Laurie Ishii

The last couple weeks have been amazing. Especially this last week. God is so good and I am so grateful!!!

Jesus has given me the opportunity to share the gospel with a number of different people at the cancer clinic. Granted, radiation has it’s side effects – the main one is fatigue and tiredness. I did end up horribly sick, throwing up like Linda Blair in the Exorcist – it was pretty frightening – enough to send me to the ER after my friend Victoria called my cancer surgeon who said my vomiting was ‘alarming’ and for me to go to the ER. Oh how I hate going to the ER, as they never seem to figure out what the root of my problem is – all I get is a big fat bill and I waste an entire day/night. All I wanted was someone to stay with me and ‘hold my hand’ if you will – just so I didn’t have to be alone – which is what I’ll do next time, because I definitely cannot afford anymore bills. I literally have STACKS of hospital bills on my kitchen table right now. Please pray that Cedars Sinai will grant me 100% coverage as I’ve applied for ‘hardship financial aid’ for my hospital bills.

Although my radiation doctor swears there is no way the radiation could be causing the nausea I’ve had – he’s still given me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine and ER doctor finally came to the conclusion that the cause of my sickness was in fact, because of the radiation.

But more than anything – it’s the fatigue that hits me the hardest. There are days where all I can do is make it to the cancer clinic, get radiation, come home, lay down and fight to stay awake during the day so I can sleep at night. The bummer is that regardless of how I make myself stay awake till 9pm or later, I still wake up between 1am-3am and don’t fall back asleep until around 5am and wake up for the day between 9am-10am.

My last day is Thursday, the 20th. I have made so many friends at the cancer clinic that I really look forward to going over there every day and I am going to miss it after my radiation is finished next week.

It’s interesting, because the patients who go to the clinic all either appear cheerful and smiley – or downcast and withdrawn. There aren’t many patients that appear ‘in-between’. One of my favorite patients was an older Jewish woman named Janet. She finished her radiation treatment last week. She ‘adopted’ me – I’d jokingly call her ‘mom’ and she was always giving me advice, such as not to drink too much of my favorite free hot chocolate the machine serves at the clinic.

On her last day of treatment, I had brought her a pretty potted orchid as a ‘graduation’ present, and she was very pleased. I had also included a card and a testimony tract. I was able to share some of my story with her during our daily conversations, but I was sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and didn’t talk about Jesus (only God) since she was Jewish. One day after treatment she was all dressed up; I told her she looked nice and she said it was because she was going to the temple and that she would say a prayer for me. The day of her ‘graduation’ she asked for my number so we could stay in touch, and I’m hoping she’ll call me one of these days.

As the days go by and I see the same people each day, I really pray and ask the Lord to show me how I can be a blessing to my fellow patients and befriend them. I have made friends with an older African American man named ‘Joe’ – he has prostrate cancer. I haven’t had a chance to talk about Jesus with him yet – right now I feel I’m just supposed to be a friend. I can tell he is happy to see me and he goes out of his way to greet me and say goodbye before he leaves each day.

There is another man named ‘Ali’ – he is Middle Eastern – he has a 5cm brain tumor and whenever he finishes getting his treatment he comes out holding his head and his eyes are all squinty. He is such a nice man, always smiling (except after he comes out of treatment) I told him that I will be praying for him. Since the first day he has come to the clinic he has always been with his two sisters – they are both so nice and friendly. The other day I introduced myself to them and as we began talking – I just sensed that they knew Jesus – and asked if they were Christians. They said “Yes!” They shared that they were both strong Muslims but came to Christ – one over ten years ago – the other 6-7 years ago. They’ve been praying for their brother and asked that I pray for him too.

They asked how I became a Christian – and you know I was more than happy to tell them all about how Jesus saved me! They were so sweet – one kept saying she was so proud of me and they said they love me and gave me hugs before they left. I want to invite them and Ali to church before my radiation treatment is finished.

