SO WE DEFINITELY
CONTACTED THE CHURCH AND MANY MANY FRIENDS. I THEN INSTEAD OF
PHONE CALLS, WHICH BRIAN WOULD THEN HEAR BEING IN THE NEXT ROOM
I STARTED SENDING E-MAILS TO EVERYONE TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT
WAS HAPPENING AND AT FIRST IT WAS JUST WELL I WON'T BE AT THIS
MEETING, BECAUSE BRIAN IS SICK, AND THEN IT WAS WELL I GUESS
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RESCHEDULE, YOU'LL NEED TO FIND
SOMEONE ELSE TO PLAY FOR THE CHOIR BECAUSE I NEED TO STAY
HOME AND TAKE CARE OF BRIAN AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO WHEN I
STARTED SENDING E-MAILS I WOULD SEND THEM TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY
AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND THE NEWS WASN'T GOOD.
BRIAN ONLY LIVED FOR THREE MONTH AFTER THE DIAGNOSIS. AND AFTER
ABOUT A MONTH, I THOUGHT, WHAT CAN I TELL THESE PEOPLE. YOU
KNOW THINGS ARE JUST GETTING WORSE. I STARTED WRITING AN
E-MAIL THAT SAID, YOU KNOW ALL THE DESPAIR WAS COMING OUT, I
DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, BRIAN'S NOT GOING TO GET ANY
BETTER, HE'S GOING TO DIE, WHY IS GOD MAKING US GO THROUGH
THIS, AND I THOUGHT I CANNOT SEND THIS OUT. I CANNOT SHARE
THIS WITH PEOPLE. I SAID GOD, CAN YOU JUST SOMEHOW SHOW ME HOW
TO SHARE HOPE WITH MY READERS, AND HOW TO ENCOURAGE THEM
BECAUSE SOME OF THEM MIGHT BE GOING THROUGH THIS TOO. BUT I
DIDN'T REALIZE THAT BY ASKING GOD FOR HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT
TO SHARE WITH OTHERS THAT I HAD TO GET IT FIRST.
>YOU HAD TO GET IT FIRST. WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH BRIAN ALL THIS
TIME?
>BRIAN WAS A VERY QUIET PERSON, AND SO HE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT MUCH
ABOUT WHAT HE WAS FEELING. I HAD TO KIND OF DRAG IT OUT OF HIM.
BUT HE WAS VERY QUIET, HE WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN, AND SO HE WOULD
LET ME KNOW WHEN HE NEEDED SOMETHING DONE YOU KNOW, I NEED
A PAIN PILL OR I'M GOING TO BE SICK OR CAN YOU HELP ME DO
WHATEVER?
>YOU WERE HIS PRIMARY CAREGIVER. DID HE HAVE CHILDREN?
>YES, OUR CHILDREN ARE GROWN AND GONE. YES, THIS WAS A BLENDED
FAMILY SO HE HAD TWO ADULT CHILDREN AND MY CHILDREN WERE
ADULTS BY THIS TIME AS WELL.
>WERE THEY HELPING YOU?
>YES. HIS DAUGHTER LIVES NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE I LIVE NOW, WHERE
WE BOTH LIVED IN DENVER, AND SHE WOULD COME OVER AND HELP. AND WE
ALSO HAD HOSPICE CARE, AND SOME PEOPLE THINK HOSPICE MEANS WE'RE
GOING TO DIE AND THEY WANT TO GIVE UP. BUT HOSPICE COMES FROM
THE SAME WORD AS HOSPITALITY, AND WHEN SOMEONE SHOWS YOU
HOSPITALITY THEY MAKE YOU COMFORTABLE, THEY FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT IS THAT YOU NEED TO BE COMFORTABLE AND THEY DO IT FOR
YOU. IF YOU GO INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE WHO IS A GOOD HOST OR
HOSTESS THEY SAY HAVE A SEAT, CAN I GET YOU A GLASS OF WATER?
AND THAT'S WHAT HOSPICE DOES, THEY MAKE THE PATIENT
COMFORTABLE.
>WARM AND COMFORTABLE.
>YES.
>WARM AND COMFORTABLE. A BREAK IS COMING UP AND WE NEED TO GO
OUT, OF COURSE, WE CAN PICK RIGHT BACK UP. BUT DID BRIAN GO
INTO REMISSION AT ANY TIME?
>NO HE DIDN'T.
