Joyful Becky and Dean Martinson, rural Staples, have much to celebrate this Christmas. After battling cancer since 2004, Becky was recently told by doctors from both Staples and the Mayo Clinic that her latest pelvic scan shows NED (No Evidence of Disease). Quite a shock to Becky (and the doctors), since a month earlier she had learned her tumor marker had jumped to 27, the same as it had when she was full of cancer. It was just this past October that Becky (Moffett) Martinson, Staples, braced herself for what appeared to be a third reoccurrence of cancer.

“All the tests pointed in that direction; and I had pretty much accepted the fact that this was probably it,” Becky said recently at the rural home she shares with Dean, her husband of 29 years.

She hoped to be able to enjoy autumn (her favorite time of year) as much as possible before starting chemo treatments again and was determined to go with Dean to the bed and breakfast in Cedarburg, Wis., that they went to every October.

In the back of her mind, however, Becky wondered if that would be the last time they’d travel to Cedarburg together.

“My tumor count had jumped from 10 to 27 in one month, so it wasn’t looking very good,” Becky said, explaining that when doctors had first discovered she was full of cancer, her tumor count had also been at 27.

She wasn’t sure she had the strength to face yet another round of chemo, Becky said. “But God has been so faithful to me throughout this whole journey. If the cancer was back, I knew he’d give me the strength I needed.”

God would indeed continue to give Becky strength; and He was about to reveal His power to her in a very miraculous way.

But first, a little history.

Becky, a 1975 graduate of Staples High School, was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2004, at the age of 47.

She went to Dr. Carol Uhlman, her OB-GYN, initially because of bleeding. That’s when they discovered she was full of cancer, Becky said.

The bleeding, however, had nothing to do with the cancer. “Dr. John Weitz, the oncologist, calls it (the bleeding) serendipitous. If it hadn’t been for that, they might not have discovered the cancer in time.”

After two surgeries (one in Staples and another at the University of Minnesota), Becky went right into treatments. “Six rounds of chemo,” she said. “Not fun.”

Although she lost all of her hair and felt pretty lousy during the treatments, Becky was cancer free for three years.

“Then I had a reoccurrence in 2007,” she said.

Doctors removed her spleen and part of her pancreas (she’d previously had a total hysterectomy) and continued to check her blood levels every three months.

Becky opted to not have chemo at that time, choosing instead to focus on a healthy diet. “I’ve eaten a lot of spinach and pine-nuts,” she laughed. Becky credits her brother, David, for encouraging her to eat only natural foods and for offering a lot of guidance along these lines.

By watching her diet and walking a few miles on a daily basis, Becky was, for the most part, healthier than she’d ever been.

In the fall of 2008, however, she had her second reoccurrence of cancer. “That was so discouraging,” Becky said.

At the encouragement of her doctors (as well as her family), Becky decided to have yet another surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. “They re-sectioned my bowel and went over every inch of it,” she said. Several months of chemo followed.

During this time, Becky continued to draw strength from her faith, her family, ,her church family (Thomastown Covenant) and her job as an Area Supervisor for Central MN Foster Grandparents program.

She loves the job, Becky said, and each of the grandpas and grandmas that are a part of it.

“They are like extended family to me,” Becky said of the grandparents. “There are so many that tell me, ‘I pray for you every day,’ and I know they mean it.”

Becky said she’s also discovered that she’s on prayer lists she never knew existed. “I haven’t even heard of some of these churches, yet they have people praying for me. It’s pretty amazing,” she added.

Becky’s grateful for the support of her family, in particular. Husband, Dean; their children, Seth and Inga; her parents, Harold and Joyce Moffett; and brothers, Michael, David and Mark.

She’s also appreciative to so many people in the community who have showered her with prayers, a shoulder to cry on, and help when things got diffi- cult.

Where else but in a small town would a hairdresser open up her salon the day after Christmas because one of her clients was in crisis, Becky said.

“Last year, the day after Christmas, all of my hair fell out,” Becky shared. “Everything was closed, of course; but I called Connie Gode to see if she could possibly help me.”

Connie said, “Of course,” and met Becky down at R Salon in Staples, where she shaved Becky’s head and helped her with her wig.

“It’s pretty humbling,” Becky said.

The way she has learned to deal with cancer, Becky said, is to be both a Mary and a Martha (sisters written about in the Bible’s New Testament).

“Like Mary, I have learned to really sit at the feet of Jesus, to draw near to Him, spend more valuable time with Him,” Becky said. “But I also need to be a Martha; to keep moving, keep busy, fill my time with things worth my time, to do good work, nurture and strengthen relationships and be involved in causes that are important.”

She is a stronger person because of the cancer, Becky said. “I don’t know that I can honestly say I’m happy to have had it, but I do see that I am stronger because of it. I have to give God all the credit for that.”

Becky’s battle with cancer has definitely had an affect on Dean as well. “Oh, it’s life changing. But I am continually amazed and encouraged by my wife. People are always telling me what an encouragement she is to them...how full of joy she is in spite of everything.”

Becky’s middle name is Joy, Dean says. “I can’t think of a more fitting name for a person with her spirit.” It is also the middle name of their daughter, Inga.

The news this past October of her high tumor count, however, threatened to dampen her spirits, Becky said.

In spite of wonderful doctors (Becky can’t say enough good about Dr. Weitz and Dr. Uhlman), Becky said she knew the odds were against her.

Only 25 percent of ovarian cancer patients are still here after five years, Becky shared. “The more I think about this, the more I’ve realized what a miracle this Christmas is,” she added.

God did indeed grant his wife a miracle, Dean is convinced. “A miracle on 128th Street,” he says with a big grin.

After the grim report they had received just a month earlier, neither Dean or Becky were expecting the good news Dr. Uhlman was about to deliver.

“She called the day before Thanksgiving,” Becky said. “She told me that they had looked at the scans and found nothing - it was NED, No Evidence of Disease.”

To be certain, the tests were sent to the Mayo Clinic. “Their summation was the same...NED,” Dean said.

Perhaps God was preparing them for their Christmas miracle.

The day before they received the good news, Becky said, she and Dean had been having their morning devotions together.

“We’d been reading from the Old Testament,” Becky shared, “The story of Hezekiah, found in II Kings 20.”

In the story, Becky continued, the prophet Isaiah delivers a message from the Lord to King Hezekiah (who is very ill) that he will die soon.

Hezekiah proceeds to pray to the Lord, asking Him to remember that he has been faithful to God, and has served Him with his whole heart.

God talks to Isaiah again; and tells him to go back and tell Hezekiah that He has heard his prayers and seen his tears. “I will heal you and add 15 years to your life,” is God’s message to his faithful servant.

“I’m not saying I’m Hezekiah by any means,” Becky is quick to add. “But I do hope that God will consider me faithful.”

One Bible verse in particular has given her strength, Becky said, quoting II Timothy 1:7. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of selfdiscipline.”

She doesn’t know what the future holds, Becky said. “I’m choosing to live in the here and now. None of us know how long we’ll be here on earth. Could be many years, could be just a day,” she added.

Whatever the ending of the story, Becky knows that this particular Christmas is a gift from God; the miracle on 128th Street.