Cancer & Faith: Interview With Jen DellaCrosse | The Catholic Talk Show

hey everybody welcome back to a very special episode of the Catholic Talk Show today we're going to be interviewing our first wife interview on the show that's right we're talking with Jen delross uh Ryan's wife uh and we're going to talk about her struggle with cancer and how spirituality and how prayer has uh fortified her through this really hard time yeah I can't wait to hear about the better half of the delross couple [Music] [Applause] [Music] all right thanks a lot for that father Mack appreciate that those kind words uh Jim welcome to the show thank you I'm happy to be here yeah we're happy you're here too she never watches it but she'll come and be on it so she's has enough at me at home so she just you know I always think that's hilarious that she and like notoriously says I don't watch your show it's not true I mean it is true I listen oh I don't watch okay but I listen while I'm folding laundry so it's like a half listen I admit that I we have lots of laundry too I wouldn't listen either um yeah so I you know when we were talking about doing this show uh I personally have witnessed uh Jen's strength um uh also a lot of suffering and uh questioning and and growth ultimately uh and then also a lot of how you are able to minister to others in a new way and I just thought it be a really good thing uh for for that side of it the other side is that everybody's been asking and praying for Jen and we really appreciate that um it's been a great source of strength for our family uh source of Grace in our lives and we just felt like this would be a good episode to do um to honor her and her her joury and and also honor you guys as people who've been praying for us good friends so for for the people who are unaware uh Jen what is the diagnosis what what was the what what happened so last summer you know we were in up in Montana and I just had a headache every day so when I came home and wasn't in high elevation uh and I woke up with the headache then it just seemed kind of odd and so R said why don't we go get it checked out it's kind of weird and we did and 4th of July I had a c t scan and the guy's like Jen you need to go downtown you you have a mass so obviously anytime you have a mass or you have any potential of the c word you know cancer can be scary and uh so you know we went down there and lo and behold yes I have glop blastoma so it is a form of uh a form of a brain tumor it can and cannot be cancerous just depends so they do the pathology so I've had it removed and uh and now I'm just in treatment and uh you know I think I think my faith has definitely played a large part in just keeping a positive attitude and being able to share you know with other people and uh you know my background for those of you who might not know like you know I'm I'm an I was an Army Nurse I'm retired now and um and then I do have my masters in Psychology so I'm very interested in the wellness of people so I have a lot of tools and every time you go to the hospital I don't know if you guys experien this but they're always asking if you're depressed or anxious and I just told my doctor well what about angry or there's some other emotions that might we might want to talk about here versus just um you know depression or anxiety but um I think in the beginning uh there was definitely uh just that fearfulness of the unknown that that when you get that diagnosis to say you know how serious is this is it removable is it treatable so you kind of have to ask God to kind of slow your heart and your mind down so that you can wait for some of the diagnosis to kind of land and then uh and then kind of approach it in a different way you know Ryan I was talking to you throughout all of that and you said that father Rich told you something that was really important during that which was not to yeah not to project um you know what does that mean well I mean you know a lot of a lot of things that happen when there's like a trauma which what I what I would consider you know obviously it's not a physical trauma to me but to me it was just like my life is completely changed right now I don't know what's going to happen uh and then you start projecting uh what if this were to happen what if this were to happen I'm going to pray we're going to you know so you kind of go through all these things and um you know I called father Pagano and I'm just like man I'm just not doing well I'm thinking about this thinking about that he says Ryan the the worst thing you can do in this situation is to project an outcome because what happens is in doing so your mind is taking your heart to places that God hasn't prepared for you um that he's preparing you now in the situation that you're in and to walk with him through the emotions that you're having and the doubt that you're having and um and and also the faithfulness that you're experiencing too you know and that was a really good advice to me uh Jim was very good at it um you know and what were you experiencing Jen like you know I know that you said you had all kinds of things you know anger and this and that like I I I I literally can't imagine hearing that news I mean you're a mother of seven children the things that had to be going through your heart and your mind um what' you feel yeah I mean I would definitely say and part of it is you know when you when you I I am a nurse and I I worked in neurology I I I know that my brain surgery could have radically changed my personality what I could and couldn't do so I definitely was projecting a future of the wh ifs and and I had to just calm my heart down and be like okay you know one day at a time and and I can't project that that's what's going