Dominoes

Several years ago, Mendi* felt as if she were trapped in the middle of a childhood game of dominoes. Childlike excitement and laughter did not follow as she watched the first domino fall and then the second and then several more.

The string of issues – one occurring right after the other – led to two health diagnoses, replacing a car, significant home repairs, and six surgeries during a seventeen-month period.

* Her real name is used with her permission.

Long Overdue

In September of 2015, Mendi’s visit with the gynecologist was overdue.

Discovering a lump in her breast when she was twenty-three caused her to have it checked. “This is a fibro-cystic lump due to all the caffeine you’re drinking,” her doctor said.

Mendi reduced her caffeine intake and didn’t think about it again. Until . . . she felt a lump in the same place when she was forty-six years old.

Acute Diabetic State

She knew she had to be seen right away. When the gynecologist asked, “What did eat for breakfast this morning?” Mendi was surprised. “A biscuit,” she replied.

“When the nurse checked your blood just now, your blood sugar level was 395,” he said. [Normal levels: bed time 80-120 and morning 120-140]

“According to your number, you are in an acute diabetic state. I want you to immediately follow up with your general care doctor ,” he shared.

Mendi and her gynecologist were so focused on the very high blood sugar number, she forgot to mention the lump. Even though he did a thorough exam, he didn’t notice the lump, either.

Line of Dominoes Already Lined Up

Her appointment represented the beginning of a line of dominoes already lined up like soldiers, waiting for the first one to fall.

A few weeks after her appointment, Mendi was in a serious car accident in her neighborhood. A neighbor hit her car so forcefully that Mendi’s head hit the driver’s side window.

That domino consisted of a trip to the ER for a look at the knot on her head. The bruising and soreness would eventually fade, but the unexpected expense of having to buy another car wouldn’t fade anytime soon.

Sadly, it was the first of many unexpected expenses to come.

Another Domino Falling

As if things couldn’t get worse, the dining room ceiling was dripping tons of water the very next day.

The plumber quickly assessed it and discovered a slow leak in the pipes. In addition to repairing the pipes and replacing the ceiling, mold remediation would have to be completed to get rid of the mold.

Another domino falling.

That afternoon, the nurse called with the A1C test results, which confirmed Mendi’s diabetes diagnosis. Her score of 12.2 was significantly above the 6.5 score of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Two dominoes in one day.

“I was taken aback. When I shared the news with my husband, Dave, I resolved to learn everything I could about diabetes, including how to reverse it,” Mendi remembers.

Who Your True Community Is

Mendi began oral medication and a diet change to combat the diabetes. By putting the knowledge she learned in the diabetic education classes, she lost eighteen pounds very quickly.

Her gynecologist, alarmed as he was with her blood sugar numbers, had the forethought to schedule her for a mammogram. So in October of 2015, Mendi had her first mammogram in twenty-three years.

A diagnostic MRI and sonogram two weeks later resulted in her doctor requesting an appointment with a breast surgeon to confirm what he thought he saw on the tests.

“I reached out to my friends and church family to pray. And pray they did. When a crisis occurs, you don’t have to worry who your true community is. Seeing who walked with me every step of the way reminded me to always show up when others are in need. Always,” Mendi shared.

Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer

The breast surgeon took a biopsy of the suspected tissue. A week later on November 18th, a physician’s assistant delivered the news that Mendi had breast cancer.

Another domino.

“That night, I told our two sons with confidence that I was going to go through some rough times, but I would be OK. I told our daughter over FaceTime that night, which was very hard to share such difficult news over the phone.”

That night in bed, she cried in Dave’s arms. She didn’t want to die.

A breast MRI was done to determine the staging. Just after Thanksgiving of 2015, Mendi learned she had Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer. Her doctor told her it started in the milk ducts and had the propensity to spread to other parts of her body. “I was numb. My sister held my hand as I cried.”

Her sister called Dave, and he arrived at the doctor’s office in record time.

Not Just Survive But Thrive

By the following morning, Mendi woke up ready to fight. “I resolved to do everything I could to not just survive but thrive.”

Wearing compression socks for years for varicose vein problems initially flew under the radar during all the dominoes falling around her, but her varicose veins wanted attention, too.

So Mendi had varicose vein surgery in December of 2015 on her left leg and in early February 2016 on her right leg.

Two more dominoes.

An Indescribable Peace

After genetic testing was completed to determine what type of surgery she would need, Mendi underwent  a DIEP flap reconstruction surgery to rid her body of the breast cancer in late February of 2016.

During her very difficult twelve-week recovery, Mendi felt an indescribable peace.

So, she promised the Lord she would tell of “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” at any and all opportunities.

“I learned perspective and a positive attitude aren’t just fluffy words. That doesn’t mean fear won’t try to rear its ugly head. It does mean I know in whom I believe and I know He is able. What was so interesting was I didn’t realize my attitude during all my challenges encouraged so many.”

Too Many Dominoes

In June of 2016, Mendi underwent a second breast reconstruction surgery. After this surgery, she was weary. Too many dominoes had fallen in such a short period of time. “The best thing I did was to give myself permission to step back and take care of myself.”

Mendi experienced a small reprieve before another domino toppled: the varicose vein surgery in her left leg had to be redone in December of 2016.

Her body had taken a beating, but her attitude was as strong as ever. “I’m still here. I believe the Lord has a purpose for me, and I will continually strive to honor that.”

A Healthy Lifestyle

At his doctor’s serious urging, Dave began a healthy journey to lose weight in January of 2017.

Just as her health was stabilizing and the house repairs were wrapping up, sludge and gall stones filled Mendi’s gall bladder to the point that an emergency surgery was performed in March 2017.

Mendi and Dave made a serious commitment in the summer of 2017 to a health plan with the intent of having and maintaining a lifetime transformation.

An acute diabetic situation in April of 2018 caused Mendi to be more focused on her health.

 

 

 

We Love Encouraging Others

Within four months, Mendi lost 30 pounds and her BMI was finally in the healthy range. By the end of Dave’s first year on the health plan, he’d lost 90 pounds!

“Because of our success, we are now health coaches. We love encouraging others in their journeys to take back their health,” Mendi shared.

The Last Domino?

In December of 2018, Mendi and Dave encountered yet another domino.

Water dripped down through the ceiling AGAIN. This time was much worse than before, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. As of this post, they are still awaiting repairs.

Will this be the last domino?

Mendi and Dave sure hope so!

Live Like It Was True

Mendi has learned much in her journey:

1. Stay on top of your health. Don’t neglect it.

2. It’s not about diets or exercise programs, it about living a healthy lifestyle.

3. An important part of the reason we made it through all these things is because of the amount of prayers prayed on our behalf.

4. I chose to roll with it every time a domino fell. Through the comments of others, I knew my sickness was not to death, but to His glory. I chose to believe that and live like it was true.

Leave a reply (below): Dominoes, one by one, leaned in hard on Mendi’s life several years ago. She could have let them defeat her. But she didn’t. Instead, she leaned on God.

She said, “Overcoming is living like your miracle has already happened. It’s believing and trusting regardless of the outcome. It’s hard, but it’s so rewarding.”

If you’ve had challenging circumstances in your life, have you experienced God’s miracles?