Gretta’s Share 4 Prayer

We tell the stories of cancer fighters through a feature we call #Share4Prayer

This is Gretta from Pasadena, CA, and we are forever bonded by a disease 1 in 75 women will develop in their lifetime: Ovarian Cancer.

Like many women, Gretta had symptoms related to Ovarian Cancer: pain, bloating, fatigue. But what woman doesn’t experience that? Gretta took to advocating for her health; however, her primary doctor brushed off the symptoms she was experiencing and assured her everything was okay. What eventually led to Gretta’s diagnosis was the development of several blood clots, and she ended up in the ICU with pulmonary embolisms. During her 12 day hospital stay she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, had a radical hysterectomy and a port installed in her chest. Chemotherapy began immediately and in November 2013, she was given the all clear.

Devastation hit when just a year later her PET scan showed the unthinkable. A recurrence. She and her husband, Joe, faced another surgery and more chemo. Gretta wrote on her blog (https://thegrettapages.wordpress.com/2016/01/) such a beautiful analogy about a butterfly collage she created when her physical activity declined. I must share it with you.

“I feel like this butterfly: a little tattered, scars showing, their jagged edges holding me together. Yet despite the wounds and the pain, it has been a year of beauty. A year of growing, of becoming. The scars are part of the landscape now and give it texture and depth. The love of family and friends has softened and smoothed the lines, weaving the broken shards into a rich tapestry of connection and warmth. Cancer has broken me open and keeps me right her right now, each fragment an integral part of the overall mosaic. I believe that we can grow in many ways; but the challenges in life, when we are able to navigate them consciously and with gratitude, can help us to dig deep and find strength we didn’t even know we had. The scars and ridges only add to the beauty of the picture.”

Gretta’s words are powerful. The kind of power that comes from being grateful in the midst of trials and having hope in a risen savior, Jesus Christ. Like many of us Gretta believes in the power of prayer. Let’s surround her with prayers for complete healing and strength as she continues in treatment. #Share4Prayer