The Leviners

Thankful and Blessed. These are the first two words that come to mind when I see this picture. On last May, we went to Lexington's annual Relay for Life at Wildcat Hollow. I've gone for years, but this past year it was very different. Extremely different for The Leviner family. I was not only there this year to help raise money and awareness for cancer, but I was also there to support my own mother's battle with breast cancer. In many years past I was so thankful that no one in my family had cancer. I always got teary eyed during the survivor's walk, during the relay, because I knew that there were many people, men and women, walking around that track that were just diagnosed with cancer, in the midst of their cancer treatments, or was a survivor. I was proud of them. I felt honored to support them. I didn't know their story or what they went through, but at least  being there I felt like I was, in some small way, making a difference.  As I cheered and clapped for these amazing people I had no idea that "it" would soon be in my family nor did I ever think that I would ever have to place a luminary in my mother's honor. But "it" did and I did. Last March 10th, I received a phone call from my mother saying that she had a letter and a phone call from her doctor stating that she'd had an abnormal mammogram.

I have to admit I was a bundle of emotions from terrified, nervous, to very scared. The first diagnosis didn't sound good at all and as we waited for the second mammogram results we were on pins and needles. From the second mammogram the doctors still were not able to tell us the stage of cancer she was in nor her treatment until after the surgery. I knew God was in control but I was still scared. My mother, all of my life, has been the positive one. I've never seen her in 30 years in a bad mood, afraid, or grumpy. During this whole process (she's now cancer free!!), there were only a few times when she felt down, and this made me even more afraid. I knew deep down that she too was afraid but in the midst of it all, her spirits were high and she knew God was in control!

My mother's cancer was detected very early, and for this I am thankful.  I will always support Relay for Life and be a team member for my school, but I look at it with totally different eyes now. I'm so thankful that Relay for Life exists to help raise cancer awareness and money for cancer research!

I love you mama! I Praise the Lord everyday for your success and survivor's story! God is good!