In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Summiting the Peak

I am proud to tell others that Leah and I summited Mt Bierstadt two weeks ago . . . a 14,000 foot ascent that included snow, wind, cold, and shortness of breath.


This morning, I watched a much more significant climb. Shortly after we learned Cathi had cancer, she told us that as soon as she regained her strength from chemotherapy, she intended to climb the large rock hill our fair town is named after, Castle Rock. This was not only important because of Cathi's victory over cancer, but Cathi HATES hiking! So the kids and I were thrilled several weeks ago when Cathi set today as the special day for this momentus event!


Not only did my beautiful wife hike this morning with a big smile on her face, she is finally summiting the most difficult challenge of her life with the positive attitude and determination characteristic of the girl I married.


Earlier this year on February 15, Cathi picked up a phone and learned she was diagnosed with aggressive, grade-three breast cancer. Since that dark moment, she made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy. While still recovering from this difficult surgery, she spent several days worrying that the cancer had spread to her lungs. To our relief, another surgery confirmed that the spots shown on the MRI were NOT cancerous . . . yet creating another permanent badge of honor at the bottom of her neck to remind us how lucky we are to still have her around.


On April 12, Cathi began the first of six rounds of the most aggressive chemo therapy options she was given (including "the Red Devil"). Every third week, Cathi would go to the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center at Sky Ridge Hospital, usually driven by one of her wonderful church friends.


On July 26, Cathi received her last treatment . . . finally so close to the peak and feeling the hope that comes just before the end of a long, tough journey. Then Cathi was advised she should begin six weeks of daily radiation. While this has turned out to be a "walk in the park" compared to chemotherapy, her initial realization that more "climbing" was required to reach the summit was disheartening (which, so often, is the case on a long mountain hike).


This morning was the beginning of a beautiful, cool Autumn day. As we ascended Castle Rock, we felt joy as the view of our quaint, little town became clearer from an increasingly higher point of view. With each step, we reflected on all we have experienced since that dreaded day in February. We talked about the increased perspective we've been given as we have turned to the Lord and learned what faith really means . . . as we've shared our experience with others and gained so much strength and love in return.


Watching Cathi summit Castle Rock was, for me, no less exciting than the first time I watched (from a dark theater) as Rocky Balboa reached the top step of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But this morning, the individual that was the MOST thrilled about this great feat, was Cathi herself. She had finally made the climb she visualized seven months ago!



In 1975, after becoming the first woman to climb Mount Everest, Junko Tabei said, "Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is the most important. This willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others . . . it rises from your heart" I am married to a woman who has done something no less incredible than climb the highest mountain in the world. But Cathi will be the first to say that her willpower was inspired by something far beyond herself. Thank you for "loving" Cathi through this . . . we'll never forget the kindnesses that have been shown to our family over the past several months.



2 comments:

  1. Truly AWESOME! Loved seeing that clip of Cathi reaching the top. :) This has been quite the climb for all of you, but you all have done it with such amazing faith - one step at a time. Absolutely inspiring. Love you guys!

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  2. You are amazing! I truly appreciate the inspiration you are to all of us!

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