The Lord can restore and heal anything. My life is a testament. This is a timeline of my journey through the deepest, longest valley of life full of heartache and suffering. Through it, the Lord had a plan. In fact, He made my ashes beautiful.

2008

Nov. 13th- I noticed some light pain and scheduled a doctor appointment. It was misdiagnosed as an infection in my uterus.

Nov. 23rd- I became severely sick.

Mon. Nov. 24th- Gynecologist doctor appointment

Wed. Nov. 26th- Doctor appointment and blood work

Mon. Dec. 1st- I received a phone call at work. (I was standing in my kindergarten classroom full of children when the call came through from my doctor.) My CA-125 was highly elevated. My doctor was very concerned. I could hear the concern in her voice. “Stevie, I’m sorry to call you at work. Your blood work has come back…blah, blah, blah…..Ovarian Cancer.” She had already made an appointment with a cancer specialist. It was in two days…

I called Sam, and we both left work immediately and went home to be together. We cried, prayed, and made phone calls to our family and close friends. Cried. Prayed. Cried. Prayed. And then found our hearts were at peace. It’s a peace I’ve only felt a few times, but it’s real. And it will deliver you from the burden of worry and doubt. God’s good, even when the word “cancer” is mentioned in the same sentence as your name. I clung to Isaiah 41:10:  “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Wed. Dec. 3rd- Met with Dr. Lentz (cancer specialist) from Wake Forest Baptist hospital in Winston Salem.  Immediate surgery was scheduled.

Wed. Dec. 3rd- We left that appointment paralyzed!  Cancer.  Cancer.  Cancer?  I was only 24!  We had only been married two years.   I had wanted a tea cup Yorkie puppy for a while now, and I remember telling Sam, “If it takes me getting cancer to get a puppy…I’d do it.” 😉  Cancer humor… We stopped at a gas station right beside the hospital and bought a paper. We found a few Yorkies, made a few phone calls and went and bought a Yorkie that day!  We named him Newt.  He was precious.  Great medicine for a weary soul.

Mon. Dec. 8th- CT scan

Wed. Dec. 10th-Phone call saying surgery was scheduled… and a must-have.

Tue. Dec. 16th- Pre-op appointment.  Tthe word hysterectomy was mentioned.  I said without a shadow of a doubt that a hysterectomy was not an option. I remember thinking, “I know the Great Physician and He can heal me of cancer and make me into the Mommy I’ve always dreamed of becoming.”

Thur. Dec. 18th- Today is the day…Surgery at 9:30. I lost my right ovary and right fallopian tube this day. And even though the mass looked like it was cancer to the doctor’s eye, the pathology report came back it was a benign endometrial tumor. We serve a mighty God who heard my prayers and the prayers of my faithful prayer warriors and changed what my blood test, CT scan, and physical exam showed to be cancer and made me healthy and whole. I bear the scars as a reminder of how BIG God is!

2009

Jan. 13th- Follow-up doctor appointment. All good news. I was told if we were wanting to have children, we should try in the near future because at any time my left ovary could be overcome by the same kind of tumor.

April 9th- Doctor appointment.  A cyst was found on my left ovary.

April 25th-  Our first POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST!! Due 1-2-10

April 26th- I took two more pregnancy tests. (Why not?)  Both were positive! We are pregnant!!!

April 27th- A doctor appointment confirms we are 4 weeks, 4 days pregnant! 🙂  I still have a 2 cm cyst on my left ovary. 😦

May 1st- I miscarried our first baby at 5 weeks. HCG dropping.

July 3rd- I’m PREGNANT! Three positive pregnancy tests! (Can you really take too many?) Baby #2 due 3-11-10

July 8th- Blood work, 5 weeks “prego”.

July 13th- Ultrasound, 6 weeks

July 24th- Ultrasound, 7 weeks (Sam and I saw our baby!)