to happen to me and even if it does I I tend to kind of go down this road like okay if if this happens you know what can I possibly do about it and and how can God still use my gifts and talents in different ways so I I have to say like just being faithful and I mean I think a couple years ago uh for Lent I decided to do the ly of trust and the surrender noo I'm just going to say like you might just prepare yourself for that if this is something you ever want to emulate because it's pretty rough I mean and even in the beginning I I was like you know Lord I just kind of maybe I should start with can you just help me mean it when I say it because they are hard things like pick other people over me you know love other people you know it's it's big stuff that God calls us to in that next level when he's like what is that ly of trust and and I think and I've read a couple different things and I listened to a lot of podcasts on suffering because I am looking for tools and I am looking for new ways to approach where I am and and some of the really good ones are you know what is your view of God and you know um there's a lot of really good stuff out there you know and if you're interested I can I can have ran put some of it on the on the show um but I'll I'll be honest it's like you really do have to believe that God is loving and that he loves you and and I I read um what is it is it Jeremiah 2911 I have it back backwards yeah but that proverb I read all is it a proverb I read it all the time it's 2911 2911 but it's kind of like um knowing that God has a plan to prosper you and not to harm you to give you hope in a future I had that poster in my office and I read it every day and slowly it's it's more it's it's one thing to read it and it's another to internalize it because you really believe it so I just think over time of the last couple years um God has been working on my heart to help me to believe it so I I do believe God is loving I do believe that our suffering has a purpose and I just think it's even more interesting that with Easter and and and seeing the resurrection um I I've had just the the luxury of um sometimes just sitting there with God and I I remember one time we were sitting there at a church and they the altar had the crucifixion and I thought there is no way the apostles were sitting here going woo this is a win all right know this is great like they were probably terrified and I just realized that in our suffering I think we get caught up up in the crucifixion and we have to wait for the resurrection that whatever God's using that suffering for in your life you have to kind of wait for it but it's there and uh and I feel like that's kind of where he has me right now he's been talking to me um I even now I've moved to Florida there's no Perpetual adoration and I was telling the other day I said I need to find Perpetual adoration I I I need to come talk to you I mean he's like a buddy I was telling my kids he's like a friend he invites you to dinner on Sunday come to Sunday and eat dinner you know but he you can come every day of the week if you want there's always room at the table with our Lord you can go to mass every day and I thought you know wow okay I I can do this so I I texted a friend of mine new to Jacksonville I'm a where's Perpetual aeration that's not maybe an hour away and I found a church and I'm not even kidding it's five minutes from where my sons go to basketball practice so now I have a new place to sit for an hour when I'm in a different part of Jacksonville waiting for my children to be done with practice so I guess what I'm saying is I just continue to um the surrender prayer I cannot I cannot emphasize enough and uh and I mean I I read all nine days every day so I I don't just you know Novena is one day for nine days I I know and I really am a role follower so it kind of shocks me that I do this but every day matters to me every day matters to me and I'm kind of on day five so day 5 uh speaks to me the most right now which is if I take you down a path that's unexpected I'm like okay Lord that's funny you take me down a path that's unexpected I will prepare you you know I will carry you in my arms and that's another thing about that prayer is there's so many mothering analogies and I can completely relate to of just let me carry you let me put you on the other side of the bank let me you know give this to me and uh and it's hard I mean don't get me wrong I'm definitely not good at it but I I just rryy every time every day just put it back at the foot of the cross say Jesus I know you've got this I mean I tease people all the time because I mean the biggest joke is how can Ryan possibly raise our seven children without me right this got have a sense of humor or what huh not joke it's true ran though I mean I'm watching you man I'm seeing like the extra work you're putting in I'm just really so inspired and so proud of you as a man and as a brother yes for how You' you've always been a very involved father but the way that you stepped up now and just giving of yourself to the point of emptiness man it's it's inspiring and then I look at it I just pray for you and I'm just I I just love you as a brother and I'm so proud of you for the man that you are that's why I you know I've always wanted you know that's why that's why I have so much respect for you amen yes and I mean I'm obviously joking and and people who know right you know it's not a joke though it's true I mean organizationally Ryan would need some help right but um not not in loving our children or being present to them that that's not what it is but you know and I always teased them I said you know if God has a plan which you know even if that should be you know that I pass