CARYL MATRISCIANA UPDATE

By Caryl Matrisciana
(Founder of Caryl Productions)

The first week of November, in the absence of the cancer death threat hanging over my head, was a wonderful experience! Any spiritual, mental, and emotional oppression related to the six-month terminal prognosis completely vanished my first day of “restored life,” November 1st Sunday morning! A new lightness of thinking and skip in every step through daily journeys since November 1st has been a refreshing and unbelievable joy! The Grace of God goes beyond the ability to express it in words! The first time I experienced similar enthusiasm was an evening in November in 1973, in Chicago, when I became born-again into the kingdom of His guaranteed eternal life – that was a breathtaking, overwhelmingly speechless encounter! “[He] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)

Multiple thanks to many friends, some known, some unknown, for your generosity in love and prayers for me as I’ve been contending with these cancer trials and testings for almost a year! Appreciation also for your recent congratulatory wishes sharing my joy at having gone beyond the 6-month terminal cancer prognosis, your kind words have been extremely encouraging!

Thanks for coming alongside me, this past year as I’ve been coping with the various stages of learning about cancer in general and struggling through the curves my own personal cancer has thrown me! On top of the cancer, I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of my bicycle accident from September 2014 in Wisconsin. The numerous distresses resulting from the bike fall still proceed, and the surrounding dilemma of whether the ongoing ailments are related to the bone cancer or bike trauma? I’d appreciate your prayers to get me through the hurtings plus concerns about cancer numbers which continue to fluctuate in small numbers, technically the cancer is “at bay,” but somehow never gone, per se!

Thanks for your support in so many ways: your advice and letters of compassion – all has helped me through the initial stunning shock of my cancer diagnosis and its following terrors, fears, apprehensions and concerns, alongside the exhausting research over choices of surgery, chemo and radiation treatments. Without a doubt, the worst to cope with was the six-month time limit for life! That verbal articulation of doom came with a surreal cloud of heaviness, a sort of ongoing and nagging of living a type of death until supposedly cancer’s curse was accomplished! Only God’s release on November 1st was able to set me free from the evil affliction embodied in that announcement of invocation of death!

I’m deeply appreciative to my Creator God for granting me the knowledge of knowing Him in a very real and personal way as I go through my sufferings. I see His Hand growing me up in the richness of His Promises that make me stronger in my reliance and trust of Him.

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)

Many continue to ask how to pray for me, so, while I’ve survived the six-month terminal verdict, I still have cancer in my body. I saw my oncologist recently and based on the results of my latest bloodwork, my cancer markers have gone up by about 20 points. They vacillate between 20 -30, going up some months, coming down others – my doctor says, “that’s stability”! I try not to be affected when the cancer grows by a bit realizing God knows the beginning from the end! My part, is to trust in Him and rejoice in the circumstances whatever they be, and continuously give thanks.

A condition I contend with is the continual pain factor tormenting my muscles, joints, and bones down my left side along with suffering nerve damage (possibly a result of the bike accident). Please continue to pray for His Wisdom as I seek medical advice and remedies for pain relief, and that I continue in His strength to be grateful through it all and rejoice in it all. I’m reminded of this encouraging Scripture, “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:10) .

In Jesus Christ, the believer has all things – this is definitely worth rejoicing over!

Caryl