Lynn Eib - 50 Days of Hope. Daily Inspiration for Your Journey through Cancer

Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.

Visit Lynn Eibs website at www.cancerpatientadvocate.com.

TYNDALE and Tyndales quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

50 Days of Hope: Daily Inspiration for Your Journey through Cancer

Copyright 2012 by Lynn Eib. All rights reserved.

Cover sunburst graphic from Graphic Frames by Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Cover tree illustration copyright Lingling/Veer. All rights reserved.

Cover trees photograph copyright javarman/Veer. All rights reserved.

Author photo copyright 2011 by Ken Myers Photography. All rights reserved.

Designed by Beth Sparkman

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. (Some quotations may be from the NLT, first edition, copyright 1996.) Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible , copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NKJV is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Eib, Lynn.

50 days of hope : daily inspiration for your journey through cancer / Lynn Eib.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-1-4143-6449-0 (sc leatherlike) 1. CancerPatientsPrayers and devotions. I. Title.

BV4910.33.E358 2012

242.4dc23 2011046237

This book is lovingly dedicated

in memory of my father

ROBERT YOXTHEIMER

19252011

a two-time cancer survivor,

and

in honor of my mother

GAYNOR YOXTHEIMER

a new cancer survivor

in 2011.

Acknowledgments

I am so grateful to:

God for allowing me to survive cancer. I cant say I know exactly why He did, but I know I want to live my life in thankfulness to Him.

My fabulous family for loving me and rejoicing with me for Gods blessings in our lives: my husband, Ralph; my daughters, Danielle, Bethany, and Lindsey; my sons-in-law, Frank and Josh; and my new grandson, Bauer Jackson. (Someday youll understand why Grandma wants to cry tears of joy every time she sees your beautiful face!)

Marc and Elizabeth Hirsh, who first recognized Gods call on my life to minister to cancer patients and gave me the unbelievable opportunity to live it outwithout you, none of this would have happened.

My brother, Jim, for loving me and praying for me. Youre the only non-cancer-survivor in our family nowplease dont join the club!

All the cancer survivors and their families who allowed me to share their stories of hope with you. (I think my main claim to fame in life is that I have more friends with cancer than anyone else!)

My Cancer Prayer Support Group memberswho eats better, laughs louder, and experiences Gods hope more than we do? Thanks for putting up with me and my dumb jokes.

My Wise Women of Esther GroupJodi, Kristin, Bev, Sue, Amanda, Dody, and Loriefor praying me through the second-hardest year of my life. I never would have made it without your laughter therapy!

The Knox Group of Tyndale House Publishers for continuing to ask me to write (in spite of my constant doubts that I can pen another book). Thanks especially to Bonne Steffen, my wise and excellent editor, and to Sharon Leavitt, senior communications manager, whose prayers and caring heart mean so much to me.

Got Hope?

Hope.

It may just be the best word in the English language. It has synonyms like expectation , longing , desire , confidence , trust , and faith . All of its antonyms can be rolled into one all-encompassing word: hopelessness .

We use it when we want to describe some of our deepest emotions, with phrases such as our only hope , no other hope , false hopes, and the saddest one of all no more hope .

Hope can take so many different forms and meanings and even change from hour to hour, but I believe it is the one thing all cancer patients and their loved ones can agree they needhope for today and especially hope for tomorrow.

Each week I usually meet five or six people newly diagnosed with cancer. Thats because I work as a patient advocate in an oncology office where its my job to offer emotional and spiritual support to cancer patients and their caregivers. Since 1996 Ive met thousands of folks facing dreaded cancer diagnoses and scores more who have attended my Cancer Prayer Support Group since its inception in 1991. And even though Im a cancer survivor of twenty-plus years, I dont ever assume I know exactly how all these cancer patients feel. And I certainly wouldnt presume to know exactly how you and your loved ones are feeling right now.

But I do know what it feels like:

To hear my name and cancer in a sentence together.

To wait agonizingly long for test results.

To struggle over treatment decisions.

To watch toxic chemo drip into my veins.

To wonder if Id see my children grow up.

And I know what it feels like to hope against hope that cancer would not have the last say in my life.

Youre holding in your hand 50 Days of Hope . This little book will take you through what many cancer survivors say are the darkest timesthe first few months after a cancer diagnosis. Of course, you can read it to find hope at any time on your cancer journey, but its especially written for those who recently have received a cancer diagnosis for themselves or someone they love. Its daily doses of inspiration that can be read in just a couple of minutes, because I know sometimes its hard to concentrate and read when youre stressed about your health or the health of a loved one.

When I give someone a copy of my first book, When God & Cancer Meet , I usually say something like, If you need to, you can put this book aside for a while and pick it up later when youre ready to read it. I am confident that at just the right time, each person will read the book and experience the encouragement God wants to bring. People all over the world have told me that is exactly what happened to them.

Some of this books inspiration is taken from that first book because I wanted to take those stories and encouraging truths and put them in an easily digestible format even for the most shell-shocked new patient or loved one. Some inspiration is taken from my other books, Finding the Light in Cancers Shadow and When God & Grief Meet . And much of this book is filled with new, hopeful stories, as well as insights gained from my front-row seat watching God work in the lives of cancer patients and their caregivers.