>HE WAS JUST RIGHT THROUGH BECAUSE YOU TALK ABOUT REMISSION
IN YOUR BOOK AND I LOVED WHAT YOU SAY, WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU
GO INTO REMISSION AND YOU SAY LIVE DURING REMISSION. BUT YOU
ALSO DID THAT FOR THE THREE MONTHS WITH BRIAN I SUSPECT, AM
I RIGHT?
>WE TRIED TO DO AS MUCH AS WE COULD. HE PHYSICALLY COULDN'T DO
MUCH, AND HE COULD ONLY DRIVE FOR ABOUT A MONTH AFTER HIS
DIAGNOSIS AND THEN HE COULDN'T DRIVE ANY LONGER. BUT WE LIVED
IN DENVER COLORADO, AND HE LOVED THE MOUNTAINS SO WE WOULD TAKE
TRIPS UP TO THE MOUNTAINS JUST SO HE COULD ENJOY THEM
>YOU DID THINGS OR SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WANTED TO DO WHEN YOU
ARE OLD ENOUGH OR AT RETIREMENT OR SOME OTHER TIME. IT MAKES ME
THINK OF TIM MCGRAW'S SONG LIVE LIKE YOU ARE DYING OR WHATEVER.
>EXACTLY.
>ACTUALLY ALL OF US SHOULD DO THAT AT ANY GIVEN TIME,
SHOULDN'T WE? BUT FOR SURE WHEN YOU GET THE DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER.
IT'S TIME FOR BREAK AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
>SUFFERING IS A UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCE AND THIS INCLUDES
EVERYONE. A REALITY CHECK DEMANDS THAT WE ADMIT THAT PAIN
IS SOMETHING ALL OF US EXPERIENCE AT SOME TIME IN OUR
LIVES. PAIN WEARS MANY FACES, INCLUDING THE PAIN OF CANCER,
WHICH WE COULD REFER TO AS PHYSICAL OR PAIN BASED WITHIN
OUR BODIES. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT ANY PAIN IS GOING TO AFFECT
US PSYCHOLOGICALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. WITH CANCER
THERE IS PHYSICAL PAIN AND THE INNER STRUGGLE OF FEAR, MENTAL
DISTRESS, GRIEF AND SOMETIMES DESPAIR. BUT LOSING SIGNIFICANT
OTHERS IN DEATH ALSO PRODUCES THE SAME STRUGGLES AND EMOTIONS.
THE SAME CAN BE TRUE FOR PERSONS WRESTLE WITH THE PAIN OF BROKEN
RELATIONSHIPS. AND WE COULD CONTINUE NAMING MANY KINDS OF
PAIN AND SUFFERING. WITH CANCER AND OTHER AFFLICTIONS AND LIFE
SITUATIONS THE QUESTION INEVITABLY ARISES: "WHY DO
CHRISTIANS SUFFER?" THIS QUESTION HAS ECHOED THROUGH THE
CORRIDORS OF TIME. THE APOSTLES SPOKE AND WROTE REGARDING
CHRISTIANS AND SUFFERING. THE CHURCH HAS WRESTLED WITH THE
PROBLEM THROUGH THE CENTURIES AND WE CONTINUE TO ASK AND TRY
TO ANSWER THE SAME QUESTION TODAY. WE REASON, "IF GOD IS ALL
POWERFUL AND GOOD THEN WHY DOESN'T HE TAKE AWAY OUR PAIN?"
