Our A-Typical God

Last month doctors discovered our son had a grapefruit-sized tumor under his kidney. Tests before surgery didn't alleviate our fears. The PET scan showed an active tumor, most often associated with cancer. Our son has neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic tumor-growing disease, and this mass was a result of that. These particular tumors are transformers and often become cancerous.

We waited three hours before our son's surgeon approached us in the waiting area. There he told us our son's mass was an a-typical NF1 tumor ~ that most of these tend to spread tentacles into other areas, making them much harder to remove. Our son's had not done this. "It was as if it were all patted into a neat ball-like object," the surgeon shared. As he demonstrated with his hands, one question came to mind.

Had God cupped Min's tumor in His Hands and commanded, "you aren't going anywhere"? This is what this "nicely" formed, a-typical growth meant to me. I believe God chose to do that. Not only did He command that mass to stay put, but He also surprised us with the amazing news that the tumor, although precancerous, hadn't developed into full-blown cancer. How we praise our God!

I've heard the term a-typical before in our family's medical journeys. I've come to think of this as a God-description, not unlike the word "miracle." Truly the one who formed the world in His Hands and scooped up clay and breathed life into it could very well have ordered that awful tumor to stop. He's been known to command the elements, and even the wind obeyed.

Although the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of shock, exhaustion, and more, we thank God for being the Miracle-worker ~ God of the a-typical ~ One we can trust even when facing threat of cancer. It's likely we'll take this same journey again, as our son has other plexiform neurofibromas. May we remember what the Great Physician has done and continue to place our son in His Hands.