There will be Joy in the Morning
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I can't decide whether I am going to call my autobiography "You've Got to be KIDDING me?!?" or "Seriously... you can't make this stuff up." I invite you to read our story and decide for yourself:
Brad and I met in college. After a stint as a Park Ranger, he is now an owner-operator of a truck, and I am a middle school math teacher. In our free time, we teach Sunday School and run around to our very busy teenage daughers' activities. I like to coupon and work on my math blog (did I mention I AM A GEEK) www.debbieslemonadestand.com, and Brad helps coach our youngest daughter’s school softball team.
We have three daughters. Shelby is 18 and graduating from high school. She is loving, generous, and artsy. She is planning a career in either early childhood education or may start her own day care.
Bailey, 16, is a charter member of “overachievers anonymous.” She plays four varsity sports (soccer, cross country, basketball and softball) and takes every honors class available. She looks forward to a career in special education.
Brooke, 14, is our child who loves to have fun. She plays soccer (to stay in shape) and basketball (because she's tall), but her favorite sport by far is softball. Brooke thinks she may want to be a nurse.
We had a perfectly normal 20+ years of marriage, living a very middle-class life in a beautiful safe little southern town. But, in January 2013, we had a “life changing event”
* Brad, lost his trucking “contract” (along with many others in our community) .. he lost his job. The one he'd loved. Happens to lots of people. Everyday. In a few months he found another. Not making the same money but getting by. The entire time, I had a peace and wasn't worried! God had taken care of us before we'd never starved and never missed a house payment - He had it under control. Brad was, in fact, set up to begin driving for himself again the SAME DAY when in:
* late July, 2013. When I learned I had breast cancer. Who? Me? My mom had lots of lumps and bumps, all benign. I have one lump and it's cancer. Stage IIb. A little over 3cm. Triple positive (for those of you that know about these things...). Six rounds of TCH chemo (I never threw up not once but I most certainly lost my hair) and one year of Herceptin chemo every-three weeks. After the initial double mastectomy and chemo treatment, I spent the fall of 2013 teaching two weeks, off for a week of chemo, teach two more weeks, etc. Chemo was SUCH a blessing (no sarcasm this time, I really am thankful for it!) Here's me before chemo:
Here's me after chemo (warning - DO NOT LOOK if you are squeemish!)
Did I get you??? So it WAS after chemo, but I had a wig on there... here’s what I really looked like (ok, for real a warning this time... Brad calls it my "Uncle Fester" look):
In the spring and summer of 2014 I had several trips and a surgery for reconstructing "lost body parts" (wink, wink). I was so excited that my endless doctor visits were about to diminish, when on:
*September 6, 2014 I fell and broke my right ankle. Three days before my final chemo treatment. THREE DAYS. I was knee-scooter girl for three months. Mid-December crutches, early February one more quick surgery to remove one of the many screws and FINALLY February 2015 I can drive and walk without assistance. I am SO thankful to the Lord for being able to drive myself around again!
But enough about me - let me tell you about Brad.
Things were looking up, we seemed to be hitting our stride again, finding “normal” but then in: * Late March 2015 Brad has a mass. In his pancreas. Well, they checked it the first time January 9, 2015 and it was 4 cm. He also had a 3mm kidney stone and that's what they thought was causing his pain. But by late March the pancreatic-based tumor was showing 9 cm. We still hoped it wasn't cancer... I mean, what two forty-something year olds get cancer that are married to each other? What are the odds? Well, whatever they are, we hit them. One extremely major surgery later to remove what turned out to be a 13 cm Pancreatic Neuroendocrine tumor. It's a very rare cancer. Only 1 in every 100 pancreatic cancers are this type. Stage 3. He will have to have radiation as soon as he completes his recovery. There is a 25% or so chance his cancer will return (it was very aggressive). We pray that isn't God's will but - Guess what? We are still thankful for all that God has done for us.
Everything else about this cancer deal has been a “no brainer.” Surgery to remove it? Yes! And quickly! Chemo? Certainly? Radiation? Let’s do it! But asking for help when you are VERY independent people… wow, it’s HARD. Brad is a self-employed small business owner. He has a contract with a company that allows him to do what he loves and still be home every night with his family. But disability insurance isn’t available for him. We even looked again IN THE PAST YEAR and just could not find any due to his line of work. We are fans of financial guru Dave Ramsey who recommends 3-6 months expenses in savings for emergencies. We had that before Brad lost his job and since then have never had time to recover. We do not need money for frivalities. We only need enough to make it until Brad can return to work. We are estimating that to be three to four months and that is where we got our monetary total.
We prayed and talked and prayed and this is where we are. We selected the GoFundMe option because we believe it will let a lot of people give just a little. If you've only chosen to read our story and not help financially, that’s ok with us, we truly know the Lord is working in this situation. But we do ask that everyone – everywhere: please pray. Pray that God is allowed to shine in us and through us during this tough time. We truly do believe that God is good… all the time! And if you feel so led, please share our story and pass this along to others.
Back to the title of my autobiography…I think the best name is “There Will be Joy in the Morning.” It comes from one of my mom’s favorite Bible verses, Psalm 30:5b “Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Throughout the past two years and four months, we have had a few “low spots” but they have always been QUICKLY eclipsed by the joy of life. God IS good ALL the time! May all who read this be blessed with peace and joy – Debbie, Brad, Shelby, Bailey and Brooke.
