Divine Intervention "Selecting the Physician"

Once I was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer on August  9, 2018, I had to tell the OBGYN who and where I wanted to be treated with. She had offered to refer me if I did not know of anyone, but this is the Doctor that had treated me unprofessionally, and I didn't want the very weight of my life to rest in her hands.

Prior to my diagnosis, I had been working for the same law firm for over 14 years (Ferguson, Rawls & Raines, PC). I have a solid relationship with the lawyer I work with. On August 7th I knew that she was going to tell me I had cancer, based solely on her callous text message about "monkey wrench in her surgical plans".  There I was crying at my desk (after reading that) and my boss (Randy Raines) walked by and looked scared (he had emotionally supported me through all the testing). He hugged me, walked away to the conference room and was on his phone for a long time (not unusual).

While he was on the phone, I had been looking at odds/news/treatments/physicians/surgeons that treated my cancer. I absolutely was numb, unable to process any of it. After all, I was only 43, in the summer of my life and finally living a confident life. This was an unwanted and unplanned speed-bump.

About an hour after my encounter with my boss, he came to my desk with a ripped piece of yellow legal-pad paper. On the piece of paper were two names. Randy looked at me and said "I called all the doctors I know and trust and these are the two physicians in the area that they agree upon". This man whom I have worked along side since month before turning 30, looked teary eyed and sad. I looked at the two names on the piece of paper and looked back at him. He then said "the first one there is the one my buddies (all doctors) said they'd send their own wives and mothers too if they had cancer". I hugged him and thanked him and then went to Google to look up these two physicians.

I decided to walk into my appointment on August 9th with the first name on the list. The selection was based solely on my boss' friends referral and the smile on his face on his website. He looked like someone that I could trust. My selection was Dr. Christopher McCann (much more about him later) and he turned out to be a masterful surgeon and super optimistic Gynecological Oncologist. 

The thing that is amazing about all of this, is that had I been responsible for searching and finding my own oncologists, I probably would have gone with someone from Sentara/Virginia Oncology, as they are the areas largest oncology group and that would have been horrible for me. And, there was a time period two years prior to my diagnosis, that I was offered a chance to leave my job and work for another attorney...and I had accepted that position, so my caring boss' intervention in selecting the person that save my body/life, almost never happened.

This moment two years prior (of taking the job offer) was highlighted in my mind February, 2019 after the Devoted Women's Conference (Wave Church). One of the speakers (Sharon) spoke about a time she was taking a new job and even though the job had more money, better hours, and was closer to home, she had a bad feeling in her gut about it. She said she even drove by the place at odd hours just to see what it was about the place that didn't sit well. In the end, she chose not take the job because of the feeling she had.

This same thing happened to me in 2016. I had taken the job, given my notice to Randy and was preparing myself for what I thought was a better job. My boss was sad, his wife was sad, I was sad, but wanted something new...but it just wouldn't settle right in my gut. I couldn't get peace about it. I was sitting in the locker room at my gym putting on my shoes when something just hit me...don't take this job. I immediately texted my boss and said "is it too late for me to rescind my resignation"...his reply was "what resignation".

You see even though I wasn't living a righteous life at the time, even though I wasn't praying at the time, even though I sinned (greatly) at the time...God was still there, still looking out for me, and he knew!!! He knew that I didn't need to stay where I was for 2016, but that in 2018 I was going to need to be in position where my loyalty was to come into play. Any new boss would not have valued me to the point of contacting friends and colleagues to find a physician. Any new boss would not have let me work as I could through Chemotherapy.

God knew that the decision I was making in 2016 was going to negatively impact my need in 2018. I will always be grateful to my Lord for being my divine intervention and for him knowing my needs before they ever existed. I will also be forever grateful to Randy for caring so much that he found exactly who I needed to look after me.

Be mindful of every decision you make today, because those decisions ripple down to the rest of your life and know this...God knew us, God knows us, God will always have plans for us!

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

As always trust in the Lord!

Amen

April

Links:

Oncologist Search:
https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/cancer-basics/cancer-care-team/choosing-doctor-your-cancer-care

My physician - Dr. Christopher McCann:
https://bonsecours.com/hampton-roads/find-a-provider/providers/physicians/christopher-mccann?utm_source=local-listing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=website-link