Judy’s Story

Site created on September 1, 2019

When you hear the news that you have “cancer”, your mind begins to ruminate over every aspect of your life.  Shock and disbelief don’t begin to describe our feelings.

Rather than doubting His plan with “Why me? How could this have happened to me?”, Judy and David decided to view this as “Who am I helping by having lung cancer? There is a purpose to this and I will find it.” 

How could Judy have lung cancer? She never smoked, no family history of cancer or smoking, she worked as a teacher for many years so it’s safe to say she was not exposed to toxic chemicals, and she felt perfectly fine. In such disbelief and shock, Judy and David knew that there was a higher power at work. 

The reoccurring themes that kept appear in their minds were “what if I never went to the doctor for this cough?” And “what if they never ordered the chest X-ray?” 

As I begin to tell Judy’s story, I will point out how He has been by Judy’s side from the beginning looking out for her. 

It all started with a small cough that never went away. After pressure from her family to see her doctor, Judy conceded. Judy described the cough as a “dry cough with a little tickle in the back of my throat.” Judy’s reluctance to see the doctor was greatly due to her self-diagnosis of allergies. Needless to say, the Physician Assistant appeared to agree with Judy and prescribed an inhaler and allergy medication. As Judy was walking out of office, the Physician Assistant stopped her and said, “Why don’t we do an cheat x-ray to rule out phenomena?” A last-minute test was the most pivotal and crucial moment leading Judy to her diagnosis. (#Godswork). 

Judy was sent for a CT scan the following day after the x-ray showed a spot on her right lung.  On Saturday August 3, Judy and David found out the news; the tumor was lung cancer. 

The next two weeks would be a whirlwind of doctor appointments and various procedures. Judy underwent a brain MRI, PET scan, lung density test, and two biopsies (lung & adrenal gland). During that time, Judy maintained her faith in God, unbelievable optimism, and staying positive. The results were not as positive as we had hoped and prayed for. Judy’s cancer had spread to her lymph nodes in her right lung and to the adrenal gland. Due to the cancer spreading outside the lung, it is classified as stage IV. 

David and Judy have chosen to focus on the positive aspects her oncology team at University Colorado Hospital expressed. 

Her doctor asserted:

“If your cancer is going to spread, the two best places are the brain and the adrenal glands. Those places are targeted areas for treatment.” 

“This is 100% treatable and durable meaning cancer-free.”

“There are many variations of stage IV and it’s just a technicality because it is in the adrenal gland. We can easily get to back to a stage I or II after it’s out of the gland.” 

(#Godswork) - Her cancer spread to treatable organs and He has given the upmost strength to Judy and David to remain strong. 

As we continue to get more information, we will post through the journal section. We are asking for continuous love and prayers for Judy and David during this journey. We have included a link for Meal Train to that will assist David and Judy with nightly meals during treatment. 

We would like to thank everyone for your love and support.

With love, 

Taylor, Jessica, Ryan, and Andrea Pryor. 

Newest Update

Round two

Journal entry by Andrea Pryor —

Journal entry by Judy Pryor January 28, 2020

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. 
Proverbs 31:25

Tomorrow will be my second chemo therapy treatment. It’s amazing how fast three weeks pass by. I’m posting a couple of pictures from my first chemo treatment day. The day started with labs, an appointment with my oncologist,(pictured) followed by treatment.
All went as expected, and my side effects were very tolerable. I had some nausea, lack of appetite, and fatigue. 

I continue to feel so very blessed each day with such an outpouring of love and support from all of you. I am embracing this journey with joy and anticipation. “It’s about the journey.” There will be many ups and downs during this journey; everyone has them whether they have cancer or not. But cancer is teaching me to wake up every morning ready to tackle the new day that God has given me with gratitude and strength without fear of the future.

“We got this” 
Round two!
Cancer takes away our control. Therefore, we put not only our trust in God, but also the doctors and other health-care professionals who are responsible for treatment. God puts these specific people in our lives, and we can’t thank them enough for their care, trusting God will use them to be His hands. So as you pray for me, please pray for those caring for me.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behave, and give thanks for them.
1 Timothy 2:1

Love you all, 
Judy
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