Brad and I met in college. After a stint as a Park Ranger, he is now an owner-operator of a truck, and I am a middle school math teacher. In our free time, we teach Sunday School and run around to our very busy teenage daughers' activities. I like to coupon and work on my math blog (did I mention I AM A GEEK) www.debbieslemonadestand.com, and Brad helps coach our youngest daughter’s school softball team.
We have three daughters. Shelby is 18 and graduating from high school. She is loving, generous, and artsy. She is planning a career in either early childhood education or may start her own day care.
Bailey, 16, is a charter member of “overachievers anonymous.” She plays four varsity sports (soccer, cross country, basketball and softball) and takes every honors class available. She looks forward to a career in special education.
Brooke, 14, is our child who loves to have fun. She plays soccer (to stay in shape) and basketball (because she's tall), but her favorite sport by far is softball. Brooke thinks she may want to be a nurse.
We had a perfectly normal 20+ years of marriage, living a very middle-class life in a beautiful safe little southern town. But, in January 2013, we had a “life changing event”
* Brad, lost his trucking “contract” (along with many others in our community) .. he lost his job. The one he'd loved. Happens to lots of people. Everyday. In a few months he found another. Not making the same money but getting by. The entire time, I had a peace and wasn't worried! God had taken care of us before we'd never starved and never missed a house payment - He had it under control. Brad was, in fact, set up to begin driving for himself again the SAME DAY when in:
* late July, 2013. When I learned I had breast cancer. Who? Me? My mom had lots of lumps and bumps, all benign. I have one lump and it's cancer. Stage IIb. A little over 3cm. Triple positive (for those of you that know about these things...). Six rounds of TCH chemo (I never threw up not once but I most certainly lost my hair) and one year of Herceptin chemo every-three weeks. After the initial double mastectomy and chemo treatment, I spent the fall of 2013 teaching two weeks, off for a week of chemo, teach two more weeks, etc. Chemo was SUCH a blessing (no sarcasm this time, I really am thankful for it!) Here's me before chemo:
Here's me after chemo (warning - DO NOT LOOK if you are squeemish!)
Did I get you??? So it WAS after chemo, but I had a wig on there... here’s what I really looked like (ok, for real a warning this time... Brad calls it my "Uncle Fester" look):
In the spring and summer of 2014 I had several trips and a surgery for reconstructing "lost body parts" (wink, wink). I was so excited that my endless doctor visits were about to diminish, when on:
*September 6, 2014 I fell and broke my right ankle. Three days before my final chemo treatment. THREE DAYS. I was knee-scooter girl for three months. Mid-December crutches, early February one more quick surgery to remove one of the many screws and FINALLY February 2015 I can drive and walk without assistance. I am SO thankful to the Lord for being able to drive myself around again!
But enough about me - let me tell you about Brad.
Things were looking up, we seemed to be hitting our stride again, finding “normal” but then in: * Late March 2015 Brad has a mass. In his pancreas. Well, they checked it the first time January 9, 2015 and it was 4 cm. He also had a 3mm kidney stone and that's what they thought was causing his pain. But by late March the pancreatic-based tumor was showing 9 cm. We still hoped it wasn't cancer... I mean, what two forty-something year olds get cancer that are married to each other? What are the odds? Well, whatever they are, we hit them. One extremely major surgery later to remove what turned out to be a 13 cm Pancreatic Neuroendocrine tumor. It's a very rare cancer. Only 1 in every 100 pancreatic cancers are this type. Stage 3. He will have to have radiation as soon as he completes his recovery. There is a 25% or so chance his cancer will return (it was very aggressive). We pray that isn't God's will but - Guess what? We are still thankful for all that God has done for us.
Everything else about this cancer deal has been a “no brainer.” Surgery to remove it? Yes! And quickly! Chemo? Certainly? Radiation? Let’s do it! But asking for help when you are VERY independent people… wow, it’s HARD. Brad is a self-employed small business owner. He has a contract with a company that allows him to do what he loves and still be home every night with his family. But disability insurance isn’t available for him. We even looked again IN THE PAST YEAR and just could not find any due to his line of work. We are fans of financial guru Dave Ramsey who recommends 3-6 months expenses in savings for emergencies. We had that before Brad lost his job and since then have never had time to recover. We do not need money for frivalities. We only need enough to make it until Brad can return to work. We are estimating that to be three to four months and that is where we got our monetary total.
We prayed and talked and prayed and this is where we are. We selected the GoFundMe option because we believe it will let a lot of people give just a little. If you've only chosen to read our story and not help financially, that’s ok with us, we truly know the Lord is working in this situation. But we do ask that everyone – everywhere: please pray. Pray that God is allowed to shine in us and through us during this tough time. We truly do believe that God is good… all the time! And if you feel so led, please share our story and pass this along to others.
Back to the title of my autobiography…I think the best name is “There Will be Joy in the Morning.” It comes from one of my mom’s favorite Bible verses, Psalm 30:5b “Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Throughout the past two years and four months, we have had a few “low spots” but they have always been QUICKLY eclipsed by the joy of life. God IS good ALL the time! May all who read this be blessed with peace and joy – Debbie, Brad, Shelby, Bailey and Brooke.
Organizer
Debbie Holland Sudduth
Organizer
Shelbyville, TN
