January 6, 1999

Loss of husband & son taught
her faith was only way to beat cancer
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___DALLAS--When Vicki McCrary lost her husband and 2-year-old son in a 1985 house fire, she was devastated. Yet with God's help, she said, she raised her two other children as a single parent and learned to depend on God.
___But she thought she had experienced more than her fair share of pain and suffering in this life--until she was diagnosed last February with an aggressive form of breast cancer.
___Would her faith be strong enough to carry her through this life-threatening health crisis?
___While others might have run away from God, McCrary saw this as an opportunity to run toward God, she said. "He is my only source of strength. When this happened, I knew that was the only place I could go."
___She recalled entering her Fort Worth home after the 1985 fire intentionally set by her husband, who suffered from a manic

VICKI McCRARY kept a scrapbook of all the cards, letters and well-wishes she received during her battle with breast cancer. Reviewing these items reminds her of the power of prayer not only to bring healing but to provide courage, she said. (Photo by Melody Loggins)

depressive disorder. The only thing not burned in the living room was a framed Scripture verse, Philippians 4:13--"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
___Though dumbfounded that God would allow such tragedy to strike her family, McCrary saw that promise of God rising from the ashes as a sign. And it was a sign that would carry her through the years ahead, even when shoved face-to-face with her own mortality.
___Facing a disease like breast cancer makes mortality "a daily reality," she said. "I've taken health for granted, not really conscious of the gift God has given us."
___Because God carried her through unspeakable tragedy once before, she reasoned, God could carry her through yet again. "God loved me enough to trust me with these experiences. ... Through this, all the more I can trust him."
___And trust was important, because "with this diagnosis, I lost all my control of the future," she admitted.
___Life may not seem fair, but God is still God, McCrary asserted. "I may not like the way it happens, but God is still in control."
___Also, she has learned that "there's no event or circumstance that can take away what God has given me," she said. "It has taken years to realize that and let it sink in."
___In the last year, McCrary has undergone chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and a stem-cell transplant. Each time she returned home to see the framed message of Philippians 4:13 still hanging on the wall of her living room.
___That reminds her, too, of a biblical song her daughters used to listen to when they were growing up. The song says, "I'm climbing my mountain one step at a time with Jesus by my side."
___Life includes mountains, she said. "That is not a choice; it's a fact. As we climb our mountain, we climb it one step at a time. We don't really have a choice there, either. As much as we would like to go around it or over it, we have to take it one step at a time."
___The choice, she said, is in who to take along on the journey. "Whether or not we do this with Jesus by our side, that is where we have a choice. How thankful I am that I have the assurance of Jesus being by my side each step of each mountain."
___For now, her hair is growing back, and she's gaining strength. Her doctors look favorably on her medical condition.
___She credits her very survival, as well as her daily strength, to the power of prayer. She has received ongoing support from her church, Mimosa Lane Baptist in Mesquite, and her coworkers at the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___"I'm a walking answer to prayer. Thousands of people have prayed for me," she said. "My doctors are amazed at how well I've done, and I know it's because of the power of prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool."
___While thankful for her recovery and good progress to date, McCrary realizes the final outcome of her bout with cancer may not be known. Yet through her trust in God, she said, she has learned to be content whether living on earth or headed for heaven.
___"Whether I'm here, it's OK; whether I'm there, it's OK. ... Because of who God is in my life, it's OK."
___

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