you know uh I just I just know he'll be taken care of I know that that God would provide for him and our kids and I I can rest in that now and I don't see that as in my immediate future because I have this have this new little baby I wear this little mechanical baby and it um it's on my head now you know I what what did you name the baby it's baby oo baby oo my mechanical baby and I say that only because um it h it needs batteries it needs I have to like be attentive to it like I used to be attentive to small children what what type of what type of device is that so this is called an optune and the optune is um right now specifically used for G blastoma so it's part of the treatment care for I mean you do have to qualify and be eligible so it's not for every type of brain cancer or um even for every GL glost you have to kind of be eligible for it but luckily you know again my tumor was in the perfect place to be operated and then I can use this treatment and my doctor told me you know people have worn this for four five 10 plus years so you know a lot of it too even in that like is inconvenient and sometimes annoying it can be like on a rainy day like I can't wear it in the rain so then I'm like H I guess I'll stay home or you know I have to kind of make decisions um cuz I have have to meet a certain amount of time wearing it um a month um to to keep it and it's expensive uh for my insurance company but I just think to myself you know like okay like gratitude right like I think really the the lessons I've learned are are crazy because um you know I I felt God's presence when I was seven I I I don't have a I when I talk to people about your your life journey I I don't would say everybody is very unique but I I definitely haven't quite yet met someone who's kind of had my journey but not shocking but at seven years old I know first confession first communion I was like the Lord is it I got it I'm I'm I'm Yours Lord I'm going to follow you right now and um and I've tried to do that you know since I was s years old so in doing that you know and trying to to give up other things or or looking at how how he's called me in different ways um I do think though that I had a strong spirit of self Reliance and I do think that that is what God was trying to break through and uh and when God does hard things for me I I call him Heavenly spankin um because they come straight from his hand and he is whacking me hard and I've had him a couple times in my life swack he is whacking away and I'm like okay get it and I don't but I mean he he's trying to redirect my attention or help me reprioritize and I've kind of gotten off track and in a way I almost feel like in this is suffering he's he's holding me tighter like he's pulling me back to him he's saying Jen you're you're a little off track you know like I tend to be kind of stuck in my head a lot and he's the I would have to say last 20 years especially my children my husband our family life he's trying to move me out of my head and into my heart you know that life is about relationship and about loving people and loving your neighbors and your friends and the more we do that um the more we are a witness and we bring people closer to God so that's kind of where I'm at with that right now yeah and you're on chemo too right I do yeah how you doing with that um yeah I had a bad day it happens occasionally um I learned from it though you know some things I I just maybe could have been uh more careful with but um yeah right now it's it's five days a month that's very manageable it's a pill I I really can't complain I mean my even my cancer Journey has not been too painful and I know then that's and I as as someone who's watched a lot of people who've been in you know chronic pain and things like that I feel very blessed that this journey for me has not been one of pain inconvenience um annoying at times yes but I'm I'm not in a lot of pain and I'm really grateful and you recently got a you you had one of your scans recently and and Ryan called I actually I called you and you're like and you said like man it's just you're so grateful that you had your last scan was was really good news it was you know yes so that your treatment plan no new grow in the tumor um that optune is is keeping uh the cells that are cancer at Bay um and we're looking for some alternative uh immunity um boosting medicines she was in a vaccine trial um but yeah just kind of going back to her journey and uh you know I I can imagine how you witness people coming closer to God through circumstances as being a priest and and bringing them uh that it's a great privilege to see I'm sure um but with Jen I remember you know we had the support of our friends in Houston uh immense amount of support um laundry food uh everything and it was it was kind of a way for you know Jin to rest um to pray uh for me to accompany her um and I just remember a lot of mornings every morning she would be out in the back porch and she'd be crying or you know praying and just kind of you know knew that she was going through something with god um and then just understanding that and accompanying her through that and praying the the surrender prayer and just kind of accompanying her with her journey was a big gift for me to see um because although she uh was very is a very faithful Catholic you know our faith is is tested at times in a lot of different ways to see her strength and you know embracing this trial in prayer um and understanding what God was trying to say to her it was it was a beautiful thing uh for our marriage it was a a beautiful thing for her for our children um for other people you know like just the witness that she provided to others that um you know she was unaware of in most