Hi There! So, This Is Who God Sent

Isaiah 6: 8  
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”  I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (New Living Translation)

I wanted to make the URL for this blog "hereiam" and blogspot had already taken that. Someone already had "hereiamsendme" too. So I named the blog "Here I Am" and gave the URL "standeight". A dear friend of mine's daughter, her favorite motto was "Fall 7 times, stand 8." Well, I'm currently standing 8.

The blog that really gets into my melanoma story is Attitude of Gratitude. I've stopped writing that blog when I had it put in pdf form and made into a book for my family. I write about melanoma a lot but not exclusively. In (I remember June, Mitch says July) a Ju.. month in 2016 my drs at Duke said there was nothing left for me and said I had around a month left. We had been told September 2, 2015 that melanoma was in my lung, spine, and 4 tumors in my brain. I'm now writing this on March 27, 2017. We all thought I was dying in mid-August 2016. Seriously. Not only have I NOT died, I'm getting better!

Here's what I excitedly posted on my Facebook page just yesterday:

"My miracle for the day! Let me start with, "yes, I have a cowbell beside me." BUT, my brain was on the fact that Mitch was in the kitchen cooking lunch just now while I was on the sofa in the living room, and the TV was on mute and the remote was on the tray in front of where he and his laptop sit. We had been talking before he went to cook and he forgot it was on mute when he left. My brain can only handle but so much at one time now. It was on mute and I needed the remote...that was all my brain could handle...thinking about the cowbell was too much...never crossed my mind and it was right beside me. . I had a problem and I'm soooo proud of me! I scooted to the edge of the sofa, wiggled my way to the floor, stretched my legs out and dug my heels in, and then used my hands, arm strength and bottom...and skootched to the tray the remote was on. I have no leg strength. I had to rely on my hands and arms and of course God to get me to the tray, get the remote, toss it behind me as I skootched backwards to the sofa. I JUST as I write this thought of the fact that I could have turned around and skootched forward, but I didn't think about that. I skootched backwards. When I got to where I could sit against the sofa, I inched my way up using the sofa for support, and this time I had to use what little leg strength I have, but I got in the seat and kept skootching until I was actually sitting again. That felt so good to accomplish all that and use those muscles. Remember...I'm not supposed to be here and I'm still building up my strength after coming so close to dying. Now Mitch is worried where he'll find me next if I can do all this! :) My legs and arms aren't too terribly thrilled with me right now, but who cares?! I'M mighty pleased, proud, and thankful! God bless! And remember, this won't seem like much for most people...getting the remote...big deal. It's the little things folks. Treasure the little things. Sometimes, they just may be BIG things to some folks!"

 

And here's what I posted today:

 

"We've got Damon right now and he's a builder. For the first time in months and months, I was able to skootch down the sofa and get to blocks and build! I haven't been actually PLAY with either grandchild in a long long time, so this day is already off to a great start! And my skootching is already better! I didn't have to use my bottom as much and could rely on my arms more! I tell ya, it's the little things that are really the big things! If this keeps up, I'm trying out for the Skootching Olympics!"

I'm happily in a new phase of life and want folks to know what this blessing is like.

NOW! Up until this point in this post, I have corrected all my spelling. From this point on and in future posts, you'll be reading the me I am now. I'm not going to make anymore corrections. Starting NOW!

This disease and rhe treatments effected my brain power. Some days are good and some aren't so good. I was always a pretty foofo speller and thanks to that red squigglr line, all was fine, or appeared to be.

This new blog is about who I am now...who God still has decicdd ti send, even if I'm only sent from my sofa or bed. My brain poweer ain't what it used to be and considering the alternatie, I'm fine with that! I love the Lord and He knows it, but He still wants me standing...with Him and Mitch holding me up. I can't stand on my own. I haven't gotten the nerve yet to show a pic og my legs! They don't work like they used to and that's OK. And they don't look like they used to either. I'm here.

Yeo, I'm here and this is who I am. Advanced stage 4 melanoma that's supposed to have killed me by now has got God laughing. No disease is in charge. Starting tomorrow I'm going to start telling more. This is just my introduction. Today's a good dau. 

Here I am. Send me, even if I'm only sent through cyberspace!

charis