Cancer is a word that is sometimes
not associated with winning,
but that has never been an option for me.
In fact,
every day I choose to move forward is
winning.
RUNNING
WITH THE BLIND
Everyone
knows that a runner sometimes faces difficult obstacles. Adrian Broca is a
runner may have an obstacle slightly bigger than the average runner- Adrian is
legally blind.
In
his senior year in high school, a genetic condition caused him to lose his
eyesight. Over time, all he could see a few color contrasts and shadows.
For a while, he was very depressed, but that’s when he started walking. After
many cuts, scrapes and bruises he learned how to walk around his neighborhood
by himself, eventually leading to running, and soon to running marathons.
Adrian
first signed up for a St. George Half Marathon and met Cedar City runners John
Hart and Clinton Rhoton there. These two helped Adrian run the race by running
beside him, holding a shoelace and guiding him along. They talked to him and
said things like, "there's a runner coming to your right, let's go
left." He set his personal time during this race.
In the 2010 St. George Marathon, Adrian ran the race with help John and Clinton and also two others: Brandon LaCagnina and Jon Hermansen. He says this about himself: "I viewed losing my vision as a gift and think it's something that has propelled me to overcome my challenges and not give up no matter what the obstacle that's ahead of me might be.”
MY GREATEST RACE
People
always seem to remember a ‘first’ in their lifetime, whether it was their first
time riding a bike, their first time driving a car, their first day at school,
or even their first kiss. Sometimes it’s a vague memory, and sometimes it’s
crystal clear. Nonetheless, it is something that you will never forget. One
thing that I remember very clearly is the day of my best 400 meter race.
It started
out like any other day. I crawled out of bed like a sloth, dragged myself to
school, and after a long school day, I headed to the bus for the meet. Throughout
the bus ride, I was a little nervous for my race, but not as much as I soon
would become. As the bus pulled into the Dixie High parking lot, I remember
thinking, Dang! It’s hot! Our team
headed to the shade and we all rested up for our races.
“First
call for the Varsity Boys 400 meter…” I faintly heard the announcer declare. My race
is after that, I thought, It’s coming
closer! Knots filled my stomach; I felt as nervous as a cat in a cage of
dogs! “First call: JV boys, 400 meter!” was what we all heard the announcer
say. “Let’s go warm up!” I called to my friend who was also running the same
race as I.
Our
warm-up happened speedily! While watching the varsity runners sprint their
event, I thought: It’s right after this!
I finished warming-up and headed for the starting line.
After
being assigned to our lanes, the official said, “On your marks!” I jumped once
to loosen my legs one last time. I positioned my legs on the starting blocks
and adjusted my hands. “Get set.” I was ready. I leaned my body. Boom! screamed the gun. I ran! I
remember running next to my friend, who was a little ahead of me on the second
of four stretches of the 400 meter track. As I round the third stretch, the
curve, I passed my friend. I recall feeling very tired, but honestly- would I
really stop at this point? No! I pushed and struggled to the finish line,
coming in at third place. I felt as accomplished as I ever had before.
I
was very anxious to see my time, but after a LONG while of waiting, my
dad went to converse with the officials of the meet. They explained: “We got
behind on timing races, so we skipped the time of the JV boys 400!” You’ve got to be kidding me. I was
furious! My best race, and there was no official time!
I
left to talk to my coach. He said, “After watching your race, Erik, it looks
like you got about a 58 or 57!” (seconds, that is)
“Yes!”
I exclaimed. This time was better than my last race by about 4 seconds (I only
ran the 400 meter twice during my freshman year). Even though it wasn’t as fast
as the others on the team, it was good enough for me! I tried my best, and it
showed in how the race turned out.
Like any test, there are super hard parts, kind of hard parts and there are easy parts.
But throughout
the whole thing we have to remember one thing:
IT’S AN OPEN BOOK TEST!
https://mormonyouth.org/1914/trials-can-increase-our-faith
In December 2008, when I was a
freshman in high school, I noticed a lump on my neck under my right jaw. I
didn’t really think anything of it at first, but I had a feeling it needed to
be checked out. My doctor prescribed some antibiotic, and it changed a little
bit but mostly stayed the same size, and the doctor dismissed it. A year later,
in December 2009, I went back to the doctor after noticing a few miniscule
lumps along with the lump already there. My doctor set up for a biopsy and
removed the lump. On December 22, 2009, I was officially diagnosed with
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma —or in simpler terms, cancer of the salivary glands.
I underwent a major surgery in
January 2010 followed by three months of radiation to the affected area in my
neck. In July of that year, I officially achieved remission. But only a year
and a half later, in January 2012, I noticed a few lumps in my neck, this time
close to my Adam’s apple. My fear had been realized; I was again diagnosed with
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma. I underwent a surgery followed by scans every few
months.
I thought that my trial with
cancer was over, but in November 2012, I was found to have a recurrence of the
cancer. This time, it was a little more severe. A month later, I went through a
13 1/2 hour surgery. Because the cancer was found in my jaw bone, the bone was
replaced by the fibula taken out from my left leg. I am currently in the middle
of reconstructive surgeries, and I look forward to the day when I will again
achieve remission.
This trial has strengthened my
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ immensely. I have faith that trial was allowed
to happen for a reason. I have faith that the Lord has a plan for me. Although
I do know what it entails and that it may not be exactly what I want, I am
willing to go and do whatever the Lord has planned for me. Yes, at times I am
scared, especially with my diagnosis, but I have faith. Faith guides me through
the hard times, and I know that everything I’m facing has a reason, and either
I or someone around me will be blessed because of me keeping my faith in the
Lord.
