We made it! We have crossed the finish line! Ezra has taken his very last chemo pill.
Can you believe it? How did the last 2.5 years both fly and crawl by? When I look back at photos from those first 10 months, I can feel the hollowness and emptiness that lived inside my soul. I can feel the huge and heavy way that 2.5 years of treatment felt. At that time I felt as if we would miss so much of our lives during Ezra’s treatment. I grieved the life we had, I grieved because my son was in so much pain. I grieved because our family was temporarily separated.
But, oh, is God faithful. During that time of immense grief, I remember Ezra rolling his eyes but knowing we couldn’t start driving until I started to play Carrie Underwood’s album “My Saviour” to drive confidently through the snow each and every day. I remember Ezra telling people his mom was “a crying mom” because tears came so easily in those first few months. I remember the tears rolling down my face as I prayed all those quiet nights, when it was just Ezra and I, over my sweet boy. I prayed for healing, and life. A long, happy, full of joyful moments kind of life for my middle son.
And tonight, as Ezra swallowed his final chemo pill, I saw how God protected our hearts and answered our prayers. I saw how through the worst times God brought joy into our lives. I saw how during our trials, our faith in God kept us focussed on the here and now, and away from too many of the what ifs and maybes.
Anyone who has gone through their own cancer journey knows that Ezra’s isn’t quite done just yet. He will have a number of follow up appointments over the next five years, as well as a number of specialists take a look at various things like his heart and brain function. Chemo is no joke and while it is effective in killing cancer cells, it isn’t overly selective and can sometimes cause damage to the good cells too. So, as we prepare to enjoy this next phase of chemo-free living, we want to say another thank you to our village. We could not have done any of this without your support. Your thoughts and prayers from all over Canada, and even from various parts of the world, have meant everything to us. It’s always so wonderful to learn about another church family who has faithfully prayed for Ezra, without even knowing him.
And now I will leave you with this short video of Ezra from diagnosis to today.
God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good.
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