A very happy anniversary...

Exactly one year ago today was my thyroid surgery.
Although I slept through it all, the surgery went much longer than expected. My family was getting worried and only more concerned when the surgeon came out and tried to tell them what had taken so long. The cancer was more extensive than they had realized and, in the course of getting as much as possible, the surgeon had damaged the nerve that leads to the vocal chords. We had chosen to go to Dr. Olson -- chief of Endoctrine Surgery at Duke--because he monitored the vocal chords during thyroidectomies. The thyroid I was sure I could live without. My voice -- now THAT was a different scenario. So it was worrisome that Dr. Olson said that his monitors had lost contact with the vocal chords during the surgery. Only time would tell whether or not I would be able to talk after the surgery-- or not.
No wonder my sister looked so happy in the recovery room when I started complaining that there was no TV. I woke up (understandably) wanting to know the results of the presidential election. And the extent of worry was even clearer on my surgeon's face when he lit up like a Christmas tree when I spoke to him when he came to check on me. There was plenty of reason to worry about the thyroid cancer. But God also gave me back the gift of my speaking voice...a gift I cherish for both my life and my work.
Today, I drove back to Duke for followup and got more confirmation of good news and healing grace. I am newly overwhelmed with the gift of voice and life...and hope that my voice and life will -- in new ways --bring healing and grace to others.