In 1995 twelve-year-old Lisa was diagnosed with AML leukemia. Two years later, after many chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, Lisa returned to "normal" life. She had maintained a positive attitude throughout the treatment process, but with each new chronic illness, Lisa became more and more bitter and resentful.
In 2003 Lisa finally realized this and began a healing process. She relived her past experiences by keeping a journal and talking to God about what was really going on at the time, sharing her honest thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. In doing so Lisa found freedom from the bitterness, anger, and doubt which had gradually set in and taken over her life, faith, and relationships.
The ten years she recounts in this book are marked by sicknesses and struggles, but ultimately Lisa's story is one of healing, which gives hope to those of us who are still suffering.
Available through most retailers in Print and Ebook
About author Lisa Andrews:
Lisa holds a BM in Vocal Music Education and a MA in Ethnomusicology. She enjoys learning about other cultures. She and her husband, Charles enjoy cooking, listening to music, writing music, and spending time with friends and family. They hope to author additional books in the near future.
A Life Renewed Excerpt:
Chapter 1
TRYING TO ERASE GOD FROM MY LIFE
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in
your minds because of your evil behavior." Colossians 1:21
In sixth grade I thought everything in my life was
lining up perfectly. I had finally become great friends with
some of the most popular girls at school. I was a part of the
“in crowd,” which was something I had longed for
since first grade. I had to make a few sacrifices along the
way, but at that point in time it was all worth it. I stopped
respecting my parents and started swearing. Actually, I
tried to insert profanities into as many sentences as I could.
I never swore around my family, only at school and
with friends. Now all I needed to feel complete was a cute
boyfriend.
My attendance at church slipped, too. I didn’t really
like any of the church kids. In my opinion they were
dorky, and I did not want to be associated with them. We
were in completely different places in life. I became a
Christian when I was five, but it didn’t mean anything to
me. Basically God wasn’t a part of my life anymore, and
I was getting along fine. I couldn’t tell the kids at school
about being a Christian…Christian kids were nerds, and I
didn’t want to be identified with them. Plus, I had changed
a lot since I was five. I was no longer a nerdy little
Christian. I was a mature preteen who had figured out the
truth about life. I could handle everything on my own, so
what was the point of going to church? Periodically I
would go to church. I made sure I had all of the books of
the Bible memorized in order, both the Old and New
Testaments. This helped me hide my true spiritual condition.
I couldn’t let any of them know that I had changed.
As far as anyone knew, I was just like all of them: a nice little
Christian girl who thought being a Jesus freak was more
important than popularity.
The reality was that my priority was popular, and I
would give up ANYTHING to be one of the popular girls.
Not only was I popular, but I was also doing well in
basketball. I was a starting forward on the A team. I won
the award for Best Bank Shot. I was talented at the
piano, too, but that wasn’t something to flaunt. Athletes
were cool, not musicians.
I took pride in a lot of things in life: my basketball
stats, my mature friends, and my new “mature” language.
But while everything was perfect on the surface, I
wasn’t the most content person on the inside. I was a very
angry, defensive kid. Deep down I didn’t like my new
way of life, but it was what I had to do. I felt very evil
inside, but I didn’t want to go back to being a nerd. I
remember getting so frustrated on the basketball court that I
would be in tears—not because of the game but because I
felt awful about some of the things I said to girls on the
other team.
And I started having some physical problems, too. I
was acquiring a lot of large bruises all over my body, but
I couldn’t remember where they came from. One time my
sixth grade homeroom teacher asked me, “Why do you
have so many bruises all the time?” I jokingly replied,
“Oh, my dad beats me with a stick.” She didn’t find it very
comical, but I honestly didn’t know where they came from.
And it wasn’t just the bruises. I would get this pounding in
my head all the time. I would walk across the street after
getting off the bus, and my head would start pounding. I
could literally hear my heartbeat. And then, if I would get
up from sitting down, I would start seeing spots, as if I
were going to black out. Sometimes I would black out for
a couple of seconds. It was really odd. Finally, it got to the
point where I mentioned something to my mom. She said,
“Well, if you really think it’s bad enough, I’ll take you to the
doctor. But just to warn you, they’ll probably have to do a blood
test.” The thought of needles and blood made me want to faint.
So I decided to wait and see if my conditions improved.
After all, I was always considered the “wimpy” one in the
family and I didn’t want to overreact again. As time went on,
however, my symptoms worsened. I distinctly remember one
basketball game in particular. We were scrimmaging against the
B team, and I was going up for the shot when a girl elbowed me
in the mouth. I remember thinking, God, I can’t stand her! Then
everyone looked at me in fear, and one of my teammates screamed,
“Lisa, your mouth is bleeding!” I put my hand up to my mouth
and it was covered in blood. I ran into the locker room, crying
because I thought I was going to pass out. I grabbed some
paper towels and collapsed on the bench.
My mom came in and said, “Wow, you must’ve gotten hit
really bad.” Actually, I did not get bumped very hard. And
it was a relatively painless injury. But my mouth bled for
at least ten minutes before it finally stopped. I had to miss
the rest of the game.
A couple of weeks later, our school had a natural gas
leak, and we were released from school early. Volleyball
tryouts were canceled, so I had a free day. I was planning
on getting together with some of my friends and going to
the mall. When I got off the bus, my head was pounding so
loudly I could barely hear the bus drive away. I came
inside and said, “Mom, I think it’s time to go to the
doctor.” So we made an appointment for 4:00 that evening.
I had no idea that this doctor visit would drastically change
my life forever.
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