Ask and ye shall receive – Chemo Day 7

I am a possibilities person.  I believe that there is a solution to every problem, a way to make things better and explore new ways of doing things and I don't give up without a fight :).  Last night I had a special experience that reminded me of some important truths that I am going to need as I continue this journey.   As I thought about how much I really want to keep my hair, the thought came to me that I have never actually asked God for this specific miracle.  A scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 9 verse 7, ran through my head: “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.”  Now I know that asking God to preserve my hair is a tall order and perhaps a bit trivial in the scheme of things.  But as He has guided my journey thus far, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to ask :). 

In the scriptures there is a story about a righteous man known as “The Brother of Jared”.  He is faced with the difficult trial in getting his people across the treacherous sea to safety.  The Lord directs him to build barges that will get them there but then The Brother of Jared sees that the barges will have no light in them for the journey.  He asks the Lord for help with this and the Lord tells him to think it through and propose a solution.  The solution he comes up with is to take 16 small, clear stones and ask the Lord to touch each one so that they will have light for each of the barges.  The Lord grants this request and the people are taken across the sea with safety and light. 

While my journey is different, and we don’t always get everything we want, I know that the Lord is just as willing to grant blessings to me that are contingent upon my asking for them.  I don’t know if He will let me keep my hair but I did find a resource shortly after my prayer that showed me a possible way.  I felt inclined to google the words: “remedy to keep hair during chemo”.  I was intrigued when the search results pulled up: http://www.rapunzelproject.org/

It has information on a product called the Penguin Cold Cap, that you wear during the Chemo infusion and is supposed to protect the hair follicles.  It is based in the UK but sells in the U.S. through a distributor in California.  I spoke to them today and I was intrigued by what they told me.  It may not work for me because unfortunately it is something that you normally need to start using on the first chemo treatment, so it would have been much better if I had contacted them 2 weeks ago. But I am still not deterred from exploring the possibility further.  Whatever happens, I am grateful for this experience that has reminded me of the importance of using the intelligence we have been given, asking for the help of God and acting on the promptings we receive.  For me this is the greater lesson than whether or not my hair remains. 

So it has been a really good day.  I actually drove today and met some friends for lunch.  Then I went to the grocery store and to the LDS temple.   I had very little nausea and other symptoms, aside from fatigue.  I am grateful for the blessings I am receiving daily from your prayers and faith.