Overcomers Series Episode 5 - One Tough Cookie

I would love for all of you to know my friend, Lucy.  Some of you may have already had the chance to get to interact with her through a mutual community on Twitter, Instagram or Substack.  Lucy and I actually bonded over a music group, For King and Country, that we both enjoy.  I posted a song of theirs and she responded that she was going to their concert and that she would share photos and tell me about her experience.  That was the beginning of a friendship, all online mind you, that has blessed me and inspired me in so many ways. 

Before I even knew what Lucy had been through in recent years, I found her enthusiasm for life and deep faith so contagious.  She was a little ray of sunshine on the social media sites, posting Scripture and uplifting quotes.  Then she shared her story.  I know you will be as inspired as I was when I first read it.  Lucy is one of a kind and I have no doubt she’s one of God’s favorites. 

A few years ago, Lucy was diagnosed with Stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that had invaded her sinuses, cheek, mouth and eye socket.  Having had a bout with cancer myself, I had some sense of how it affects your life in profound ways, but what I went through was a walk in the park compared to what Lucy has endured. What cancer meant for her was countless surgeries and treatments and grafts. Her doctors pretty much had to rearrange her face to get after the cancer.  Some of the surgeries were successful and some failed. To say it was a difficult journey is a massive understatement.  It was climbing Mount Everest.  She eventually sought a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic and became an in-stay resident at the Clinic’s Hope Lodge as they sought to reconstruct her facial features and give her back her life.  She has endured 28 surgeries to date.  There is one more surgery she is anxious to have with hopes of it being her last.  Lucy is one of the most positive people I’ve ever known, but what she has been through is something most of us can’t even imagine.  It was an uphill battle of surgery after surgery, not being able to eat or speak, and incredible pain.  There were times she didn’t feel positive or hopeful.  There were very hard days. But with the help of her strong and supportive husband and faith in the God who loves her and carries her, Lucy found a way to persevere and not only survive, but thrive. 

While Lucy was a resident at Hope Lodge, she began using her culinary expertise to create elaborate meals for the other residents.  She found solace and satisfaction, and perhaps a little distraction, in preparing and serving the meals.  She became everyone’s friend and inspiration.  Knowing Lucy now, I understand that this was only the beginning of her using her gifts to inspire and love on all kinds of people.  Upon returning to her home in North Dakota, she began to bake….and bake…..and bake for individuals and groups she wanted to bless.  Lucy says the baking gives her a sense of purpose and in some ways it’s like therapy.  And with a faith that bubbles over in all she does, it’s no surprise that she prays over the gifts she hands out in her community. 

What I want you to know about Lucy is not as much what she has been through, but how she has responded to what she has been through.  Lucy is an amazing example of what it means to overcome. When I see Lucy, I don’t see her scars.  I see her incredible smile and zest for life.  I see her huge heart and desire to encourage and uplift people.  I see her being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around her.  I feel the joy that comes from being a helper.  When I chat with her, I feel first-hand her sincerity and enthusiasm. She is literally an “energizer bunny”.  She calls all she has been through her “beautification journey”.  But I think Lucy is already beautiful inside and out. 

Lucy shares parts of her journey and her thoughts and prayers in a newsletter on the Substack site:  lucybernas.substack.com.