This post is by Hermana Judd and she gave us permission to share with all of you.
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"For the first month after I came home, I dealt with
serious feelings of inadequacy and pain.
I felt like a quitter; that I was crazy, and not worthy to be called an
RM.
My back pain worsened.
In early April, I went to a spine specialty center, where I was told I
had likely fractured my lower back.
They ordered an MRI, so I got one.
2 days later, I received a frantic phone call from my
doctor, telling me to come into the center immediately.
A team of three doctors came in, sat down with me, and
told me I had a large tumor on my lower back that had enveloped my spinal cord
and 3 or my vertebrae.
Had I stayed in Guatemala, considering the nature of my
mission and the area I was assigned to serve in, I would not have found out
until approximately 2-3 months later;
When I would have more than likely woken up paralyzed.
I had surgery on May 3rd to remove the tumor and
the majority of 3 of my vertebrae.
They fused my spine with titanium rods and screws; cleaned
the margins around the affected area, and I have been in a slow recovery since.
Fortunately my tumor was non-cancerous.
It has been a tough road since I came home.
However, I know now that my mission was cut short to, honestly,
save my life. The blessings of my
mission are still affecting me to this day; and I know that everything that has
happened has happened for a reason. I
have finally received closure, and can even think of myself as an RM.
I served a mission.
And I returned home at the exact time that I needed to."
