The Legacy

I have thought of my sweet mother-in-law a lot in the past few weeks.  Nathan remarked on our trip to Mexico that she would have been a great missionary. 

She would have been...

I can just picture her loving on those sweet kids and listening to the women share their stories.  That was her way.  She had a way of just bringing it out of you...she was so easy to talk to.  Even the way she shook hands or offered a hug seemed to be filled with such love.

I have thought a lot about the legacy she has left for me and my family.  A legacy of life, hope, joy, love, and a passionate pursuit of Jesus.

Her legacy of life is what I want to write about today.

Even in sweet Re's difficult battle with this ugly disease her and my father- in -law, John sought to bring life and hope.  Together they founded the Maria Lorick Heart of Hope Cancer Foundation. 

The foundation’s objectives are:

1. To increase the level of knowledge concerning various life-threatening female cancers with special emphasis on ovarian cancers.
2. To promote research for cancers for which there is no early detection test or cure with special emphasis on ovarian cancer.
3. To establish a faith-based universal support system known as Journey Counselors. These special counselors are cancer patients, spouses, and first line caregivers specially trained to use their own journey as a source of counsel, information and inspiration to newly diagnosed patients.

The statistics are staggering...

Roughly 20,000 women in America are diagnosed each year and 75% of those will die from this grueling disease.
One OB/GYN oncologist said that women have a 1:70 lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer.


Like Maria most women do not find out they have this cancer until it is too late.
The symptoms of this disease are vague and could be explained by many other problems...

The Mayo Clinic advices that you should see your doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms for more than a few weeks:

• Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
• Urinary urgency
• Pelvic discomfort or pain
• Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
• Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
• Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
• Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
• Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
• Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
• A persistent lack of energy
• Low back pain
• Changes in menstruation

  It is vital that we spread the word and let women know that it is important to pay attention to these things even though they may seem minor at first.

You can help add to Maria's life giving legacy by donating to the foundation.  Maria and John shared a big vision for this foundation.  John is continuing with this big vision (just so you know Nathan is a lot like him and you know how big Nathan's visions are:).  I cannot wait to see what God does through the Maria Lorick Heart of Hope Cancer Foundation.