Giveaway AND a precious SILVER STRAND

My cousin, Susan, is an amazing woman for many reasons.

You'll find her amazing because she's offering a giveaway! Yay for giveaways!!

More on that at the end of the post. The real prize in this post, though, is her sharing of one of her Silver Strands:

As one looks back over their lifetime, it is much easier to see the miracles or silver strands, interwoven with daily life. I recognize many silver strands in my life. One huge miracle unfolded in the spring of 1999.

After about 12 hours of toughing out some severe abdominal pain, believing I could “will” it away, I finally succumbed to a trip to the Emergency Room. I suspected appendicitis as the pain was high in the abdomen and very sharp at times. Over a period of many hours, ER doctors and specialists became involved, trying to make an accurate diagnosis. Eventually I was admitted for the night and was told they had asked my gynecologist to stop by the hospital the next morning. He did come to check on me and delivered the news that I needed a hysterectomy and I needed it soon. Emergency surgery was scheduled for early that afternoon.

Not many hours after I moved from the recovery room into my hospital room, some medical professional stopped by to suggest that I get in touch with an urologist to have a spot on my kidney checked. Survival was the order of the day and I didn’t pay much attention to that admonition. Once home, I was looking at a six week recovery period and with small children still at home and businesses that required my attention my focus was on getting well.

One day shortly after I arrived home I got an unexpected phone call from an urologist’s office, saying the doctor had been asked to stop by my room at the hospital but had not done so before I was released. Driving myself anywhere was not an option as I had a very large and very fresh incision. I couldn’t imagine the urgency to go see another doctor. I jokingly said that they must have found out that my insurance paid well and wanted a piece of the action.

Somehow I made my way into that doctor’s office within a few days of his phone call and was shocked when he showed me a spot on my kidney that had been detected when they were trying to identify the source of abdominal pain. This spot was totally unrelated to the original problem. He told me it was either a blood filled cyst or a malignant tumor. Shocked, I agreed to have a biopsy. Within a matter of a few days, the diagnosis was back. I was told I had renal cell carcinoma! My name and cancer had never been in the same sentence. This would mean another major surgery just six weeks after the first. I was reeling!

I had no symptoms, no reason to believe I had any kidney problems. It took all the strength I could muster to prepare for the second surgery. My family needed me. My business needed me. I would be down for another six weeks. But I had no choice.

The affected kidney was removed. It was determined that the cancer was all contained in the kidney. I didn’t have to have chemotherapy or other treatments. How blessed I was that the female related problems had manifested themselves exactly when they did so the problem could be found before it spread through my entire body. They don’t think I would have had any symptoms until it was too late.

Ever grateful for this blessing, the blessing of finding a serious problem before it was out of control, reminds me of the silver strands that are interwoven in our lives. We all have them. Recognizing them is the secret.

Did I tell you she's amazing?! Now, one more thing before the giveaway announcement. Susan owns and runs at least 2 companies: Techno Hue and Seven Arrows Color Connection. She also champions the cause of living life to the fullest through her website: Celebrate Life. If you want to be uplifted, check out all of those sites.

THE GIVEAWAY:

Perfection Crème

Certified 100% Toxic Free

· Provides plumping action within a short period of time. Less wrinkles and sagging skin.

· Contains tightening agents for both lifting and firming as well as bio-peptides. Bio-peptides reverse the collapse of skin tissue causing lines and wrinkles.

· Visible decrease in wrinkle depth within 14-30 days.

· Repairs and prevents skin aging by stimulating the skin’s defense mechanisms against oxidative stress.

· Lightening of dark circles gradually and effectively over 90 days. Repair of microcirculation by anti-inflammatory action.

· Clinical tests resulted in tremendous reduction in the pigmentation of dark circles under eyes by 45%.

· Dramatically lessens puffiness under eyes by reducing inflammation.

· Reduction in appearance of spider veins.

· Use as effective rosacea treatment.

· Rejuvenates aging skin.

· Provides younger and more rested appearance with immediate well-being effect.

· Maintains optimal moisture throughout the day and night for firmer, younger looking skin.

Long term action creates long term, permanent results

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: (separate comment for each entry please)

*Be a Follower of Silver Strands

*Check out Seven Arrows Color Connection & tell me about a product you love

*Check out TechnoHue and tell me something you learned about color

*Check out Celebrate Life and consider sharing your story on the site

*Blog about this giveaway & link to it

*Facebook about this giveaway

*Tweet about this giveaway

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!