We started with the diagnosis, then talked about my treatment and now here we are, the miracle. I've thought about this day for a long time. I've prayed for God to give me the right words and for God to help me share my story. It's bittersweet that I get to end this giving God all the glory. I owe it all to Him. So, here I go! The miracle.
We left off with my new pill form treatment. I had scheduled my first follow-up appointment, since changing treatment, for April 8th. Meanwhile, I was praying for a miracle and after reading "Christ the Healer", believed that God had healed me.
April 8th, 2022 was here. We stayed at a family member's house the night before my appointment. I felt anxious the morning of, but also felt a sense of calm. We were going to have blood work, a bone scan and also a CT scan to see my bodies response to this new treatment. It had been three months since I started Kisqali, the new pill form anti-estrogen therapy.
I remember feeling anxious, but also felt excited to see what God had done. My husband and I both felt like the results were going to be good and went into my scans with a positive outlook. We were scheduled to have the scans in the morning and then eat lunch and see my doctor to discuss the results in the afternoon.
The morning went smoothly and after completing both scans and the blood work we went to eat lunch. We ate at our go-to while there, CRAVE. Then we realized we had extra time before my appointment, so we headed to the mall. We didn't look at the results on the online app, and waited to be told the results in person. Test results were coming in and we weren’t looking.
We had just arrived at the mall and were walking in the doors when my phone rang. It was Mayo Clinic. They mentioned that our doctor had an appointment cancelation and whenever we could make it back he would see us right away. We both looked at each other and thought this could be good or bad news. He wanted to see us soon to either tell us that the medicine isn't working. Or it could be good and he didn't need to assess much or change a thing, so it would be a quick and happy appointment.
We got back to Mayo as quickly as we could and before we knew it, we were being called in for my appointment. I remember sitting down in the exam room and a lady doctor (who we had never met) came in and introduced herself. We said hi and then she said, "I'm sure you've seen the amazing results?" We told her no. She said, "Your scans look amazing and we don't see any evidence of cancer in your scans."
THE CANCER WAS GONE.
My husband and I looked at each other and burst into tears. We had trusted that the results would be good, but in that moment it was confirmed that God had performed a miracle.
The Almighty Healer had healed me.
She mentioned that our doctor would be coming in and explaining more, but she was overjoyed that our doctor had chosen her to come in and share the good news. We thanked her and continued to hug.
After the doctor left, my husband and I were overjoyed! I remember my husband saying, “I knew it was going to be good news!” It felt like a dream.
When my doctor came in and again told us what the scans said, he mentioned, "In terms of a treatment working, this was a grand slam. Your body reacted to this treatment better than chemotherapy and everything is looking good!" In disbelief we asked him if we could see the scans and he showed us. My breast and lymph were clear. My bones were filled in. My liver, besides minimal scaring, looked like it hadn't been damaged. Your liver is not supposed to heal after it's been damaged and it looked healthy.
Our doctor mentioned that because I had Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, I would still continue treatment for the rest of my life and because the pill form was working so well we would continue to use that. We agreed and he had us schedule another appointment for July, another three months, to continue to monitor me. We thanked him and then left Mayo.
This moment was one that both my husband and I will remember forever. We rank this up there with our wedding day and the births of our two wonderful children. Miracle day. We had witnessed a miracle. A miracle that was just short of six months from the day I was told I have cancer. Six months from the day my scans lit up and I was told that I had cancer not only my breast, but my lymph, liver and bones too. Now the cancer was gone and I was healed. A miracle.
The car ride home was incredible. I remember calling my parents and siblings and we were all in tears. "The cancer is GONE!" I remember saying. It was what we had all prayed for since the day I was diagnosed. We called my husband's family and we all cried happy tears. I remember telling my kids, who were staying with my in-laws at the time, "Mommy is healed." They both gave me the biggest hug. They didn't fully understand it at the time, but for me it meant the world. Mommy would get to be with them! Mommy was healed.
The calling and texting of the good news continued and it was truly the best weekend of my life. God had given us a miracle. Along with amazing family, we had the best group of prayers warriors who had prayed for me everyday. The biggest thanks for all of those who prayed.
I remember just days after the miracle, I doubted the good results. What if I'd heard wrong. The term survivor didn't work for me because I was stage 4 and still needed to be on treatment. I'm not technically healed I thought. I remember calling my mom crying and just feeling down. My mom said, "Ally, you are a miracle. God healed you. This is the devil trying to give you doubt because he knows that your miracle and story are going to do big things. If the devil needs to work this hard in the midst of something so incredible, you must be going to do some big things for the Lord." She was right. I prayed for a way to share my story and God said, create a blog. Share your story and my good works in your life. So, I did.
Since that day in April, I have continued using Kisqali and had another appointment in July that continued to show clear scans. My hair is coming back. I have tons of energy and feel like myself again. I have been making memories with my family. Life has been good! God has done so many wonderful things in my life.
We had a get together with friends and family the weekend after the good news. We all celebrated the amazing miracle and I was able to thank those close to me in person. My family also threw me a miracle party in June to not only celebrate the miracle, but also to thank all of those who prayed. I’m incredibly blessed to have an amazing community of family and friends. Prayer is powerful!
Throughout the past 10 months I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, been told I can't have anymore children, underwent chemotherapy for three months, lost all of my hair, been switched to a pill anti-estrogen therapy, and then received clear scans. After all of that, I'm here to say God is good. God has a plan and He can perform miracles.
I've gone through so much this past 10 months. Never would I wish this on anyone, but I feel like I was meant to have cancer. Meant to share this story. Meant to share my faith. Meant to go through what I did, so that someone can know Jesus. I still pray every day that this reaches someone. Just one person. Helps them feel like God can do anything. He is always there. I pray that God uses me to reach you.
If you are going through something today, pray. Pray for strength. Pray for patience. Pray for relief. Pray for anything you need. He hears you. Even if it seems like it is on his time, he has a bigger and better plan for you. God is always good and your prayers are being answered.
Thank you for reading my story and I hope that it makes an impact on you in some way. If you feel lead to share my story, please do! I look forward seeing what more God can do in my life. I will always cherish all the little moments, because my life is on God's time! Currently living life to the fullest :)
Xoxo,
Ally
P.s.
To all my prayer warriors, thank you! During my hardest days, I felt your prayers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to those who brought meals and made the days easier. Thank you to the wonderful communities my family is apart of that made donations to our family. Thank you to our friends that went out of their way to make sure we knew they were thinking about us. And thank you to our families for checking in and helping when we couldn’t do it on our own. For helping with the kids during appointments and listening when we just needed to talk. We love you all and could not have done with without you. Thank you. Love, The Mondas
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