We did submit her to the doctors’ treatments. We told them they had permission to exercise what the good Lord had taught them, but we would do (pray, etc.) all He had taught us, and, if there was any conflict, we had the right to over-ride any of them. They agreed, and although we did have to stop some of their actions, God triumphed over the situation and we had victory!
She immediately began showing positive results, within days! And, after two weeks, she went home! She continued to have chemo-therapy for five months, but the doctor said that her tests showed no sign of the cancer after the second month. And, by January, her bone had completely filled in and was perfectly restored! The physicians involved said that she had Divine intervention in the treatment!
But, while Tracie was in the hospital she showed all the staff her strong faith in her God (for she had accepted Jesus as her Savior several years earlier, as had our son, Marty!). And, with her personality, she made lasting friendships with members of the staff!
She had a home-tutor for a while, then went to her (new) school (in Titusville, Florida) where she was welcomed with opened arms! She grew stronger and stronger, joining the band and the school choral group, and participated in field trips, etc. After all, she was HEALED!
During the rest of the time while she was in high school, Tracie lived for life! She had been redeemed from apparent death and she wanted to make as much of her life as she could. There had been a lot of additional stress on her, though. Within the year after moving to Florida, I lost my job at the TV station, but three months later, I was given a job at Kennedy Space Center, where I still work (1989). We had changed churches several times, trying to find our place. And, Tracie had changed boyfriends several times since moving to Florida!
In her high school years, she participated in the Junior Miss competition. As her ‘talent’, she decided to sing a Christian song (“El Shaddai” which you are listening to right now) which had been made popular by Amy Grant a couple of years previous. She was told that you can’t win by performing Christian music, but she insisted on doing it. She didn’t win the pageant, but she was able to express her faith in her God.
In 1984, Tracie’s biography was published in WHO’S WHO AMONG AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, a National honor, bespeaking her character and achievements!
She was also invited to be a member of the Madrigal Singers at Titusville High, a group of less than two dozen members who perform professional-quality close harmony, and which had many invitations from all over the state, including Disney World. All the members of the Madrigals were very close to one another, like brothers and sisters. That Senior year they had a favorite song, “Friends”, which meant so much to Tracie, for the lyrics were an expression of love between friends, which she shared with each of them.
Tracie’s graduation from high school was a beautiful time in her life! Relatives came down. And, she was able to march down the aisle and receive the diploma she had worked so hard to get. It was a grand time.
A month after graduation, Tracie had pains in her shoulder. She went to the hospital in Orlando for an examination, and a biopsy showed an onset of cancer; similar to what she had been delivered from three years previous. She returned home after a short stay in the hospital and immediately began the twice a month chemo-therapy treatments (one as out-patient and one as a three day in-patient). It was more painful than before. And, like before, she lost her beautiful dark hair.
However, the tests showed cyclic action; it seemed that she was getting better, then, next month it would flare up in a different part of her body. The doctor did not know why it seemed not to be working this time. Several different formulations were tried, but nothing would permanently stop the action of the cancer.
In between treatments, Tracie was determined to go on with her life. She enrolled in the local community college; she even took a part-time job in the campus bookstore. And, after school she did volunteer work as receptionist at the Christian TV station where I once worked! But, about two weeks out of each month, following the treatments, she was miserable.
However, during all this time, she was maturing spiritually. She began studying the Word; looking at all the promises of God, healing, etc. She went for counseling, that she might be stronger in her Christian walk. Finally, and, I guess, at a point of fatigue from all the pain and discomfort she had been suffering, she said that if she had to go through chemo-therapy the rest of her life, she would just as soon go home to the Lord now! Sort of a reverse-Hezekiah syndrome … the Lord was calling His good servant home (after he suffered a toe infection!) and Hezekiah cried before the Lord to prolong his life. The Lord relented and gave him fifteen more years – which turned out to be the most miserable and painful period in his life!
When they started her last chemo-therapy treatment, she had such a violent reaction to it that the doctor stopped it, and sent her home. He intended to try to find another formulation that would work, but she had made up her mind…no more chemo-therapy! She confessed that she was putting her trust in the Lord, to deliver her from this disease (like He had done before) or to take her on ‘home’.
In June of 1986, her body had lost so much weight and was so weak, that we convinced her to be checked in to a local hospital only for infusion of nutrients. She agreed, as long as they weren’t treating cancer, which she had committed to the Lord.
One may wonder why her mother and I, who had been so instrumental in ‘standing in’ for her during the first attack of cancer, were not doing the same. But, we were shown by the Lord that now, at nineteen, Tracie was her own person, Spiritually, and had to stand on her own…that we could pray and intercede for her, but, only in line with her wishes and prayers. We all must reach that point in our lives; that we can’t expect ‘mommie to do it for me’ any longer; that we are ‘naked before the Lord.’
