WOW!

Well I don't really even know where to begin. I really feel speechless right now as I sit here at our computer desk. We have received over a hundred e-mails from family, friends, and other brothers and sisters in Christ we have never even met and we are just in awe. Thursday when we first heard that our Emily has cancer we were stunned and terrified. Today I feel thankful, full of hope and peace, anxious, and just plain blessed.

Thankful that our daughter doesn't have something worse than this type of cancer. Thankful that her cure rate is over 90%. Thankful that we have this little girl that we almost gave up for adoption 9 years ago. Thankful that we have so many WONDERFUL friends and family who are just here for us and praying for us. Thankful that my daughter is so loved. I am just thankful!

I feel hope because we have read that Emily's cancer is a good cancer and she has such a good prognosis. I feel hope because we have received SO many e-mails and comments from all sorts of people who have had or have known someone who have had thyroid cancer and has survived and are doing well.

I feel peace because I believe that God has given it to me. I know that He would never give me more than I could handle. I truly feel that he has gifted me with peace for now to get through this and to be strong for my daughter and my family.

I feel blessed because of all of you who have reached out and took a time to write to us, to pray for us, to call us, to post about us. I don't feel like we deserve any of this but God is providing for us in this great time of need, a need for people to surround us and just make us feel less alone. I feel blessed for my amazing husband who has been by my side since we found out. I feel blessed for friends who want to clean my house and just hang out with me. I feel blessed for in-laws who made us dinner and bought us practical things like 30 rolls of toilet paper!

This is where my anxiousness comes in. Tomorrow morning at 7:15 am I am taking Emily to get blood tests, a chest x-ray, and a CT scan. I am anxious to hear the results of these tests to see if Emily's cancer is anywhere else in her body (that's what I understand the tests to be for). I am also anxious about Emily's surgery that will take place on February 28th. She is going to have her whole thyroid gland removed and all other enlarged nodes that the doctor can find and get to. The doctor told us some of the risks and one of them is that there is this nerve that could be damaged that is right by her vocal cord. This nerve is a big one as I understand it goes from her neck, to her brain, down to her chest, and back up to her neck around the vocal cords. If you don't know, Emily LOVES LOVES LOVES to sing. So I am praying that everything goes well with that as well as the rest of the surgery.

Sadie asked me to let all of those who are praying for Emily to know what specifically to pray for. So I ask that you pray for God's perfect will. I ask that when we get Emily's test results back it will be good news and that her cancer hasn't spread. I ask that you pray for God to have His hands on her during surgery and to guide Emily's doctor and that he is able to get all of the cancer out of her that he can. Please pray that the surgery goes really well and her recovery does too. Please pray for peace of mind for Emily I know that she is nervous to be having surgery again. These are the things I can think of right now. Thanks for asking Sadie.

Also I just want to thank Jami, Steph, Kim, Don, Sadie, Sara, Choosing Home, Dawn, Bryan and anyone else that posted about Emily on their blogs and asked for prayers for her and our family.

Thank you to all of you sweet kind people who left comments on my blog and Scott's encouraging us, praying for us, lifting our spirits, warming and humbling our hearts, and for just being.

Also to all of you who sent us e-mails and gushed us with love, prayers, and stories of other people who have lived through thyroid cancer, thank you. Scott and I want to write back to all of you but as I have said there are a hundred of you so it may take us some time to get back to you. Oh and thank you so much for passing our e-mail along so hundreds of others could pray for Emily too!!

I know that I speak for Scott when I say that we are deeply and truly amazed at the response we have gotten about Emily. It's just so beautiful to us and we feel God's arms around us and we hear His whispers.

We can do all things through God who gives us strength.

Well I need to get to bed so I can get up bright and early to take Emily for her tests. I hope to post some of the amazing e-mails and comments that we have gotten soon.

Here is one that I just keep thinking of over and over....

Lydia from Choosing Home shared with me the story of her little boy who had leukemia. This is some of what she said....

"I know you're getting a ton of info right now, and that all this is very frightening and overwhelming, but just keep holding on to God, turn to His Word and His promises, and you will be AMAZED at how He will envelop and support your family. We truly felt contained by a cloud of protection and grace. It is quite an experience spending time in a hospital with other children with cancer. Many of them have been given a 10-25% cure rate - especially the brain tumors. I know it's weird, but you will start to feel like the lucky ones. Anyways, my prayers are with your family. We will be praying for successful treatment for Emily, no side-effects, quick recovery, and that God's grace would overwhelmingly support you during this time."

I do feel like one of the lucky ones now after I have had time to process everything and understand a little better what is going on with Emily. I realize that it could have been much much worse. My heart just breaks for other families who children don't have such a good chance.

I just wanted to add that if anyone reading this is ever around Scott or I please know that we are not shy at all about talking about this. We are noticing that people are being very careful and delicate with us about what they say (I think I would react the same way). I also think people wonder if they can say anything at all or if they are wondering if we just don't want to talk about it. Well please know that we don't mind talking about it so if you see us and want to bring it up or ask questions please do. BUT I am also grateful for everyone just for thinking of us and wanting us to feel comfortable. I hope that made sense, I'm tired.