"Because I Live..." - Aug 23rd

Not much to report today regarding Beth’s health.  There was no notable change in her breathing. The Furosemide she started yesterday is supposed to help remove fluid from her body and in Beth’s case specifically the lungs. The problem is Furosemide makes you have to use the bathroom often.  For Beth, getting out of bed, using her walker to get to the bathroom, sitting down and standing up in the bathroom and then returning to the bed takes everything she has. I was helping her the other day in the bathroom and she said, “This is the hardest part of my day".

Yesterday, while I was helping her in the bathroom, I had to bend down to let her put her arms around my neck while I grabbed her waist and pulled her up off the toilet to stand up.  After I got her into a standing position I just held her and hugged her for a few seconds.  She started to cry and said, “I am so sorry this is so hard for you”.  I reassured her that there is nothing I want to be doing more than what I am doing now.  

We held each other for a few more seconds and I rubbed her back. Beth has lost so much weight that I could feel every bone in her spine. I then noticed that there were some bumps on the side of her spine that ran parallel to her spine.  I had not felt them before and asked her what those were. She mentioned that the cancer in her spine has caused abnormal bone growths to occur. It felt like she had two spines in certain places.  She says they are very painful and makes laying down hard (that’s a tough one when she lays down 23.5 hours of each day).

As I was holding her, I thought to myself, “They could find a cure for cancer tomorrow but Beth would never be the same”.  Her body has been ravaged.  There is no reversing what has taken place.  I then thought about the Resurrection of our Savior and what that means for each of us as we pass from this life to the next.  I then remembered reading a quote that someone had shared on social media about the Resurrection.  After searching around on LDS.org I found it.  It was from a talk in 2000 on the Resurrection, by Dallin H. Oaks. I included a portion of his talk below that gave me great hope and comfort. Through scripture and revelation we are taught that because Jesus was Resurrected, we too will live again in a resurrected body. Furthermore, we learn that, “the spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form”.  

Someday Beth will be free of all of the damage cancer has done to her body. Someday when I hold her again her body will feel so much different than it does today. What an incredible gift and promise that is.

“The possibility that a mortal who has died will be brought forth and live again in a resurrected body has awakened hope and stirred controversy through much of recorded history. Relying on clear scriptural teachings, Latter-day Saints join in affirming that Christ has “broken the bands of death” (Mosiah 16:7) and that “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54;) Because we believe the Bible and Book of Mormon descriptions of the literal Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we also readily accept the numerous scriptural teachings that a similar resurrection will come to all mortals who have ever lived upon this earth (see 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Ne. 9:22; Hel. 14:17;Morm. 9:13; D&C 29:26; D&C 76:39, 42–44). As Jesus taught, “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

The literal and universal nature of the resurrection is vividly described in the Book of Mormon. The prophet Amulek taught:

“The death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

“The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; …”

-Dallin H. Oaks Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I know that is a lot but it is what gives our family hope, that the Lord has a plan and it will all be better. 

We love you!

#BattleTogether