Personal - Life - Cancer Update

It has been over 14-months since I sent out a newsletter.

Life as I knew it came to a screeching halt when I received the shocking diagnosis of non-smokers lung cancer in April, 2022.

I had no symptoms.

A lung mass was discovered on a routine chest X-ray, then confirmed via biopsy as stage-3.

How could this happen?

Why did this happen?

We were utterly dismayed...

However, we were not hopeless because we had gotten my husband Mike through cancer of the bile ducts in 2015, through all natural means, no chemo or radiation.

Surely we could do the same for me!

Sadly, this was not to be.

After 20 months of dedicated nutrition and 3-5 hours a day of natural healing protocols, learned at Hope4Cancer, I woke up with a crushed T-1 vertebrae due to metastatic cancer in my spine.

I was launched into such severe pain I was screaming into pillows, and sobbing in agony for hours every night.

On my birthday, 12/27/23, I underwent cervical spine surgery involving fusing together C-4 to T-2 vertebrae. The surgeon said T-1 was complete mush from cancer and had to be replaced.

I have experienced emotional pain, grief, betrayal, rejection and loss...

But never in my life have I experienced such physical agony that I was pushed to the point of crying out...

"My God, my God!

Why have you abandoned me?"

As a bible believing Christian, I know in my head God promises to never leave me, nor forsake me.

Let me tell you friend, when you are in agony for hours, days, weeks, months...

You begin to question God's love and mercy.

You begin to entertain thoughts like...

Does God really...

See?

Hear?

Care?

I never entertained these thoughts before.

As a strong faith-filled Christian, I never imagined I would descend so deep in the pit of despair I would entertain such thoughts.

Physical agony ratchets up the fire so intense the fight of faith becomes a moment by moment battle.

It never felt like God helped me in the fire of excruciating pain. Pain did not lesson by prayer alone.

I ended up in the ER begging for help and through a series of trial & error they located pain medicine that took the edge off and got me through the surgery and recovery process.

Today, I no longer take the pain medicine.

Pain remains fairly constant, but it is manageable.

I have nerve damage in both hands with tingling and numbness. I can crack open an egg, but I don't have the strength in my hands to actually open the egg!

GOD IS WITH US IN THE FIRE OF AFFLICTION

EVEN WHEN WE DON'T FEEL HIS PRESENSE

By God's amazing grace, and the prayers of my dear family and friends, I am here typing this newsletter to you. Albeit with two fingers, but with patience it gets the job done.

GOD GAVE ME A PROMISE IN SPRING OF 2023

Six months before cancer broke my back, exactly one year after my cancer diagnosis, the Holy Spirit spoke to me during our prayer time together. He said,

"I am going on record with you today,

you will be amazed, astounded and overjoyed

next year at this time with all I will do in you,

for you and through you."

"This will be a record year of advancing in Me,

learning in Me, working with and in Me to advance

the purposes of My heart in this generation."

The Holy Spirit using the phrase; "I am going on record with you today," holds deep, personal significance between Jesus and me.

All the years of my faithful walk with Jesus, I would go on record with Him in the area of forgiveness.

When I would suffer an injury from another that required forgiveness, I would say;

"Dearest Jesus, I go on record with You today (date), I choose to forgive this person and hold it not to their account."

Jesus would take me at my word and in time, He would heal me of the pain and sting, and I would experience the miracle of true forgiveness from my heart.

Jesus using this phrase and going on record with me that day, was His personal promise to take me through the crucible of pain ahead of me that He knew was coming.

My husband Mike and I held onto this promise from Jesus through the months that followed the cancer invading my spine.

Friend, I am here today encouraging you to hold onto the promises Jesus has given you through personal ministry, and the written Word of God.

The human experience is fraught with pain and suffering, injustice, betrayal, turmoil, tragedy and loss.

Jesus became a human and suffered all of these things, to the fullest. He carries the scars of His excruciating death on the cross into eternity (John 20:22-24).

Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world," (John16:33).

This declaration of our Savior played over and over in my head during the endless agony. I would call out to the ultimate Overcomer within me,

"Dearest Jesus, blessed Overcomer, rise up within me, grant me courage and endurance in this unbearable tribulation."

"Deliver me from doubt and the temptation to enter into accusations against Your faithfulness to me."

"You have told me You love me and cherish me. I choose to hold on to Your promise to me that You will take me all the way."

We do not understand the sufferings of this life, but none of us are spared from life's tribulations.

The only choice we have is how we navigate and endure through them.

Do we ultimately trust God, even though we experience moments of doubt?

Or do we curse God, blame Him and enter into Satan's accusations against Him?

Only by Jesus amazing love, faithfulness and grace to me I lived through the agony.

I am here today writing to you because of HIS faithfulness to me. Not because I was able to pick myself up by the bootstraps and get myself through it.

Jesus saved my beloved Mike and blessed him with the grace to carry me through. He sat with me, praying and rubbing my arms while I sobbed.

Mike helped me through the utter helpless after surgery and has been with me, every minute of every day. I could not have made it without him.

I could not have made it through without my faithful prayer warriors who Mike kept informed via text during the greatest times of trial. I felt the love and support of these dear ones.

____________________________

I will be sending out messages of hope and healing in our Glorious Bridegroom King, Jesus.

Along with helpful nutritional guidance as the Lord leads.

All the best to you as you navigate the waters of turmoil through this present age.

Blessings to you in the precious Name of Jesus.

Love,

Michele

Michele M. Rizzo, CHC, D.Hom, Rev.

Certified Nutritional Health Coach

D.Hom, Earned Diploma Classic Homeopathy, 2022

Ordained Christian Minister, 1995

Health Coach Website: Michele M Rizzo