SOME TEACH THAT GOD IS NOT ALL POWERFUL AND CANNOT STOP OUR
PAIN, BUT INSTEAD COMFORTS US IN OUR PAIN. I WOULD FIND IT REAL
SCARY TO HAVE A GOD WHO IS NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING
HE WANTS TO DO. THEREFORE, I AM GOING TO STAY BY THE SCRIPTURES
BECAUSE THEY SPEAK OF A POWERFUL GOD WHO CAN, BUT DOES NOT ALWAYS
INTERVENE AND REMOVE OUR PAIN BECAUSE HE HAS A PURPOSE FOR IT
IN OUR LIVES (ROMANS 8:28-30). WHY DON'T WE CHANGE THE QUESTION
TO "WHY SHOULDN'T CHRISTIANS SUFFER? WHY SHOULD THEY BE
EXEMPTED FROM WHAT OTHERS ENDURE AS A RESULT OF BEING HUMAN? "
ACCORDING TO ROMANS 5:3-4, PAIN CAN HELP US GROW STRONG
SPIRITUAL MUSCLES SO THAT WE CAN HANG IN THERE WHEN THE GOING
GETS ROUGH. PAIN CAN BE USED OF GOD TO MOLD US INTO THE IMAGE OF
HIS SON. AND PAIN CAN GIVE US MEANING AND HOPE IN LIFE
(JEREMIAH 29:11). THE GOD I LOVE AND SERVE WOULD NEVER ALLOW ME
TO SUFFER IF HE DID NOT INTEND TO USE IT FOR MY GOOD. IT IS MY
RESPONSIBILITY TO SURRENDER MY LIFE AND MY PAIN TO HIM SO THAT
HE CAN WORK OUT WHAT HE DESIRES TO IN MY LIFE. INSTEAD OF ASKING
WHY HE ALLOWS US TO SUFFER, LET'S ASK, "WHAT IS GOD TRYING
TO TEACH ME OR DO IN MY LIFE THROUGH MY PAIN, INCLUDING THE
PAIN OF CANCER?"
>THANKS FOR STAYING WITH US AS WE CONTINUE SHARING WITH DEBORAH
HARDY ABOUT HER BOOK STEPPING THROUGH CANCER. AND DEBORAH WE
LEFT OFF ON REMISSION, I KNOW I'VE HAD FRIENDS EVEN HERE IN
SPARTANBURG SUFFERING WITH CANCER AND SOME OF THEM WHEN I
WOULD CALL TO CHECK ON THEM WOULD TELL ME THEY WERE IN
REMISSION. BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THEM EVER SAYING THEY
WERE IN COMPLETE REMISSION OR THAT THEY WERE IN PARTIAL
REMISSION AND YOU SAY THAT THERE ARE TWO KINDS. ALTHOUGH I HAVE
HAD ONE I REMEMBER SAYING THAT THE DOCTORS HAD SAID THAT HE WAS
CURED, THAT HE WAS DONE. CAN THEY EVER REALLY KNOW THAT
YOU'RE CURED OF CANCER?
>REMISSION MEANS EITHER THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER OR THE
CANCER TUMOR HAS STOPPED GROWING. SO THAT'S YOUR PARTIAL
REMISSION, THE CANCER IS STILL THERE AND YOU DON'T NEED TO
TREAT IT RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL CHECK IT EVERY FEW MONTHS TO BE
SURE THAT IT'S NOT GROWING AT ALL. TOTAL REMISSION IS WHEN
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER AT ALL. THIS IS USUALLY WHEN IT
HAS BEEN REMOVED SURGICALLY MAYBE FOLLOWED BY CHEMOTHERAPY
OR RADIATION OR SOME OTHER TREATMENT. BUT THAT MEANS THAT
THERE IS NO CANCER, THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER AT ALL. AND
WHEN YOU'RE IN REMISSION, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TIME THAT
YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN AND JUST LIVE. YOUR DOCTOR WILL TELL YOU WHEN
YOU NEED TO COME BACK IN FOR CHECKUPS AND OBVIOUSLY YOU NEED
TO KEEP THOSE APPOINTMENTS; YOU CAN'T SLACK OFF ON THOSE. JUST
BECAUSE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER, DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S ALL OKAY.
SO YOU JUST CONTINUE YOUR CHECKUPS AND I KNOW PEOPLE WHO
HAVE LIVED 20 OR 30 YEARS AFTER BEING CANCER FREE.
>ACTUALLY, YOU SAY IN YOUR BOOK, ABOUT HALF OF ALL PEOPLE
DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER SURVIVE FOR GOOD AS IT WERE, PERMANENTLY.
>YES.
>THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
>THAT'S VERY GOOD NEWS, IN FACT, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY DID
A STUDY OF OVER 60,000 CANCER PATIENTS, AND IT WAS A TEN-YEAR
STUDY SO THEY STARTED IT BACK IN 1998 AND COMPLETED IT IN 2008.
SO THESE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE TREATED MANY MANY YEARS AGO, AND
OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE DIAGNOSED EARLY ENOUGH IN STAGE
I. THEY HAD ABOUT A 95% SURVIVAL RATE FOR FIVE YEARS. SO MANY
MANY PEOPLE CAN SURVIVE CANCER.
