This is the theme of Heather Von St. James’s story. Three months after giving birth to her first
child, Lily, Heather was given 15 months to live.
Heather was diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma, a rare type
of cancer that appears in the layer of cells lining the lungs. Imagine the fear that must have engulfed her
when the doctor told her and her husband that the chances of her surviving were
rare. Usually people diagnosed with
Mesothelioma only live 15 more months.
The Lord did not forget her.
He led her to a renowned Mesothelioma surgeon, Dr. David
Sugarbaker. With encouragement from her
husband and hope in her heart, Heather survived cancer. Seven years later she has made it her mission
to help others find hope and beat the odds just as she did.
I love what Ether, a Book of Mormon prophet, teaches about
hope, “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better
world . . . which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men,
which would make them sure and steadfast . . .” (Ether 12:4).
After seeing, hearing and pondering unimaginable situations
people go through, I believe it is hope that gets them through it. Heathers husband said the way he kept her
hope up during sugary and treatment was by continually telling her that Lily
needed her mother. Heather hung on. Today Lily has her mother. (You can find Heather's full story at
Some people give up when told they don’t have long to
live. Sometimes when rough times hit,
whatever it may be we have to have that strand of hope that everything will be
okay. We have to hang on to that strand with
both hands.
When I think of beating the odds I think of Harrison, my
little brother. When he was thirteen
years old he was diagnosed with Osteochondritis dissecans. Blood
ceased to flow to the bottom of his femur bone, which essentially caused it
die. There was a risk that the dead part
of bone could break off. Dr. Higgs
explained to Harrison if this happened he would need to have surgery. In order to prevent sugary and allow the bone
to heal on its own, Harrison would need to stay off it for two years. The only exercise he could do was walking,
swimming and riding a bike. At the time
he was diagnosed his tap class was two weeks away from going to competition,
and he had just started track for middle school. He had to withdraw from both of these
activities.
I can imagine most thirteen year old boys after being told
they can’t play basketball, they can’t go skiing, they can’t play football, and
they can’t even run would be devastated and feel sorry for themselves. Harrison beat the odds.
In the two years he couldn’t do any activity he only cried
two times. Once when he saw his friends
playing basketball, sad that he wasn’t invited.
They thought since he couldn’t play he wouldn’t want to be there. They didn’t realize he would have been happy
to sit and watch. (That was all cleared
up though). The second time he cried was
at his year appointment when Dr. Higgs told him and my mom that the disease was
still there and he would have to continue to refrain from physical
activity. He only cried because my mom
started crying.
In the two years he couldn’t run, jump, play basketball, or
dance, Harrison became an excellent speed walker, he learned to jump on the
trampoline with one leg, and even learned how to run/hop so he could play
soccer with his little brothers. He had
hope if he followed Dr. Higgs’s instructions he would be healed, and he
was. I came home from college one
summer, and with glee in his voice Harrison said, “Watch this Amanda!” he then
proceeded to run across the yard with
both legs.
New prospects were opened up to him because of his
experience with Osteochondritis dissecans. As of now he wants to become an
orthopedic doctor (bone doctor).
 |
| Several years after finding out he had Osteochondritis dissecans, Harrison is back on the field, this time playing Lacrosse |
Nobody plans out trials in their life. Hope must therefore be ever present in our
souls. Some have hope they will make it
through a trial, and everything will turn out the way they wanted it to. When it
doesn’t turn out as planned this doesn’t mean they never had hope, or they
didn’t have enough faith. God had different plans. In cases like these our hope must change. It must be centered on what the Lord
wants. If we let our trials shape us, we
can become stronger, and we can beat the odds.
A dear friend of mine, and former roommate, was diagnosed
with type one diabetes when she was about fourteen years old. She told me one evening of her experience
(and forgive me if I get some of the facts wrong).
She was initially shocked, scared, and sad when she found
out she had diabetes. Imagine being
fourteen years old and finding out you had a disease that was incurable and
that may eventually kill you. My friend
recalled that as she was laying in the hospital bed the first night after she
was diagnosed she thought to herself that she could either have a negative
outlook on her situation or a positive one.
She knew she would never be cured.
Having children in the future may be difficult, and she may die from
diabetes one day. She had a knowledge of
God, and He had given her this challenge for a reason. She decided to face her situation with a
positive outlook.
I never once saw her complain about being diabetic. In fact if she hadn’t told me she was
diabetic I would never have guessed. I
witnessed her stay close to the Lord, take care of her body (she finished a ½
marathon one summer, something I don’t think I could ever accomplish), and
always strive to help others even when things in her life weren’t perfect. She has the hope and knowledge that God loves
her and knows her. He wouldn’t put her
through any challenge that she couldn’t handle without His help. Today she is married and the mother of a
healthy baby girl.
Hope is a very powerful thing. Hope is what got Heather through her cancer
treatment and surgery. All the odds were
against her, yet she hung on. She was a
mother and her little girl needed her.
Among other things she hung onto that truth, which enabled her to fight
and win her battle against Mesothelioma.
My friend and my brother hung onto the hope of optimism to get them
through their trials. Each day my friend
must continue to hang onto that hope, continue to push forward and to never
give up.
Ultimately hope in Christ gives us a “sure foundation" and that is what I am so thankful for in my life.