cases uh but just to be a part of that uh it's a great privilege yeah I'm super inspired just to I feel like I'm on Holy Ground just being at this table right now I look down I'm like my hands are like kind of folded in prayer here without even like thinking about it I mean just hearing your faith as you're going through this is really incredible really incredible it's a gift so how are the children how did you break it to them how do they how are they handling it how do they understand it you know because I mean there I know your kids they're all so different in age and personality I'm sure they all take it differently but how's that experience explaining it to the children letting them know what to expect and guiding them because I'm you know they seeing their mom sick is a thing for them too how's that going think well I mean we're we've definitely experienced a a life altering uh circumstances so you know gosh for a couple months it's the hospital it's this it's that it's radiation it's chemo it's um you know like the the the home life completely Chang right it was you know not a lot of attention was paid to the children as much as we typically uh give them um and so the the grace of God again through prayer and and just knowing that God can take care of all this seeing them you know uh come to her uh in love and understanding uh you have different ways that all different Kids React um you know uh a lot of questions uh you know um about uh Jen and and you know and I remember what was it somebody said something to one of the kids I think it was like I don't know you were gonna die or something I can't remember what it was but AA came to me she's like how come you didn't tell me mom's gonna die well I can't remember what it was it was something like that and I'm like who told you this you know it like somebody told her and I'm like no no no no no no no no we're we're not in this so you know a couple of conversations like that but the dayto day is she's got to wear this for 70% of the time and so we're putting her head on uh at the house the kids are involved um in that uh the younger kids are you know obviously take a different approach they just rub my head they just rub their head but I think we've started settling into our life a little more as like this is kind of The New Normal um we are you know soon pursuing alternative medicines that have worked for others that could potentially work for her um in lie of the fact that we have these frequencies that are going on in our head that aren't you know um going into the immunity system they're more of uh you know things that can keep it at Bay the optune machine right right and so so now we're going to meet with the doctors here in a few weeks and then you know the scan is good which I think it will be I haven't noticed any changes in her behavior um you're smiling while you're smiling um is that not true Jen no rise rise is the one to tell him the doctor he's like anxiety depression how about he he just gets a little more colorful what about this yeah I'm like so is it a symptom if she gets angry at me she shouldn't be right is it a symptom that she doesn't want me to go golfing tomorrow yeah like we need to like yeah is there a pill for that I know we got some pills and stuff you know um yeah so it's it honestly like uh and another reason why we're having this show is like the prayers of everybody MH have been humbling yeah I am really grateful you guys for for all of you and one of our Sons Vincent he was he was having a moment one night and he goes mom he's like I am I'm so scared for you and I said Vincent dad has all his subscribers praying for me I have like tens of thousands of people praying for me I said this is going to end well you'll see so it was really comforting I think when I can um you know kind of say that to him and and I do I mean I experience people who just who might meet me for the first time and they're like I I wake up and I pray for you and I think about you all day and I pray for you before I go to bed some of these people are people I know and then some of them I do not know them well and so maybe just I do think obviously when you when you meet someone who has seven kids and and you know that how hard that is you're like no no one would any you know would everyone would want you know Wellness for them and for healing and stuff so it's been a good journey with that like just how many people are just so generous with their time and prayers and it's been it's been a very humbling yeah we had the opportunity to go to Lords together and to go and do the um the bathing and drinking the water that was a really was awesome that was a powerful moment you know they said that we weren't aowow to film it but I still managed toct for theid he got a beautiful picture of of her sorry the staff at Our Lady of Lords I hope you understand you know they don't because they were speaking French so but that that was a beautiful thing and just your pray you know both of you guys' prayerfulness throughout this and the trust and and the surrender you know is yeah I mean I God forbid anyone ever has to go through this but if they do the way that you guys are handling is about as good as I can imagine anyone handling it m it's just abandoning yourself to God you know I mean it's hard to do but sometimes he allows you to experience this struggle um and and the understanding that you're not abandoning yourself completely that you're holding on to something and so you're put in a ju position of um exercising Faith or fear she's done a really good job with that and like honestly like just talking with her and everything she's going through the the fact that she's concerned about other people and praying for other people