What a great day!

I apologize that it has been so long since I have posted anything. As you know, we met with the doctor and discussed his proposed treatment plan. Then last Monday, I met with the financial office to confirm a few things. Turns out that CTCA is out of network for our insurance and that is when the panic began. Without going into a lot of detail, I spent most of last week on the phone with the insurance company, Mayo Clinic and MD Anderson trying to find a way to get my treatment without racking up HUGE medical bills. I tried everything and by late Friday afternoon I had exhausted all my resources. My brain hurt, every time I made a phone call it would lead to another option that I would chase down which lead to three more phone calls. At a point of tears, literally, I called CTCA and explained that I could not afford to get my treatments there and thanked them for their time. The case manager, Susan, told me to rest for the weekend and she would see what she could do. So I started the weekend in a state of uncertainty and anyone that knows me knows that I have issues about leaving things undone.

I started this week stressed about where I was going for treatment, needing to get something started soon, talk to my boss about when I was coming back to work, how am I going to get to and from possible out-of-town treatments and all the details that were whirling around in my head. I knew that I was going to be spending a lot of time on the phone again trying disparately to work everything out. In addition to everything else, my time was running out because my short term disability provider was needing a note from my current doctor and I didn't know who that was going to be! I had to have an answer them by Wednesday morning. Now if that were not enough, I was summoned to jury duty. Gerald has served jury duty twice, my oldest son was summoned two weeks after turning 18 and I had never been summoned. Why now, the worst possible time for me....ARRRG!

So I woke up Tuesday morning and spent some time talking to God over my morning coffee. I explained all my issues (as if He didn't already know) and told him that I needed some help today. I asked if He could take care of the whole jury duty thing so that I could come home and make all the phone calls to resolve things. I also asked if he would make a way for me to go to CTCA and take care of the billing issues. I still wanted to go there because I believe that I can work through my chemo treatments and want as little time as possible off to do so. Not to mention, they are local and that would take care of any travel issues that go along with Mayo or MD Anderson.

So as 7:15, I went downtown, stood in line with about 250 other people that had been summoned. When it was my turn to check in I explained that my doctor was needing a fax number to send the documentation they requested. I was sent up to the 6th floor, got the fax sent over and a very nice lady told me to go home and take care of myself. I was home by 9:30 to make my phone calls. I spoke to Patrese in our HR department, who was extremely helpful and gave me a few more options to consider for treatment. I made a few more phone calls to follow up on the new option, then I called CTCA and asked if they had found a way for me to get my treatment from them. She explained that she had to make a few more calls and would get back to me. After a few more calls myself I had done all I could do. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse that I had been given over the past week; "Be still and know that I am God". So I put everything in God's hands and went grocery shopping, ran a few errands and did some laundry. I didn't even think about it all afternoon. Again, for anybody that knows me knows that is amazing!

Then at 4:30, I got a call from CTCA and they had a plan that will take care of all my insurance issues at a price that I can afford! There you have it...I did what I could do and gave the rest to God and He worked out all the details in a way that quite simply amazes me. I had a great day for several reasons; I learned to put everything in God's hands and watched Him work it all out. And that I need to trust in the boundaries of what I can do and what God needs/wants to do for me.

What an awesome God I serve!

Completely because of Christ,

Julie