A couple days ago I also met a woman named Nachole – her mother also has breast cancer and is undergoing radiation. I introduced myself and shared with her how happy I was to be at the clinic and how I loved it cause I felt like all the radiation patients are in a ‘secret club’ LOL – like we have some kind of ‘bond’ because we’re all going through treatment. I don’t know what else I said but the following day, she told me that she was so blessed to meet me – she shared with her mother that she didn’t feel sorry for me lol – she felt sorry for herself. She said that she was so amazed to see me smiling and grateful – it made her take a good look at her priorities. I asked her if she knew Jesus and she did/does – and she said if I ever fly back east (she’s from Alabama) to please call her – she gave me her number and said she’d love it if I could talk to her youth group kids sometime.

I was also blessed to share Jesus with a Filipino valet outside the clinic – we have been talking since the day I started radiation – his name is Greg. We’ve developed a friendship and the other day I felt like it was time to share Jesus with him – sharing my past with him and giving him one of my testimony tracts. He asked if he could keep it – and he just asked me question after question until my access transportation/ride came to drive me home.

On the way home I met another woman who got in the access van and was able to share Jesus with her too! I gave her a tract and she asked if she could keep it – I’m gonna need to figure out a way to print some more soon – I’ve only got about three more. It was such a blessing to share Jesus that I was walking on clouds the past few days!

Thursday night I had a problem logging onto my AA&T online account – I wanted to pay my phone bill and I didn’t know my password – well I called AT&T and was on the phone with a representative – still on FIRE from the days events lol – and because he had to send me a temporary password by email and he said it could take 12-15 minutes before I got it – I jokingly said I wasn’t gonna let him hang up until I figured out how to get around my account so while we waited, we should talk. I told him I had cancer and how I was getting radiation and asked if he knew anyone who had cancer and he said a whole bunch of people in his family died of cancer – he listed both his grandparents, a cousin ad another cousin – and I blurted out, “Wow – that’s horrible. Do you know Jesus?” I mean – my thought was wow – how scary – he desperately needs Jesus!!!

He answered, “Unfortunately, no.” I was like – “Unfortunately? Did you hear what I said? I mean, who I was talking about? Jesus?” He said, “Yeah, Jesus Christ.” I was almost flabbergasted lol. I said “Wow. Well do you WANT to know Jesus?” and he said, “YEAH.” I mean talk about divine appointment – it was almost too good to be true! So I asked him if I could share the gospel with him and then lead him in a prayer to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He said “Yes.” So I did. Then when I was gonna pray I asked if there were people (co-workers) all around and if it would get him in trouble if they hear him praying and if he’d prefer I lead him in the prayer and he pray along with me without having to repeat every word but meaning it in his heart and talking to God on his own after we got off the phone (cause he was gonna get off work in like 8 minutes – it was almost midnight) he was in New York. So he said that would be better.

So, I prayed and afterward he thanked me and I asked him if he had a bible and he said no so I told him he could find me on fb and if he didn’t think it was too weird he could give me his address and I’d send him a bible and about 15 minutes after we hung up he requested me as a friend on fb. Later he told me he could get fired for contacting a customer but that I was the most interesting customer he’d ever had, that his life has been changed and he was willing to take the risk. Isn’t that crazy!? I was so excited – to lead someone to Jesus on the phone – a complete stranger and one who was a service rep…all I can say is what a privilege! Lol!

I could go on and on because there were more instances throughout my week where God gave me opportunities to share Jesus with access drivers, fellow patients, passengers, nurses…it is SUCH a blessing to be used by God in such a small way. All I do is pray and ask God to make me sensitive to His leading – to guide me and use me however He chooses. I am going to ask the nurses at the hospital how I can (or if I can) be a volunteer in the cancer clinic after my treatment is over – because I am really gonna MISS going to the clinic every day!!!

Jesus blows my mind. I am so grateful to know Him.