and Priests and like I mean like just that alone for me is just like she's not sitting in this um and taking on a lot of things that are causing her pain and suffering it's she's taking on a lot of things that are increasing her faith that are uh showing um new um you know Revelations of who God is in her life and and her journey and it's been beautiful to watch and you know I wouldn't want to go back and do it all over again but you know it's it's you know he SWS a lot of goodness and and suffering truly and and you know recently I I was able to um and I I have to put a shout out for this movie and then it's not it's it's not a theological treaties in any way but but you know Ry and I watched The Shack a couple weeks ago and um I have to say you guys I was I was so moved by how God pursues you in suffering and and I I can't talk about it enough because I don't think people always see that I see that we tend to run away from suffering it's very normal thing but it's in that suffering I think guys that we really are with God on the cross and I think that that and that's what I love about just being Catholic and and understanding that our our understanding of suffering can can be shown To Us by a loving God who cares about us and who was willing to suffer for us too and I I just think that's such a comfort and such a a beautiful analogy into our our own lives that when God calls you into suffering like that and this can be anything this could be your children this could be your spouse this could be your parents like whatever you know and then and just how much we have to forgive and we have to move on and then and then as the suffering comes we just kind of have to kind of head it straight on that with asking for God's help that you don't have to do it by yourself you know what you guys are just talking about it made me think of a line from The Lord of the Rings tolken yes and it's Frodo he's like I wish it need not have happened in my time and Gandalf says so do I and so do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide all we have to do to decide is to do with what time that is given to us yeah Jen and Ryan I mean everything that you guys are saying especially how the uh surrender Novena has hit you so much it just this quote that uh I use on Divine Mercy Sunday and uh kind of preach from it it keeps coming up in my mind as you guys are talking so I'll I'll read out part of it here it says this is from uh St faa's Diary Number 1578 The Graces of my Mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only and that is trust the more a soul trusts the more it will receive Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to me because I pour all the treasures of my Graces into them I Rejoice that they ask for much because it is my desire to give much very much on the other hand I am sad when Souls ask for little when they narrow their hearts and I just can't help but thinking of you guys during this whole thing and your main word that keeps coming up is trust trust trust that and surrender you know that kind of go hand in hand yeah you know I look at it as like we have this he's using this image of like a well right we have the bucket that we're going to draw from The Well of his grace and it's like the bucket is your trust right so the bigger that your trust is the bigger that bucket is it's just like the more you get to receive from God so I mean what you guys are describing is like a whole different way of looking at suffering is like no this is just right now this happens to be my my vehicle or my Avenue to receive more of God's grace and I'm going to do that by trusting more you know I think it you can apply that to literally any situation that we're in yeah especially the hard stuff though where it's harder to trust it's like okay Lord I'm I'm just going to open the bucket as wide as I can and trust you completely that you have my back even if it seems horrible right now I know you got my back well often times what I think is when we when we project too far in the future so we think oh my gosh you know like what if what if uh what if they die or like what if I did die but we're all going to die like that that's kind of a silly I don't know a silly projection because I guess in the other hand of that is when we trust God and we're saying the outcome might not be the outcome we think we want right we think we know what the outcome is that we want we want we want healing we want re renewal we want to live well if that that doesn't happen that doesn't mean he's not holding us he's not still giving us what we need or or want that's just the best path and I just I can't I I don't know like I find a lot of comfort in the fact that I don't know that God you know continues to bring things in into my life and and probably you know everyone's life that ultimately is their journey to him yeah and the thing that uh I was thinking about when you read that is humility in the catechism it says humility is the foundation of Prayer and so humility is basically been been brought upon us because of our understanding of what our life is and in in God and you kind of get in this sort of Lane where you're on cruise control um and then something like this happens and then you're humbled and it's not that you're being humbled by God and in her case being spanked um it's just that I think I think he just shows you that this life is just not it's not it's not everything it's a it's a place for us to get to know God to love God to serve God and help others to to get to know him but ultimately it's just such a very small part of what our lives are in him it's not something to be possessed owned um your perspective of what it should be uh a lot of times is is is shattered when