2013 Joyful Ornament Recipient
Janet Kwami
Janet Kwami is a professor of Communication
Studies at Furman University, South Carolina. Her research explores social
inequity, and the appropriation, use and impact of digital technologies in the
global South, particularly in Ghana, West Africa. She recently received a
National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant award to study how marginalized
communities in Africa and China self-organize with digital tools. She has
published several articles and research reports in the area of digital media.
Janet is a native of Ghana who lives in Greenville with her husband, Nathaniel
and two girls. She is a woman of faith who has experienced the goodness of the
Lord in many ways and has seen God’s hand at work in her life.
God’s Miracle
In the summer of
2012, my life changed drastically with a breast cancer diagnoses and a
pregnancy, sending me through a whirlwind of emotions. On April 28th
2012, I felt a lump in my breast and went in for my annual exam and was informed
by my doctor that I had a mass and needed a mammogram and MRI. The results
required that I undergo a biopsy to rule out cancer. At this time, my husband
and I were trusting God for a second child and we were pleasantly surprised to
find out that I was expecting a baby. The results of the biopsy shocked us as
nothing prepared us for a stage III breast cancer diagnoses and a five-week
pregnancy. We met with several specialists and the options presented to us were
grim, we could not be assured of a positive outcome if we chose to keep the
pregnancy. The easiest and safest option was to terminate the pregnancy and
focus on treatment. My husband and I prayed and we believed in our spirit that
the baby was a gift of God and decided to keep the pregnancy and trusted God for
a miracle. I underwent aggressive treatment regime involving mastectomy and
chemotherapy during my second and third trimester.
Treatment and
pregnancy was difficult. It was not easy to comprehend how I could be nurturing
and loving a tiny living being in me, while aggressively, killing another at the
same time. Many people wanted to know how it was possible to undergo chemo and
grow a baby at the same time. I did not have an answer; it sure was a
miracle of God!
On December 19, 2013 at 37 weeks, God blessed us with the
miracle of baby Nicole weighing 5 lb and 12 ounces, and 19 inches long. She is a
blessing, perfect in every way.
I believe my
pregnancy helped me get through five cycles of chemotherapy. While
chemotherapy took a toll on me physically and emotionally, she was responsible
for me eating when food was tasteless, I was nauseated and had no appetite.
She brought me joy with her kicks and seeing her during countless ultrasounds.
She kept me fighting and let me focus on a positive outcome.
Today, I continue
with chemotherapy and have started radiation therapy and enjoy the blessings of
my two girls – Natalie and Nicole and a very supportive and loving husband,
Nathaniel. Through this journey, I have learnt even more to lean on God’s
everlasting love, knowing that he has promised never to leave me nor forsake me
and that He surely will work all things together for our good so that His glory
and goodness will be revealed through His work in us.
UPDATE ON JANET
2015 ~