It has
also shown me that our Heavenly Father, and His son, Jesus Christ, are mindful
of our situations and are watching out for us. It seems almost unheard of that
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would allow such trials as mine to happen, and
although it must be hard to watch me suffer, it happens because this trial
allows me to grow. I know this because I look to the example of Joseph
Smith, Jr., the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. With the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, he restored the true
church of Jesus Christ back on the Earth. The true message had been lost
from the Earth for a long time, because it had been changed so much from
the truth. Joseph Smith was persecuted by many, called foolish and visionary.
He received instruction, guidance, and scripture from the Lord, called
revelations, which were recorded and are today called the Doctrine & Covenants.My trials have shown me the
importance of family. As Mormons, we believe that families can be together
forever, even after death. I know that despite what happens to me or any other
family members, if we obey God’s commandments and live righteously, we can live
together again after this life on Earth.
One revelation was received by
Joseph Smith during the winter of 1839, while he and others were imprisoned in
Liberty Jail, and his followers were being driven out of the state of Missouri.
He was pleading with God because of his own suffering and the suffering
of the Latter-day Saints. In the 122nd section, verse 7, it lists a
numerous amount of bad “what if” situations, such as “be cast into the pit, or
into the hands of murderers… and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape
open the mouth wide after thee,” but then the Lord says, “all these things
shall give thee experience, and be for thy good.” The Lord allowed bad events
to happen to Joseph Smith because he grew from those experiences. This
scripture gives me good comfort. Instead of thinking, Why me? I realize that
the Lord wants me to grow, and once my trial is over, I will be a better person
because of it.
My testimony has grown
substantially. I can testify that we are literal children of our Heavenly
Father and that He loves us, no matter what we do and no matter the mistakes we
make. He is mindful of our situations. We are put on this earth to grow physically
and spiritually, and I am grateful that the Lord loves me enough to allow hard
challenges to come my way, knowing that I have the ability to overcome them. I
know for myself that I am a member of His true church and that my life is
important. I am not just another kid, another cancer patient, another boy. I am
Erik Gray, and I am a son of God.
This article was written by Erik
Gray, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
My name is
Erik Gray. I’m 19 years old live in Utah. I’m a college student and three-time
cancer fighter. I love running, graphic design, and being with friends and
family. My favorite sports are football, basketball, and of course, running. In
my spare time I like to watch movies, be with family, and spend time with
friends. For my future career, I want to be a graphic designer or a
motivational speaker, or maybe both. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and
that by being a member of His church and living righteously, I can return to
live with Him someday. I hope to use my testimony and experiences to help
others with what they’re going through and share the glorious message of the
Gospel.
I love that with the atonement, Jesus Christ didn’t just pay for our sins.
He suffered for every feeling of pain, hurt and sadness.
I know that
no matter what I go through, I will never ever be alone.
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I don't know all the answers. And I guess I don't have to.
I know enough to know that God is real. Jesus Christ is real.
And the Atonement is real.
And the questions I don't know aren't important enough to doubt or struggle or anything... in fine waiting and just seeing what happens.
I know ENOUGH.
Enough to know that this is all real.
SEVEN YEARS.... ahhhh. Love and miss you Erik. You're in a good place. We'll all be in that good place sometime....until then... we'll keep plugging along. Love mom
EXCERPTS from-
Stake
Conference talk- March 17, 2013- Blessings of holding to the rod
......
BLESSINGS
THAT COME
·
“If you hold
to the rod, you can feel your way forward with the
gift of the Holy Ghost. … Grasp the iron rod, and do not let go. Through the
power of the Holy Ghost, you can feel your way
through life.” –Boyd K. Packer
·
You will gain
the right perspective that your life needs to have-
personal story
·
Holding to the
rod, especially during trials, will not define you, but refine you
·
Look up!
·
Progression-
I have felt progression in my life, especially through these last surgeries
·
Blessings of:
o Temple
o Priesthood
o Family
o Friends
o Mission
§ At
18 yrs old, Sid Going was a rugby player, and a shoe-in for New Zealand’s
national rugby team. However, he decided to serve a mission before playing
rugby.
§ When
he came home, he became one of the greatest halfbacks in the All-Blacks league
§ Training
and games would be scheduled around Sunday so that Sid could play
§ The
Queen of England even recognized him
§ “The
blessing of bringing others into the gospel far outweighs anything you will
ever sacrifice.”
o Having
the spirit to be with us
·
We are never alone:
o Cancer
diagnosis- life was going good last fall
o Feeling
of peace during the half marathon
o Read Footprints in the sand POEM
|
Footprints in
the Sand |
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One
night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. |
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Many
scenes from my life flashed across the sky. |
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In
each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. |
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Sometimes
there were two sets of footprints, |
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other
times there were one set of footprints. |
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|
|
This
bothered me because I noticed |
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that
during the low periods of my life, |
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when
I was suffering from |
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anguish,
sorrow or defeat, |
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I
could see only one set of footprints. |
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|
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So
I said to the Lord, |
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"You
promised me Lord, |
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that
if I followed you, |
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you
would walk with me always. |
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But
I have noticed that during |
|
the
most trying periods of my life |
|
there
have only been one |
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set
of footprints in the sand. |
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Why,
when I needed you most, |
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you
have not been there for me?" |
|
|
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The
Lord replied, |
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"The
times when you have |
|
seen
only one set of footprints, |
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is
when I carried you." |
|
Mary
Stevenson |