>IT'S INTERESTING THAT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING YOU THINK OF
ALONG A PHYSICAL ILLNESS OR DISEASE OR WHATEVER LIKE WITH
BREAST CANCER, OR EVEN WITH ALZHEIMER'S, EARLY DETECTION,
EARLY TREATMENT DELIVERS A BETTER RESULT.
>YES, THAT'S VERY TRUE.
> SO IT'S VERY TRUE OF CANCER IS WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME.
>EXTREMELY TRUE SO IF THERE'S ANY INDICATION THAT YOU MIGHT
HAVE CANCER, IF YOUR DOCTOR SAYS I WANT TO TEST FOR THIS, BY ALL
MEANS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THROUGH. AND IF YOU NOTICE
SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR BODY, TELL THE DOCTOR. I KNOW AS
WE GET OLDER, THINGS DON'T WORK AS WELL AND YOU KIND OF IGNORE
LITTLE THINGS THAT JUST COME ALONG, BUT YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR
DOCTOR CHECK ON THEM.
>THEN YOU TALK ABOUT A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AT ALL TIMES, AND HOPE.
IN FACT, YOU NAME TWO THINGS, YOU NAME PRAYER AND HOPE AND
THEY GO TOGETHER BY THE WAY. IF WE PRAY IT BRINGS HOPE AND IF WE
HOPE WE'RE GOING TO PRAY FOR MORE HOPE MAYBE OR RESULTS OR
WHATEVER. SO YOU SAY THAT, AND THAT'S TRUE, AGAIN OF LIFE
PERIOD AND OF ANYTHING WE'RE DEALING WITH IT ALWAYS PAYS TO
MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. NOW WE CAN DO THAT THROUGH THE
PROMISES, WE HAVE SO MANY PROMISES IN GOD'S WORD THAT CAN
GIVE THAT TO US IF WE WILL READ AND STUDY THE WORD AND BELIEVE
WHAT GOD SAYS THEN THAT CAN ENABLE AND EMPOWER US TO HAVE
THAT POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND HOPE, BECAUSE THAT SCRIPTURE THAT SAYS
SO VERY CLEARLY AND PLAINLY, I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU,
PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU. NOW, WHAT WOULD THAT
MEAN TO A DYING CANCER PATIENT?
>THE WAY I LOOK AT IT YOUR BRAIN CONTROLS EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON
IN YOUR BODY. YOUR BRAIN TELLS HER HEART TO BEAT, IT TELLS YOUR
LUNGS TO BREATHE, IT TELLS YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM TO WORK AND IF
YOUR BRAIN IS SENDING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS IT CAN ONLY AFFECT YOUR
BODY NEGATIVELY. SO IF YOUR BRAIN IS SENDING POSITIVE
THOUGHTS IT'S GOING TO TELL YOUR BODY POSITIVE THINGS AS WELL. SO
BEING POSITIVE IS ONLY GOING TO HELP YOU. IT'S GOING TO KEEP YOU
HEALTHY, IF YOU'RE NOT SICK, IT'S GOING TO HELP YOU GET
BETTER OR TO FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU ARE SICK. IT JUST MAKES
SENSE.
>THEN WE HAVE THAT HOPE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH. AND I'M SURE BRIAN
RELISHED THAT HOPE, AND THAT THAT BUOYED HIM UP WHEN YOU KNEW
THAT IF GOD DID NOT INTERVENE IN A MIRACULOUS WAY WHICH HE CAN
DO, THAT IT WAS TERMINAL CANCER THAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH.
>YES, WE HAD MANY FRIENDS WHO CAME AND PRAYED WITH BRIAN,
PRAYED FOR HEALING, AND HE WAS WONDERFUL HE WOULD LET THEM. YOU
KNOW, PLEASE PRAY THAT'S FINE, AND HE WOULD THANK THEM POLITELY
AND AS HE GOT CLOSER TO THE END OF HIS LIFE HE WOULD THANK THEM
FOR PRAYING AND THEY WOULD LEAVE THE HOUSE AND HE WOULD TURN TO
ME AND HE WOULD SAY I ACCEPTED THE LORD WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND
I HAVE BEEN WAITING MANY MANY YEARS TO SEE HIM FACE-TO-FACE
AND NOW I'M STANDING ON THE DOORSTEP OF HEAVEN, AND THEY
WON'T LET ME GO. (LAUGHTER)
>YOU KNOW, I HAD THAT WITH MY OWN HUSBAND WHOM I LOST NEARLY 2
YEARS AGO. THERE WERE PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK,
PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE. YOU KNOW, HE WAS GOING TO BE RAISED UP,
AND THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND
THEN I HAD A FRIEND THAT LOST HIS WIFE AND I WAS TALKING WITH
HIM AND HE SAID SHE HAD SUFFERED SO LONG THAT SHE ASKED HIM TO
JOIN HER IN PRAYER THAT THE LORD WOULD TAKE HER HOME. AND HE SAID
HE WAS FINALLY ABLE YOU KNOW TO DO THAT, WHICH WOULD BE HARD TO
DO WITH A SPOUSE THAT YOU LOVE. YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT FROM YOUR
OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT NEXT WEEK
AS WE CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSIONS, AND SO FORTH BUT THERE REALLY
CAN COME THAT TIME THERE'S THAT WANTING TO GO HOME. JUST LETTING
THE SUFFERING GO, LETTING GO AND WANTING TO GO HOME DO YOU AGREE
WITH ME ON THAT?
