2025 – A Summer and Fall of Surprises – God has a Plan and Purpose for Our Lives – Part V

The PET scan was done this week. It was about 20 minutes longer than CT scans I’ve had, with a bigger tube, and I planned with my primary care physician to have a mild sedative to address any claustrophobia I might have – it worked! On Friday, I met with a surgeon/oncologist at the Georgia Cancer Center to hear the results of the PET scan.

Several family members accompanied me, including Joey, Jack and Ashley, as well as Stephanie, to hear it straight from the doctor, and ask any questions. The news was disappointing – the cancer infected a lot more lymph nodes, where surgery to remove the cancer was not an option, as the cancer was spreading. Honestly, I was somewhat relieved to avoid the complicated esophagus/stomach surgery, but the thought of ongoing chemotherapy gave me pause too.

Quality of life has become very important to me, as evidenced by the stent put in my esophagus weeks ago, that allowed me to swallow food and drink and eat normally again. That’s said, I owe it to myself and my family to fight back against cancer, so chemotherapy will begin later this month, and will have a consultation with a palliative care consultant, not from an end-of-life perspective, but to help mitigate the side effects of the chemo.

Recently, I have been getting my affairs in order, working with my attorney updating my will and fine tuning my healthcare advance directives, and taking care of making arrangements, as the odds are not in my favor. Given the aggressive nature of esophageal cancer, and my staging, knocking on the door of a “4”, I have no choice but to get ready. God may have other plans for a cure, and prayers are going up in droves to achieve a cure, which I very much appreciate and hope for!

Otherwise, I am at peace with things, as I lived a relatively long life, and keeping my gaze on God, lots of good things have happened with family, career, and helping others. In recent years, I became a Third Order Lay Carmelite, joining a religious community in Marietta, GA when I still worked in Atlanta, and took my final professions in 2022. The community is connected to Holy Family Catholic Church in Marietta. This allowed me to go deeper into my faith and understanding of how God helps others achieve their potential to help others do the same. I worked for the Salvation Army for almost six years before retiring in January and had the opportunity to encourage and work with homeless men, while being the HR Manager.

My sons and daughters have prospered and produced 13 grandchildren, and I have seen the grandkids grow and engage in their individual journeys toward finding God’s will and purpose for their lives.

Let me make it clear – I’m not giving up but wanted to reflect on my life thus far. I am more than ready to spend more time with Stephanie and the kids, and God may have additional assignments for me to engage in. I am a plotter and planner, and my tendency to explore and be ready for all options and expect for God’s will to be imposed on my life in a good way, in Jesus’ name I pray – Amen!