Horse riding, cancer journeys and shared faith
Reflections
“Both the GP and renal specialist concluded that falling from the horse saved my life…and there is such grace in that,” observes Bishop Cam
About two years ago a parishioner from The Parish of Mitchell, Mr Bim Struss, asked if I’d go to Longreach in May this year to offer a blessing on two thousand head of cattle as they began the long journey to Roma. The three-month droving trip that followed is the Great Australian Charity Cattle Drive, which is a fantastic Queensland beef industry initiative. I happily agreed and didn’t think much more about it until Bim reached out again and asked if I’d like to ride with the drive for five days!
Now droving is romantically celebrated in Australian literature, poetry, songs and film, so why wouldn’t I want to give this a crack? I have done some trail-riding before, but I haven’t worked with cattle, so I signed up for weekly lessons at a riding school in Highfields. All was going well until mid-December when I knocked over a barrel in a race that spooked the horse, such that I landed unceremoniously on my side with the wind quite taken from me!
My GP, much amused, sent me for X-Rays and scans the next day that revealed four broken ribs and some internal bleeding on the left side, which was unsurprising. However, the scans also revealed a 6cm renal cell carcinoma in my right kidney. Both the GP and renal specialist concluded that falling from the horse saved my life…and there is such grace in that.
I had to wait for the ribs to heal before the surgeon was able to safely remove my right kidney and while waiting for that date, I was offered care and prayer from many people and again…there was such grace in that.
Since the accident I think I’ve had conversations with people across the Western Region about horse riding every other day. It feels like “the fall” has opened up a common ground that we never had before! Consequently, I now have a much better sense of who rides and what’s involved, and the huge contribution that horses have played, and continue to play, on many properties, and in many communities. The kidney situation has also been a catalyst for people to talk about their current, or previous, journeys with cancer…and so there has been much grace.
I thank God that my energy and strength are 100 per cent, and that I’m back on the horse again each week! I’m thankful also for the newly found common ground of horse riding, cancer journeys, and shared faith. Through it all there’s been new insight into the verse that suggests that God’s strength can be made perfect in weakness! (2 Corinthians 12.9)
How have you experienced God’s grace over the last year?
Jump to next article