things like this happen and and and very grateful that we have faith to uh be able to exercise uh to to be able to experience these Graces um yeah St theres always would say the world is th ship not th home yeah you know yeah yeah and I I I believe like I I have experienced this in watching her um and again like The Graces that she's experiencing are far greater than what I'm experiencing and I'm witnessing her transformation in this in this case and you know you look at it you're like she's got cancer and stage four cancer how is she being transformed it's like I I don't know it's just it's all Grace like it's just like it's happening it's happening you know and um and we're grateful for it you know um but yeah just I I guess the big lesson I had was that a lot of times you know we get caught up in what life should be what life is um we exert our Wills into um trying to again manifest like a certain destiny that we have U that we feel like is is a part of our Lives it's important and then we realize in times like this that what's really important is that we have this God that will heal our broken hearts will get us through anything and in doing that we will grow closer to him it's uh really bringing out the the crucifix the cross it's really bringing out suffering in a way that you you don't expect and so like I think a lot of people watching are dealing I me I know they're all dealing with something in their life you know and and wanting to hold on to it or not let go of it not give it to God and then when you read that it's just like do we trust him in this situation do you trust him do you trust that he has your best interest at mind those who you care about do do you sense that can take care of anything and that you can walk through this with him and grow and in love and grow and and an understanding of who he really is because he it's almost like he's like I'm God and then it's like this happens he's like I'm still God you know like and you're like okay well this is a new part of my journey and her journey where you starting to realize that God is is a lot bigger than what we thought you know you know Jen you said something earlier that a lot of people get hung up on the cross right Jesus got hung up on the cross so we didn't have to the Romans would line the road with crucified insurgents or criminals or Rebels or you know conquered people hundreds of thousands of people were being crucified by the Romans but we remember the one who came off the cross and was resurrected not because of the Cross but because he rose from the dead after the cross you know all the people that were crucified by the Romans they're lost to history but the one who Rose the one who went beyond the cross is the one that has changed fundamentally the reality of all humans for all times and that stood out to me that you know the cross is an image of suffering and of our Lord's passion but its meaning is given by the resurrection and to have that kind of hope that after the after the cross is the resurrection I think is the proper orientation to even viewing the crucifix and then I I think another thing that stuck out for me on our pilgrimage to Spain and France was one of our pilgrims went walking with Father Pagano um and we sat down and I was like they did some hike or something we didn't do well that was that me me and you were like dude that's I don't like the heights me and were terrified of the heights fall over this thing it's terrorized we we're on monserat and monat is this Giant mountain with these like sheer Cliffs and I'm like I'm not doing this yeah and so this one lady um I guess uh sinned in a particular way that she's holding on to it um and she's feeling guilt and you know she's sorry and you know but she's holding on to this sin and and the suffering that she's inducing upon herself by holding on to it and she saw Christ and he was bloody and he had his a crown on and he's looking at her in her eyes and I was like what what was communicated like this is like I mean did he did you see something in his eyes and she said and it it was almost like he was looking at her like I did all this for you like will you just let me you know let me love you let me just just take care of this for you you know and and like that that moment it was just like wow like you know he's done so so much just in the sacrifice of the cross that he you know did for us like that that is literally the focal point of why all of us are able to exist in the world um and become free from our sins and you know so it's just like letting his sacrifice too letting his sacrifice be the thing that drives us you know and turning it over to him and saying you've done this for me I don't need to do this for myself I don't need to free myself s from I can't the suffering well you can't yeah you know I just thought that was beautiful because I needed to hear that too sure you know well was kind of God's way of speaking to me too as well you know so you know I'm really inspired by both of you and and I know everyone's praying for all of you you have so much prayer support you have so much you know tangible support from the people in the community around you know and friends and everything like that um you know what you know I know you guys got the the next scan coming up but you know know you know you've you've recently moved down here to Florida you know you got your mom coming back you know kids are happy in the new schools and everything like that and it does it seems like that you guys have settled into this as a new normal in a really yeah you know really kind of Del across way where it's like hey cool this is how we live now it's like God okay you know like what else you got for us you um so why don't we why don't