October 7, 2005

Courage Under Fire

A friend of mine was diagnosed yesterday with Graves Disease. Graves’ Disease is a type of autoimmune disease in which the immune system over stimulates the thyroid gland, causing hyperthyroidism. This is an extremely rare disease that tends to affect women over the age of 20. The incidence is about 5 in 10,000 people.

She has been having heart problems and a multitude of other symptoms for a several weeks now, and yesterday after many tests it was discovered that her thyroid had swollen to 3 times its normal size. Surgery or radiation treatments are the only options now and both have some serious connotations.

She is getting on a roller coaster ride the likes of which she has never experienced before and yet through all of this she sees the hope of a wonderful outcome. She writes:

I am grateful that it is not my heart but I now must find the positive with this illness and learn to be strong. I sit here with my heart pounding hard; my muscles aches and I know I have a road of the next few months to finally become a human woman again once everything is finally normal again. It will be in time and I look forward to this so all the pain, weakness and all these symptoms will be gone.

Listen to that, and think about the strength of a single person and how wonderful that is. If ever there was someone to look up to and admire it is her and her optimism.

I have a road ahead of me that is going to take me to places I never dreamed about and along the way I will pull strength from family and friends. I just pray it has not been anything like this week. I have a lot to learn and I know the Lord will help me but as you can tell, I am just really shocked, scared and very overwhelmed with it all.


You are a blessing of love and support in my heart and I cherish you for being a part of my life, in all the happiness as well as the tears of many, many years to just even new friendships. . . Please continue to send email because many have really touch me in the way that it was suppose to as well as a giggle, laugh or tears. You are a gift and if I do not say it, please know you are.

Thank you for everything....


Thank you V., for letting us be a part of your journey.

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