>I AGREE VERY WHOLEHEARTEDLY, DR. FREDA. IN FACT, IF YOU DON'T
HAVE THE HOPE OF HEAVEN AND OF LIFE WITH CHRIST IN THE
HEREAFTER I HAVE NO IDEA HOW PEOPLE CAN FACE GOING THROUGH
CANCER OR SO MANY OTHER THINGS WE HAVE TO FACE. IT'S JUST
WONDERFUL TO HAVE THAT HOPE.
> AND IT'S WONDERFUL TO GO OUT WITH YOU ON THAT THOUGHT AND WE
WILL CONTINUE WITH YOU AS I JUST SAID NEXT WEEK. BUT I HAVE
SOMETHING I WANT TO SHARE WITH MY VIEWERS AS WE CLOSE OUT THE
SHOW.
>
>
>AND WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT NEXT WEEK, THE GRIEF
AND THE TOLL IT DOES TAKE ON ONE.
>
> AND GOD CAN HANDLE THAT AND ONE CAN FEEL THAT WAY.
>
>WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO OUR HEAVENLY
FATHER. HE HEARD US; I NEVER DOUBT THAT HE HEARS US. HE SAYS
HE HEARS US WHEN WE PRAY, AND WE'VE PRAYED ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR REQUEST AND WE'LL PRAY ABOUT YOUR REQUEST WHEN YOU
SEND IT IN TO US. GOD IS THE ALMIGHTY POWERFUL GOD AND HE'S
ABLE TO INTERVENE IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION AND HE CERTAINLY IS
GOING TO COMPANION WITH THOSE THAT ARE WALKING THROUGH THE
JOURNEY OF GRIEF. AND AGAIN WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT UP NEXT
WEEK. THEN I HAVE ANOTHER NOTE TO SHARE.
>
>
>AND I HEARTILY AGREE WITH THAT. WHAT A GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT AND
ENCOURAGING NOTE TO GET. IF YOU HAVEN'T EITHER SENT YOUR PRAYER
REQUEST OR SENT US A NOTE OF ENCOURAGEMENT, LETTING US KNOW
THAT YOU DO VIEW TIME FOR HOPE AND THAT GOD DOES USE IT IN YOUR
LIFE SITUATION WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THAT. AND
ALSO AGAIN, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE IT UP WITH THE LORD
ASKING WHAT HE WOULD HAVE YOU TO DO ABOUT TEAMING UP WITH US IN
THIS MINISTRY OF OFFERING HOPE IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION BECAUSE
GOD IS ON HIS THRONE AND WITH HIM THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. AND I
CERTAINLY WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO ASK HIM ABOUT HELPING US
FINANCIALLY. FINANCIAL HELP, WE GET TO STAY WITH THE OUTREACH
THAT WE HAVE AND EVEN WITH ENOUGH FINANCIAL HELP WE CAN
ALWAYS ADD NEW PLACES OF OUTREACH. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE
YOU TO DO THAT ALSO.
>WE OFFER A FACT SHEET ON TODAY'S TOPIC. TO GET YOUR COPY,
FOLLOW THE CONTACT INFO ON THE SCREEN.
>TO GET A COPY OF TODAY'S BOOK, FOLLOW THE CONTACT INFO ON THE
SCREEN.
>JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN DR. CREWS WILL CONCLUDE HER
INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH HARDY ON STEPPING THROUGH CANCER.
> UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND REMEMBER, IT IS
"TIME FOR HOPE!"