we close with this then why don't we talk a little bit more about that surrender NOA because I know that that's been so powerful for you and I had that pulled up that so the Novena there's the nine days of prayer and each day there's a different little you know reflection or prayer but what you say at the end is oh Jesus I Surrender myself to you take care of everything you say it 10 times amen yeah what I mean what else can you do you know I sured myself to you take care of everything CU you can't save yourself no one can get to Heaven by themselves you're not going to heal yourself you're you know no one gets out of life alive yeah you know I looked at the statistics Jen every one out of one PE person ultimately where did you find that I think it was on the CDC shocking so yeah you know and and our our sponsor Hala big shout out to them uh if you want to try it for free I highly suggest that this surrender noen is in there um at Catholic Talk show.com Hall uh we we did the 40-day lent journey and I was like oh my gosh the whole Lenton Journey was built literally built around all the things that we have been praying you know since July yeah right and it's just like God's speaking to us through this app like but it was but it was also through Walter chisik story and even in all of his Holiness he found himself in places where he had to continually surrender to God's will because he had a perspective of what his priesthood was going to be he had a perspective of his life um and he was brought into you know horrible circumstances that this experience of surrendering to these circumstances and understanding that God is present in it has something that changed his life and now it's changing others people's lives because it was granted it was given to us in in hallow and this guy was locked up for 21 years imagine being locked up for 21 years you know you think your life's over well no the the the seeds of his faith and the surrender that he's had he's now sharing with the world and it's blessed so many people including ourselves you know and even when he was in prison it's like you wonder how am I living on my priesthood there's just nothing that's lost on God no amount of suffering or whatever like even if you're having to stay home like you mentioned because it's raining outside and you can't have the the thing the device getting wet it's like okay even this like nothing's wasted here I can offer everything and join it to the Cross he's in every moment well even with this device my doctor told me that there are people who choose not to wear it you know there are people who just say no like they don't want to be bald they don't want to be inconvenience I mean and and and you know something we can all do but I'm I'm fighting this I'm like oh no I'm I'm grateful for every day like one thing is I just open my eyes and I'm like I live today where my tumor could be removed there's medical you know drugs I can take different medications I can take that help me prayer and and then like obviously the the prayerful side of it is I mean God could heal me tonight if he wanted to you know I mean he could heal me when I got back from Lord's I mean I if any of you know anything about Glo blastoma it's it's very aggressive um it's it can grow back in different ways I mean there are people who've had two three four craniotomies to remove masses and it's incurable and it's incur yes so and so it's one of those things that you know it kind of you know hangs over you in a way because it's it's not like it can just be treated and you're done no it justes didn't work that way so um in that respect it's interesting to me to you know like every time you go get a scan and and I know some other cancer patients who've you know it's kind of scary because you're kind of like is it is it going to go somewhere else is it going to metastasize is it going to you know so the nice thing about this is that it doesn't tend to move to other parts of the body it does stay in your injust your brain but if I get another growth and it's in an inoperable place well then you know and that's you know those are some of my you know i' I've joined some support groups and I cannot say enough of just joining groups that help support you Faithful groups medical groups you know whatever to have friends along the way you know and then also to to share you know I am lucky that you know my husband is just so supportive and and really um allows me just to have my days you know and sometimes I do sit outside and sometimes I just I'm kind of I I might a sad moment and my moment of sadness is really kind of a projection of something I might miss you know like as my my kids are young so there there might come a time where I might miss something and I just kind of get a little bit sad about it and I'm this just I think it's just human to kind of maybe project a little bit but on the other hand I'm I sit in just gratitude and I'm like wow God you know I am so grateful that I woke up today and I'm here still and I I get to spend a couple whatever amount of time he continues to give me and you know in my work with some hospice um patients you know I I've had a lot of time to think about it I think when you have an opportunity to reflect on dying a little bit it does give you a new perspective gives you a new perspective it gives you you know and and I think if anything it's just being grateful like grateful that you wake up like I have a little gratitude Journal I'm grateful for hot showers I'm grateful for coffee I'm grateful you know I sometimes it's kind of silly and obviously I'm grateful for my family and my kids and my my siblings and my parents but I I think about all these things that um in just waking up another day and