Optimist Cancer Survivor Lacey Furner

This past weekend I met cancer survivor Lacey Furner. She's an optimist and has a great attitude. She e-mailed me her inspiring story. She agreed to let me post it here. I appreciate her gratitude to God for her experience and for what she has learned. She is proof that suffering is not always a horrible experience because of what it can do in helping us grow spiritually.

"Dear Paul,

This is Lacey Furner. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to meet you Monday night (01/23/2012).

I was the person who told you that your song "Letting Go", helped me during my experience with cancer. This song helped me to be at peace, to know that its OK to give it all to the Lord, for He is the only one that knows everything. My life was in God's Hands and I knew I could not control whether I would live or die.

In July, 2010, I was attending my first semester at BYU-Idaho, when I noticed a mole/skin lesion on my left clavicle. I went to the doctor to get it removed and a week later he called to inform me that I had been diagnosed with a serious type of skin cancer.

July 22, 2012 was my first day of chemo therapy, just one week after I had received the results.

I struggled with cancer for one year and I was on oxygen for half of it. So I pretty much got tons of sympathy dates from guys, which was way cool!

Going through chemo opened my eyes to so many things. I was able to see how many people truly loved and cared for me. I was able to grow closer to the Lord. The veil between life and death was very thin for me. God taught me patience, (when the nurses could not get the I.V. in the FIRST time, or when the hospital food looked like it would give you cancer, or having an oxygen tube on your face 24/7), He always helped me to be patient.

The most important thing that I learned is to love everyone, for all of us are God's children and we are all in this together.

Mr. Cardall your music was the soundtrack to my life for a long time. "Letting Go" helped me fall asleep every night when I was deeply discouraged. It made me feel so warm, and it helped me to give my worry and discouragement to the Lord. It helped me to trust in Him.

Thank you,

Lacey Furner