“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
As I type these words I hear the gentle hum of my dryer. I peak on the monitor to my right and see a baby, safely slumbering in his crib. I remind myself to drink water between sips of coffee, to keep hydrated for nursing my little one. Gilmore Girls plays softly in the background as I type and retype these words. This is normal. I am sure there are thousands of moms doing this exact morning ritual, a calm before the storm of a day with a crawling, drooling baby.
However, I think back to this time last year, when things were not normal. I was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors and being peaked in on by nurses. I was enduring an unthinkable circumstance. I was pregnant...and I had cancer.
My husband Joseph and I found out we were pregnant with our first child in January of 2015. In March of the same year I was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Acute Myelomonocytic Leukemia (AMML) to be exact. Our story is full of twists and turns, unexpected grace and astonishing peace. I decided to blog about my experience to keep all our friends and family updated, so if you have some time, feel free to read the whole story on my blog to further understand the wonder of God’s work in our life.
I received three rounds of chemotherapy while being pregnant. None of my doctors could find any tests providing any information on this type of cancer during pregnancy. No clinical trials or case studies. Nothing. No one could tell me if my baby would live, but without this treatment I would have died. My husband and I knew that we had to give our baby a fighting chance; this baby shined a light on a cancer that was hiding within my blood.
The leukemia was discovered through blood work taken at my first OB appointment. God was in the small details, like sending me to an office that does blood work in the first appointment, and in the big details, like sending me to have seven months of treatment only 45 minutes away from my parents and hometown.
The uncertainty of my doctors was enough to make any person crumble, but I had one thing on my side that was unquantifiable. I had faith in the one true God. I believed. I knew that He went before me in this, and He made a way for me. I never doubted that He would see us through, but this was not of my own doing, it was a gift of peace that was given to me. It was through the prayers of thousands following our story. It was through my husband praying over every bag of chemo, that it would do it’s job, nothing more; that our baby would be shielded from any negative side effects.
This chemo was so strong; it wiped clean the entirety of the white blood cells in my body. My cancer hid in one type of white blood cells, and the doctors had to clear them all to remove the cancerous ones. My hair fell out. My fingernails were stunted in growth. This chemo was strong. But I am here to tell you, of all the miracles that happened in my life over the past year, my favorite is Louis. He was born an absolute angel. Five pounds, nine ounces, and a whole month early. He was perfectly protected, shielded from all harm. Any doubt had to be thrown out, and is crushed with every milestone he meets. He even had six teeth by eight months.
Our family endured the unthinkable. But we are on the other side now, and with confidence I can tell you we are better people for having experienced this challenge. You can’t go through cancer treatment while being pregnant and come out the same. I am changed, and it is for the better. I believe the Lord can use any one in any way, and He wants me to share this story with you all. It is a reminder of so many truths. He cares for me, and He cares for you.
If you are battling some hardship today, take a moment to pray, “Lord, how can you redeem this situation? Please give me peace to endure and trust.” He cares for you.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
TFP wants to extend a special thanks to Gaby Laurent for sharing her story. To read more about Gaby's journey, click here!
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