Surviving with Dad's Mesothelioma Cancer

By: Missy - Charleston

When we say "the Lord is with us in every storm," I believe that. When we say that "All Things are Possible with God" I believe that. My faith in God has kept me going and keeps me comforted in the sickness and loss of my father to mesothelioma.

When my father was diagnosed with a non-curable asbestos-causing cancer, it was as if the devil had sunk his claws into the depths of my soul and just ripped it out. It was a hard thing to digest, but I know God never puts more on you than you handle. I did what I had to do: kept my faith in Him and just asked Him to guide me. He never let me down.

I did not want to let my father go, but I also did not want him to suffer. I prayed and asked God to give my father comfort, and He did. I asked Him to take my father and do what He saw was best even if I did not like it, and He did that too.

Most important, He gave my father the days he needed to accept the Lord as his personal savior and the time to tell his loved ones just how much we each meant to him. That, in itself, is a huge blessing to me.

My father went home on July 9. Keeping faith in God and His promises of seeing our loved ones again in that glorious land has really kept me going in my daily life.

I believe God has a plan for each of us. Even though we do not know what our next year, our next month, our next day or even our next hour holds, He does. And He knows why. I am learning how to use my father's experience to try and help others which is a direction the Lord leading me.

For those of you who may face this horrible disease, don't give up. Give it all to the Lord, and ask Him for His blessings on you and know that He is in control.

We may not like what we face and we may not understand it, but He does. All we can do in this world is keep fighting for our lives, our rights and our loved ones. We have to leave the outcome in God's hands.

Having faith has given me and my family the strength, comfort and guidance we need to keep living without my father. We know this is God's way and that one day we will all be together again in a place with no tears, pain or sorrow, never to depart from one another again.

How wonderful is that!?

My prayer is:

Dear God, keep leading, guiding and directing me in my journey and when it is my day to come home, I will know that I have done the best I can do and I will be running to the arms of my father. Amen!!!

Missy

 Update:

Missy founded "ROD's Benefit for Meso" (see website below): "A Place where those of us who have been touched by this horrible Asbestos causing Cancer can unite. We never know who will be diagnosed next and when it happened to my daddy we did not know where to turn for help. I am here to help you if you ever need guidance in such a situation." www.rodsbenefit4meso.webs.com

She also serves as an Ambassador for mes for Mesothleioma Applied Research Foundation:

www.curemeso.org

Resources:

• ROD's Benefit for Meso: www.rodsbenefit4meso.webs.com
• Mesothleioma Applied Research Foundation - www.curemeso.org