Susie's Testimony, Part One

Happy Monday, Ms. Viv ‘Nim Fanaticals!

As we all know, the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Ms. Viv ‘Nim join in supporting the cause. Perhaps that is why this week’s blog is so apropos. Throughout this week, Susie Douglas will give her testimony and express why she wears the pink ribbon throughout the month of October.

Without any further ado, here is Part One of Susie’s story.

It was Friday, June 19, 2009. Susie was laughing it up with her fellow co-workers and talking about her plans for the weekend. One of her co-workers was cracking so many jokes that Susie clutched her chest and let out a loud laugh. In the midst of the act, Susie suddenly stopped laughing and felt her chest. Something wasn’t right. She assumed that it was her cellphone in the pocket of her blouse, but there was a problem: the blouse that she wore had no pockets on it.

“Uh-uh, it couldn’t be,” Susie thought.

Trying her best not to alarm anyone, Susie forced out a laugh and put on her bravest smile. Her co-workers were so oblivious to the worry on her face, assuming that she was just recuperating from all the jokes that were told. Well, it was after five o’clock anyway, so Susie’s co-workers wished her well and left for the day.

Since she was in the office all by herself, Susie made a mad dash to the ladies’ room and looked in the mirror. She unbuttoned her blouse to check herself out closely and…

“Oh my God—that can’t be right,” Susie gasped.

It was a quarter-sized lump on her left breast.

Susie took a deep breath, continuously feeling the strange lump. There was just no way—she didn’t drink, she didn’t smoke, and she exercised regularly. Heck, she even started eating turkey and chicken for six months straight. How in the heck could she have a lump on her breast?

Susie buttoned her blouse back up, still feeling the lump on her breast. She called Bret and left a message for him that she would be a little late for dinner, then she grabbed her keys and purse and headed to her car. Understandably concerned for her health, she went straight to her doctor. There had to have been a mistake.

After checking in at the front desk, Susie sat down and felt her left breast again. “There’s just no way in hell this could be what I think it is,” she thought. She was obviously scared, yet she remained optimistic.

“Mrs. Douglas? Mrs. Susan Douglas?” the doctor called.

Susie jumped in her seat, already clutching her chest. She got up to see the doctor, and got some tests run. As she waited in her room rather impatiently, she thought about a song that the choir sang in church: “He won’t put more on me than I can bear.”

Just as she got her optimism meter running…

“Mrs. Douglas, I’m back with the results.”

The doctor returned, and Susie sported a nervous smile. Before the doctor could sound out one syllable, Susie noticed the worry in his face.

“Doctor, I’m a big girl,” she said. “I just turned 50 a few weeks ago. What is it?”

The doctor sighed despondently, then he looked at Susie and said, “Mrs. Douglas, I am so sorry, but that lump on your breast is a tumor.”

Susie felt her spirit crushed.

TO BE CONTINUED ON OCTOBER 4, 2011…