Lessons Learned from My Overcomer

I realize that I wrote a post with the same exact title about a year ago.  At the same time, it was about a year/year and a half ago that things started happening.
I have also written a post about a friend named Lynn, that I nicknamed "Overcomer" after Mandisa's awesome song that means so much on so many levels.
You see, Lynn is the wife of my ex-husband and Step-Mom to my older children.  She was diagnosed with one of the rarest forms of Leukemia and the prognosis was not good and she was left with a choice.  FIGHT or NOT!!!  If you knew Lynn, you would know that "NOT" was NOT an option.  She was going to fight with everything in her!
As friends and family rallied around her, she fought.  She fought with grace, dignity, might, power, strength, love, concern for others, and a smile that would light up a room!  There were days I am sure that were gut wrenching and the nausea and fatigue and the discomfort would take over but to see her picture on Facebook or in a text or Instagram, you would never know.  Her husband, children, family and friends stood beside her.  Sent her cards, text messages and frogs!  Lynn loved her frogs!

She received a Bone Marrow Transplant on May 1, 2014.  That was her new "Birthday".  It was easy to remember and we counted each month as a "Birthday"!  Every day was a fight.  Every day was a victory and we all claimed it as such!  She had beaten her cancer!  We were all so ecstatic!  It was so amazing and we were all so thankful!

The side effects from the treatments, however were not so kind!  They were waging a war and then that day came.  The physician came in and said there was nothing else to do.  We were heart broken.  We didn't understand.  Lynn had fought so hard.  She had taught us so much in the past year.  I don't know that she will ever know the impact that she had on my life.

The last weekend in September, we made our way to North Carolina to a Farewell Service.  You see, it was not "Good Bye" for us.  It was "See you later".  There will be a day when we will see her again.  She will be beaming from ear to ear with her smile.  She will be FULLY HEALED!  She will be just a few minutes late meeting up with you and me but she WILL be there.  It was such a wonderful time of memories of her!  Things that we had all experienced with her!

So you may ask, what did I learn from Lynn?  I learned several things from her.
1. SMILE and smile a lot!
2. Take LOTS of pictures with yourself in them, whether you look wonderful or your hair is a mess or you have cake batter on your face.
3. Love your family no matter what the circumstances.  None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
4. Love life!  Go Get It!
5. Most important, put the Lord first and give Him the Praise that He deserves!

I sent Lynn a million text!  I mean, she probably thought I was a nut!  I wanted to make her smile, to know that we loved her and that we NEVER stopped praying!  I have never lost a friend to a disease. This has been difficult but nothing compared to what her family is going through. Jim, Alexx and Kyle, we will continue praying for all of you in the days ahead!  We love ya'll!  I couldn't think of a better way to remember her than putting a post on my blog!

I love you Lynn-Marie and yes, I will see ya later!

Pam

HER SONG!