Having the faith to be okay to live or to die.

I met a young lady who has battled cancer since she was seven years old. It was a brain tumor and she has endured surgeries, radiation, and worst, recurrences. Her mama has that look in her eyes of wanting to naturally do anything to save her baby girl. I met her mom first and after hearing the history of her daughter, I expected something totally different.

Her daughter has such confidence and peace about her. Just a matter of fact nature about her but not in a negative way. She has faith. She had a near death experience when she was younger and coming out of surgery. She felt like she was in the arms of God and she saw her dad that had died when she was too young to remember him. He told her "not yet". Then she woke up.

Now she is facing growing tumors in her brain and spine and she has maxed out radiation. They are offering her another because that is her last choice. Now she has the opportunity to visit her family's country of origin in a month. The question is to get one more radiation treatment just in case before the trip but risk it being too much and her being disabled? Does she go and risk becoming symptomatic (she is okay right now) in a country that may not have resources to help her symptoms? Maybe nothing will happen?

She says she has lived with everything focusing on this cancer her whole life that she can remember. She just wants to live and enjoy this trip. She realizes she will likely die from this cancer but she is okay with that but just doesn't really want to know when. She knows what is waiting for her on the other side. Acceptance does not mean giving up. It doesn't mean she is hopeless or in despair. She is strong in her faith to know that either way she wins. Now if her mom can ever accept that. I am not sure that is possible to ever accept as a mom but the strength of this young lady and the love of this mother for her child really hit me. Her normalcy in light of her illness surprised me. Her faith inspires me.

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