15 March 2021 – The Day Grace Gave Me a Second Chance

There are dates in life that mark birthdays, anniversaries, or celebrations.

And then there are dates that quietly divide your life into before and after.

For me, that date is 15 March 2021.

It’s not a birthday, and it’s not an anniversary in the traditional sense. But it is the day my life changed forever — the day I was given a second chance at life.

When Survival Became Normal

Before that surgery, my body had already fought many battles.

Years of ulcerative colitis, severe iron deficiencies, and multiple blood clots had pushed my body to its limits. Hospital visits had become routine, and there were more moments than I care to remember when things became clinically very close to the edge.

For almost four years, my body lived in what can only be described as survival mode.

Pain was normal. Fatigue was constant. Uncertainty was part of everyday life.

But the surgery that took place on 15 March 2021 was different from anything before.

My Large intestine was dangerously close to perforating. Had that happened, the complications could have been catastrophic. Infection, severe internal damage, and outcomes I honestly don’t even want to fully think about.

Let’s just say there would have been a lot of poo… pun intended.

The reality is simple: if that surgery hadn’t happened when it did, my story might have ended very differently.

Instead, after 8.5 hours in theatre, I woke up alive.

Meet Dino

Recovery came with its own adjustments.

After the surgery, I had an ileostomy bag for a few weeks while everything healed. During that time, my surgeon gave me a piece of advice that at first seemed strange.

He told me to give it a name.

After a few conversations and laughs, the name Dino was born.

The story behind why that name was chosen is one I’ll share another day. But the name stuck, and even today, with my J-pouch, in my mind it is still Dino.

Dino and I have been through quite a journey together.

And recently, Dino made his opinion very clear about something else — chemotherapy.

The Blur of the Past Year

I haven’t written much on MMN this year.

To be honest, life since September 2025 has been a bit of a blur.

A cancer diagnosis.

Another surgery.

The uncertainty that follows news you never expect to hear.

Radiotherapy.

And then chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, chemotherapy turned out to be a big old bust for me.

Because of the way my body processes nutrients and medication after the changes to my digestive system, the chemo created serious metabolic challenges. Simply put — Dino was not impressed.

After a lot of prayer, research, and many discussions with my medical team, we made the decision to stop the chemotherapy. In my specific case, we were working within a preventative treatment space, not active disease management.

It was not a decision made lightly.

But it was a decision made with careful consideration, medical guidance, and faith.

But Today Isn’t About Cancer

Today is about something else entirely.

Today is about the fact that five years ago, 15 March 2021 could have been my last day on earth.

Instead, it became the day that changed everything.

After nearly nine hours of surgery, I walked out of that hospital alive. My body had been given another chance to heal, recover, and live.

Deep down, even during those hardest years, I always felt something stirring inside me.

My story wasn’t finished.

Grace, and Grace Alone

If there is one truth I hold onto when I reflect on this journey, it is this:

I am here by grace.

Not by luck. Not by coincidence. Not by my own strength.

Simply grace.

Scripture reminds us in Ephesians 2:8:

When I look back, I see God’s hand in every moment.

The timing of the surgery. The People that came across my life path The skill of the doctors. The strength to endure years of illness. The peace to keep believing that there was still more life ahead.

God’s plans are never random.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us:

Five years ago, my future could have ended on an operating table.

Instead, God expanded it.

Living Differently After a Second Chance

Since that day, life has taken on a different meaning.

Not every day is easy. Not every season is smooth.

But when you’ve looked death in the face and been given another chapter, something changes.

You begin to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

A sunrise feels more meaningful. Movement IS a privilege. Helping others grow stronger becomes a joy. Helping others look after the one body we get on earth is a responsibility The small things suddenly matter more.

Because the truth is simple:

Every ordinary day is a gift.

Still Being Written

Five years later, my story — and Dino’s — is still unfolding.

Through health battles, through cancer, through uncertainty, and through healing, one truth continues to stand strong:

God’s grace carried me through then. And His grace will carry me through whatever comes next.

As Romans 8:28 reminds us:

So today, I celebrate.

Not just surviving.

But living.

Five years of second chances. Five years of grace. Five years of proof that my story was never finished. AND we are far from Done...Grace has been part of this whole Cancer story too! But more about that another day. Be blessed!