the thing is we don't there's no guarantee I mean like I could d a car accident tomorrow so it's not even that cancer might you know do me in it could be anything um so I think I think that New Perspective and I and and that's been my newest thing is is don't put things off if there's something on your heart if there's something you really want to do or change do it you know like why wait you know like I don't I think sometimes we think we have all this time in the world to to do things and make changes and and not necessarily right well thanks for coming on the show and not talking trash about me all of our all of our List fully expected some trash here I was waiting for that's next episode that's next episode what can people do for yall I would just say continue to pray for us and pray for our kids and and really that is the the gift that keeps giving and it's just really so um kind and and beautiful that time yeah yeah we just continue to uh pray for Ryan Jen uh all their kids and and also for you know people out throughout the world who maybe don't have an audience to hear there's probably people out there suffering through something like this alone amen so you know I think that kind of communal prayer for those people in suffering and is is really important you know but I guys I mean it's so good to see you guys both and Jen seeing you how great you look and healthy and and happy you know it's it's really inspiring and you know to many many more years yeah amen amen well father you want to close us out in prayer here yeah and uh just want to use it as like a brief teaching moment too whenever we're praying for healing um you know I pray with people for healing a lot and I see a lot of miracles happen and one of the best insights that um was shared with me when whenever we're praying for healing is that we want to have from our point of view that simple childlike faith that 100% of the time it's always God's will to heal us 100% And it's just the when and the how is the question like will it be right now miraculous healing at this table while we pray I hope that would be awesome will it be overtime and through medicine or will it be at the resurrection of your body that's where the Lord knows what he's doing but you can say I mean what's our ultimate Destiny is to be in heaven with the Lord and there's no cancer there so you can say like 100% guarantee it's God's will to heal you yeah you know so we want to do that component we want to pray for full healing and at the same time while we're waiting for that Lord we want to offer all the suffering and the inconvenience and the this and then that we we want to offer all that on your cross too you know so like being Catholic we're both and it's like I don't have to do either or I don't have to just offer it up and assume that that's Holier or I don't have to just pray with that kind of bold Faith like Lord we want a miracle we can do both and it's like that vessel of trust just keeps getting bigger and bigger so let's pray the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit amen Jesus we praise you and we thank you in all times and all circumstances and we thank you especially for Jen and Ryan for their incredible Faith this bold witness of trusts in you we thank you for each of their children and we thank you for all the people that have poured out uh love and support for them we ask for a full and complete healing for Jen we ask that you open the floodgates of Heaven over her and that you heal her completely and totally that she may be a testimony of your power to heal and at the same time Lord we join all of the suffering and everything that goes uh with this journey with cancer We join all of this to your sacred cross us that our bodies may be a living offering a living sacrifice of praise we ask the intercession of all the angels and Saints and we pray all this Lord Jesus in your most holy name amen amen amen father son and the holy spirit amen thank you Father that was beautiful that's that's such a good point that God always wants our healing it's just time and when yeah it might be the resurrection I like that my glorified body is GNA be so good tumor glorified body no no tumor well you we were talking about um cremation one day and I think someone was like I go you think God can't find all your cells and put them back together I'm like come on guys it's it's not that big a deal it's not that big a deal we're dividing Grandpa up we're putting him in two different places will God be able to put him back together God will figure it out so funny bunch of Humpty dumpies out there oh boys thank you so much H thanks for letting me be on there that's great I I I mean I really am moved by how many people from the show are are really sweet and praying for great yeah all right well tune in next week uh thank you for watching and then really continue praying for for Jen and Ryan and all the Dela crosses they they really means a lot to them and uh it's one of the great things of having this forum this community is the prayers and you know we're praying for you and that you're praying for us here uh I think it's a powerful thing and one of the greatest things that comes out of this so we really appreciate your support and we'll see you next week a [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: The Catholic Talk Show

Views: 26,276

Keywords: Catholic, Catholic Podcast, Catholic Talk Show, Ryan Scheel, Ryan DellaCrosse, Father Rich Pagano, Catholic Radio, Catholic TV, Catholic Show, Matt Fradd, Mike Schmitz, Robert Barron, Catholic Answers, Catholic Stuff You Should Know, Bishop Barron, Breaking In The Habit

Id: fjMu1rsC_fE

Length: 49min 19sec (2959 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2024