Diane's story

It's almost race day again!!! The Montour Trail half-marathon is so special to me. Not only does it give me reason to head back to dah 'Burgh to see a ton of wonderful people, but it was the very first half-marathon I even ran. Aaron encouraged me to run this race to help reduce my stress and give me something other than cancer and a toddler to focus on. Paul and Diane Deffenbaugh joined Aaron and Ben to cheer me on. At mile 4, I passed them while they sat in the back of the Deffenbaugh/s van cheering with mouthfuls of powdered donuts!

Pittsburgh Parents (Paul and Diane)

This year, I have the absolute privilege of running for my "Pittsburgh Mom." Paul and Diane, along with their kids Sam and Danielle, never hesitated to take us in as family. Ben had sleep overs at their house each time we went in for surgery. Diane was always there to care for Ben so I could take Aaron to appointments, treatments, or the ER. It got to the point where Ben would cry if I opened the door in the morning and Diane was not there! The Deffenbaughs have been our prayer warriors and the hands and feet of God as Ben and I have journeyed through life with and without Aaron.

Diane and Ben on his first trip to the cabin

And then the heartbreaking happened. Diane called me a year ago to let me know that she had been diagnosed with cancer...pancreatic cancer. How is it that the woman who gave so much time and energy to love our family through cancer now had to endure her own journey!? However, her faith has shined through from the beginning. She sought God and asked "Lord, how are You going to use me through this? Who is it You have placed in my path? Help me to see them. Help me to praise You in the storm!" She has one of the kindest, God-seeking, giving souls I know. She is a light in the dark! Here is her story:

"Journey of Faith

My name is Diane Deffenbaugh.  I am 56 years old, married for 27 years to Paul and we have two children, Danielle and Sam.  Danielle is married to Isaac and Sam is a senior at WVU.

Isaac and Danielle's wedding

This is our journey.  

I went into the hospital in September of 2014 to simply have a stint put in to open up my bile duct, so we thought.  A scan revealed a mass.  While they put the stint in through an endoscopic procedure, they biopsied a 2 centimeter mass.  It came back as malignantpancreatic cancer.  The scraping from the biopsy caused a 5 day stay in the hospital with pancreatitis.  They could not remove the cancer until November when the pancreatitis was over.

In November I had a Whipple surgical procedure whereby they removed part of my pancreas, part of my stomach and a little of my duodenum.  I was in the hospital for 10 days, and I came home just before Thanksgiving.

I was able to enjoy the holidays before I started Chemotherapy in January.  Chemo lasted until June.  I had 3 weeks of chemo and then was off one week.   I had 18 treatments in all.

Rockin' the purple at the Pittsburgh Pancreatic walk/run

A mass on my ovary was discovered earlier through one of the scans.  They decided to wait until after chemo to remove it.  A total hysterectomy was done in July.  The biopsy came back benign.

It is now September, one year after our whirlwind started.  God has been our Rock through it all.  There are several scriptures that have sustained me through this journey. 

Psalm 139: 13-16  “For You created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.  God is sovereign over all things.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”  (He doesn't send a messenger. He sends Himself to our aid.  Emmanuel.  We are so thankful for such a personal God.)

Psalm 112:7 “They will have no fear of bad news;  their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Danielle and Sam still love playing in the church nursery!

The most difficult thing for me was telling our kids and this ordeal created hardship for my family and friends.  I have learned the power of prayer and the need for the body of Christ.  We have received so much support and love during this time.  God is faithful.  I knew that I could trust Him whether He decided to heal me or not.  He has a purpose for it all.  I have met people such as doctors and nurses that I would never have met and been able to tell of the goodness of the Lord.  I continue to seek Him and what He has planned for me because of it."

How can you honor Diane and get involved?

1. Run/Walk/Cheer with us: If you are in Pittsburgh, come on out to run/walk the 5K or half-marathon or you can join Paul, Diane, and Ben with some powdered donuts while they cheer on the runners! Online registration is closed but you can find all the information on the event here.

2. Donate: As I've said, Diane has such a tender heart and love for people, especially children. She has asked that all donations made in her honor be made to Super Sam, the sweet, brave 3 year old boy I ran for in 2013. Praise God he is cancer free now!! I'll have more information on how you can make donations after I spill the surprise to his mom!!!  DONATIONS CAN BE MADE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, EVEN AFTER THE RACE! 

Diane can usually be found loving on our kids

3. Spread the word: Would you share this with your friends and family? There are so many ways to share information: Twitter, Facebook, E-mail, conversation. Would you please share this light with those you know?

4. Pray:
* Praise that Diane is currently CANCER FREE!!!
* Pray that she remains cancer free and never hears this terrifying diagnosis again.
* Praise that God has organized His children in community to allow us the privilege to pray for and with one another and bear each other's burdens.
* Pray for endurance through continued follow up.
* Praise for the joy and light of Christ that Diane was able to share through this journey.
* Pray for the runners, walkers, volunteers, spectators, and organizers of the race.