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A Reason to Relay
by Sue Kidd
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“Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your
weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so
that what is lame may not be out of joint, but rather
be healed.” Hebrews 12:12-13
Until you are told you have cancer, it’s someone
else’s disease. When I found out I had breast cancer
on December 19, 2005, I was told that it was Stage 3,
malignant, and invasive. I went through three
surgeries in four months and started chemotherapy in
April 2006. I was too weak to walk or even show up for
last year’s Relay for Life gathering in Perry.
Recently, I made it to the end of my treatment with
the help of my wonderful oncologist, Dr. Linda
Hendrix, whose helpful staff is the greatest. They are
all great cheerleaders, but I could never have made
this journey without the strength of my Savior, Jesus.
I look back on the times through surgery and chemo and
see His Hands in everything.
For this year’s Relay for Life, I will participate
as a survivor. Praise be to God! Last year I was
baldheaded and weak. This year I have a little hair
and a little more strength. The treatment for my
cancer took my hair, my strength, even my fingernails
and toenails. But it didn’t take the love of God
away. Nothing can do that—not even chemo.
If you’ve never visited in the room where people are
taking chemo, the experience is eye-opening. The
people are young and old, representing all races, and
creeds. They are cheering and rooting for each other
and trying to make it themselves. I want to thank my
husband, Steven and daughter, Rebecca, for helping me
and supporting me during this time. They drove me to
and from chemo, helped me through the side-effects at
home, and saw me through my worst days. I also had
wonderful friends who came and chemo-sat with me. You
shouldn’t drive yourself after chemo and it’s
better to have someone with you to help you during
treatment and to provide you with some company, too.
I’m not a very good patient. I have a tendency to
faint at the sight of needles and blood. But I have
learned how to cope with treatments and get on with
what I have to do to live. I play piano and /or organ
at Bonaire United Methodist Chapel’s early service
and I continued in that while I got treatments. Some
days were especially tough, but my church family and
choir encouraged me. Besides, how could I miss going
to worship the Lord who was walking beside me through
this terrible time
I am through with the treatments, but my battle with
cancer may not be over. It can recur in two years,
five years, or never. If the cancer returns, then I
will fight it as long as I can.
I have lost some dear people in my life to cancer and
have grieved over their plight. My most important role
model for my fight with cancer was my adopted dad, Tom
Hartnett. He showed me with such grace how to live and
then he showed me with equal grace how to die. His
fight with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma took his strength and
his life, but it never robbed him of his character or
his loving, funny personality.
Please join with me and many others to support this
year’s Relay for Life. Cancer is not going away on
its own. We have to help fight it and pray for a cure.
Perhaps one day, scientists will discover a cure
through research and our prayers.
Come on out to the Perry Ag Center on May 18 at 6 p.m.
Come by the Dress Barn tent and tell me your story.
Our Dress Barn team captain is Mrs. Karen Archie,
daughter of Tom Hartnett, and his two other daughters,
Mrs. Carla Clark and Ms. Donna Hartnett, and his wife
Glenda Hartnett. Please pray for all participants and
for a cure for cancer.
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