July 26th- I began miscarrying…the excruciating pain of losing my baby both physically and emotionally sent me straight to the ER.

Sept. 1st- Fertility specialist doctor appointment. This appointment was then followed by lots of blood work and more appointments.

Meanwhile…Sam is showing some signs of sickness:  headaches, dizziness, vision and leg issues, etc.

Sept. 26th- Sam goes to the doctor.

Oct. 8th- Sam has an MRI.  We get a phone call from the results that there are abnormalities and that he needs to be seen by a neurologist immediately.

Oct. 15th- Neurologist appointment. 7:45 Sam is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Once again we find ourselves paralyzed, frozen in time. MS. MS. MS? Sam is only 25 years old. But once again, God was there showering us with His peace. Deuteronomy 31:6:  “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Oct. 21st- Sam goes for a spinal tap.

Oct. 22nd- Sam is the sickest today that I’ve ever seen him…scary day.

Oct. 28th- Test results confirm Sam’s diagnosis of MS.

Nov. 13th- Big fat positive! We are pregnant! (again!!) Due 7-24-10

Nov. 25th- Pregnancy confirmation ultrasound

Dec. 14th- 9 week ultrasound at Wake Forest Baptist with our fertility specialist Dr. Yalcinkaya.  We saw the sweetest little baby with a  fast  and strong heartbeat! Thank you LORD!!

 13 week ultrasound

Dec. 25th- We announced our pregnancy to our families!

2010

Feb. 22nd- It’s a BOY!

July 22nd- 39 weeks, 5 days:  My water broke in the wee hours of the night. At 4:42 p.m., Tucker Wayne Robertson made his entrance into the world, weighing 7 pounds and 5 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long. I praised God. I still praise God for the miracle he gave me in the birth and health of my son. You see, I  miscarried our second baby one year earlier, the same week Tucker was born. God brought us full circle…Psalm 126:5:  “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

2011

July 9th- Big fat positive! Pregnant! (again…this is the fourth time.) Due 3-19-12

July 22nd- Tucker celebrates his first birthday. (5 weeks pregnant)

Oct. 18th- It’s a BOY! 18 weeks. We painted my tummy as a pumpkin to announce to our friends and family.

2012

March 15th- 39 weeks, 3 days. Labor began in the late afternoon. Sam and I made a pit stop at McDonald’s before heading to the hospital. At 2:26a.m., weighing 7 pounds and 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long, Coren Gray Robertson entered the world. Once again, I praised God for blessing me with a beautiful and healthy baby boy. 1 Samuel 1:27:  “For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him.”  God’s been good, and I have been blessed!

March 21st-One day shy of a week old…After Coren was born, I was quickly reminded of  how feeble my womb really was…At his checkup, I noticed  I was experiencing a few signs of sickness, so when we left the pediatrician’s office, we drove straight to my doctor’s office across town. The staff did an ultrasound and sent me to the hospital for an emergency D&C.  I had retained placenta.  During the surgery, I lost a little over a liter of blood.

March 26th- ANOTHER emergency D&C

March 29th- Coren is two weeks old.

April 2nd- My doctor appointment ended up at the hospital where I received three units of blood.

September- We attended the foster to adopt class given by our local social services. The road of adoption began to root in our hearts; we began to pray and seek wisdom.

2013

May 4th- Pregnant!!! (5th pregnancy for those STILL counting…) Due 1-11-14

May- Miscarriage #3.

August 19th- Pregnant! (Our 6th pregnancy) Due 4-16-13

I honestly thought the Lord would open up the doors for adoption in place of opening my feeble womb once again. But He obviously had bigger plans. So with excitement in our hearts, we rejoice over another baby!  Psalm 127:3:  “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

Aug. 2013 Journal entry

Oct. 24th- We are expecting a baby GIRL!

Dec. 1st- Allie Grace was delivered into the arms of Jesus at just 20 weeks, 4 days. To learn more, please click on the page entitled “Allie’s Story”.