Okay let's start over...

This is the first of several entries from my website, I felt it was important to share these before I move on. Thanks! :)

Walking on Faith- I will never forget 2009
On May 15, 2009, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
I have a mass on both my right and left kidney. The mass on my left kidney measures 3.5 x 2.8 cm and the one on the right is smaller only 15 mm. Doctor's say I'm quite lucky because they caught it early. How do I feel? How did they find the disease? What is my mental state? What will my daughter and I do? How do I know God the Father will always be there for us? WOW...where do I begin?
I would like to begin by saying that I am writing this and baring my soul to ask for help. I need a little advice from those who know about the disease. I need direction in finding the right resources to give me the knowledge. I also need some good fundraising ideas for my surgeries and after care. I also need therapy. Even just to begin makes me feel a little better.
My story:
Late last year my husband left the country to assist his aging parents. They were both ill at the time and needed a lot of help. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride making sure we can update his documentation to clear him for return. To date, this has not happened but we remain hopeful. At the time my mother had come to visit my
daughter and I to lend a hand. As you know, living in the Atlanta metro area can be quite trying for a single mother but my Mother was there to take care of things. After a few months we decided it would be best if we moved back home to Mobile, Alabama. We would be there just us girls together, helping each other.
After being there for only 3 weeks, I landed a job and was able to put my daughter in school. I really felt things were moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, on March 30, 2009 my mother passed away suddenly. Absolutely everything was in turmoil. Mayra and I were alone in basically a new city and worst of all my backbone my support was gone. I felt lost and hollow and just going through life with no real purpose. Each day was disjointed and weak. I was doing the things that needed to be done but only barely. I wanted to get in my car and just drive away. I wanted to disappear. There was one thing that kept me in place, my daughter. She keeps me motivated, moving and able to face the next day.
Now with almost a whisper, I have been thrust into a new reality cancer. I went to the Providence Hospital ER in Mobile suffering from extreme lower back pain, fever and a few other symptoms. During an ultra sound and a subsequent CT scan, I was told then I'd developed a rather large kidney stone. I was also told there was something else but a Urologist could better explain. After meeting with the Urologist on May 15th, I was advised if it weren't for the kidney stone the cancer may not have been discovered until it was too late.
When I tell you God is there, he is. When I tell you he works in mysterious ways, he does. The last eight months of my life have made me a much stronger person. I feel I can beat this and move on with my life. Unfortunately (that word again), I have such a strong desire to do this myself but on so many levels that is not possible. I can not do anything without the hand of God. I can not be so brazen as to strike out on my own and defy his will. I have listened to the doctors and they all say the same thing. I need
surgery. Unfortunately, I am leaning towards treating my health like a trip to a magnificent thrift store. Can we make a deal? Wow can I get this any cheaper? Maybe I can just make that purse myself! Oh, look at that Kenneth Cole bag for 2 bucks. Kidney cancer does not work that way. I want...well I need to do what is best not only for me but for my 4 year old daughter. Mommy needs the surgeries so we can move forward with the future.
Sometimes though, I feel my days are forced and I am still a shell just going through the motions. I have prayed and sought out guidance from the Lord.
I have been driven to write this all down and tell you this in the hopes my words will reach someone that has been there. Other than talking to doctors, I want to hear from a witness. I want to know about healthy food ideas that have worked for you, support groups if any and of course fundraising ideas. I will have two surgeries in a span of 6 weeks and will not be able to work for about 2 1/2 months. Things could get very very tight.
I have started a small drive on http://www.giveforward.org/walkingonfaith. 10% of everything I earn will go to the American Cancer Society. Without the money I will receive from the fundraiser, surgery will be impossible. My insurance coverage with my current employer is less than adequate and will not pay for my care. I do have the option of Cobra from my last employer. This will cover the surgeries but the payments are astronomical.
I will continue to add links for information I've found and check back with my progress. My hope is that what I learn and experience will be used to help someone else.
Thanks for listening and God Bless.
Do it as if there was fire in your skin. - Irish Proverb
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
http://www.kidneycancer.org/
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Cancer-Prevention-Top-10-Cancer-Fighting-Foods.htm
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/