Don't Panic, It's Only Brain Surgery!: My Journey from Panic to Peace

By Jeaunetta Westenberg

Jeaunetta is an inspiring overcomer who shares the gift of laughter and encouragement. Thousands of lives have been impacted by her public speaking ministry. Let the Lord encourage you and bless you with her incredible story.
ROBBIE ROPELLA President of Ropella & Associates

Have you ever uttered words like why me, or asked the Lord why He doesnt rescue you from a devastating disease or a difficult situation? You are not alone. Dont Panic...Its Only Brain Surgery! is a HOW TO book & Bible Study that teaches us to get through even the worst of circumstances with the Lords help, without submitting to panic and anxiety. If you are going through a hard time, Jeaunettas story of enduring brain surgery and a long recovery will tug on your heart strings and show you that God is faithful to all His promises. He gives strength to overcome:

Anxiety
Doubt
Fear
Loneliness

Whether you are going through a life-limiting illness or a stressful day, God can take you from Panic to Peace and give His joy to get through anything. Its like Jeaunetta says Dont Panic, Its Only Brain Surgery!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781973607076

Jeaunetta Westenberg

Jeaunetta Westenberg, is an engaging and Inspirational Women’s Ministry Speaker, Author & Founder of Girls Just Want to Love God Ministries and a Public Relations Specialist. Through her own health struggles, she has been blessed with tremendous opportunities to shine the light of Jesus to others. Her humorous and real-life stories will touch your heart & show how God gives us JOY in the most unexpected places. She delights in using unusual items to promote Biblical truths in everyday circumstances. Jeaunetta lives in Wisconsin with her husband Joel and 2 sons. Visit her Girls Just Want to Love God Women’s Ministry on Facebook for Daily inspiration.

Book preview

DON’T PANIC,

IT’S ONLY

BRAIN

SURGERY!

MY JOURNEY FROM

PANIC TO PEACE

JEAUNETTA WESTENBERG

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Copyright © 2017 Jeaunetta Westenberg.

Images by Hilary Furnish Photography.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0708-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0709-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0707-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017917444

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/29/2017

Contents

Introduction

From Panic to Peace

Lesson 1:   Don’t Plant Seeds of Doubt

Lesson 2:   Don’t Be Anxious

Lesson 3:   Don’t Be Negative

Lesson 4:   Don’t Isolate Yourself

Lesson 5:   Don’t Be Crabby or Complain

Don’t PANIC Review

The Prescription for a Healthy & Happy Life

Script 1:   Submit Ourselves to the Lord

Script 2:   Make the Most of Everyday

Script 3:   Identify What is Really Important!

Script 4:   Let Go of the Small Stuff

Script 5:   Encourage Others

A Room with a View

Don’t Panic Guides

This book is

dedicated to my entire family who has loved me, supported me and encouraged me! They have helped me through every stage of my life and my recovery. (Especially my Mother who has been my greatest example of living victoriously in the storm.)

God has truly blessed me with wonderful parents, a sweet and faithful husband, two adorable boys, awesome and encouraging sisters (and their husbands), a kind brother (and his wife), a sweet Mother-in-Law and my husband’s brother and sisters and their spouses.

All of whom, I am so grateful for!

SPECIAL THANKS

I am so grateful to have a loving family and faithful friends who prayed for, encouraged, cooked for my family and cared for me on this long road from panic to peace. Thanks to their generosity, my family was taken care of (and well-fed), which was such a blessing.

• Thank you to all of the faithful Prayer Warriors who flooded the throne on my behalf and those who continue to faithfully pray for myself and my family!

• Thank you to Hilary Furnish Photography for the fun and laughs during our photo shoots.

• Thank you to the following church families who were such a blessing throughout my situation for both myself and my family: Watertown Community Church, River Valley Alliance Church, Faith Lutheran Church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

• Thank you to Megan Schmieder and Donna Rantanen who helped with editing and proofing.

• Thank you to the Butch Mayer Family for help with our home.

• Thank you to the Ladies that allow me to minister to them and share my many stories of God’s faithfulness to their church groups.

"Don’t Panic is a very up close, personal, overwhelming and yet sometimes hysterical reflection of my personal health struggles with a brain tumor. I am still amazed at how the Lord worked on my heart and my mind to help me through brain surgery, and a very lengthy rehabilitation process.

Don’t Panic became a HOW TO book of life lessons and a Bible study for anyone going through a difficult situation. It was written through laughter and tears, as I share some very vulnerable moments in my recovery. I was blessed by the lessons I learned while claiming victory over panic and anxiety as I experienced things that were out of my control. It was in those moments that the Lord touched my life and taught me how to get through even the most overwhelming circumstances. I cannot tell you how many times I have said the following phrase to myself after my first meeting with my neurosurgeon… Don’t Panic, It’s Only Brain Surgery!" ~ Jeaunetta Westenberg

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Sometimes the hardest journeys are the ones we try to travel alone… Jeaunetta Westenberg

INTRODUCTION

I guess it’s like they say; life is full of little surprises. Some are good and some are not. There are even times when we go through things that shake the very core of our being, and lead us to draw upon our faith in the Lord like never before.

When this happens, no matter how hard it is, or how hopeless we feel, we need to rest on the promise (and the fact) that GOD alone is in control of all things. That includes myself and my circumstances, even when things seemed impossible.

My story was really a tough one to tell. Things did seem impossible as I struggled through brain tumors, brain surgery, spastic quadriplegia, and a very long recovery. I learned throughout my own situation to cling to His promises, and I am blessed by this verse in Jeremiah that reminds me of the hope I have in Him for my future.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

That verse also reminded me that my plans are not His plans for my life. When things go wrong in this life, what a comfort it is to know that God already has a plan for us that is filled with hope for a prosperous future. Those plans, and that hope, are promised to give us something to stand on when we feel like there is sinking sand all around us. I can tell you that I have felt that sinking sand under my feet, but instead of allowing it to collapse and swallow me up, I learned (with the Lord’s help) that I needed to just release everything and totally rely on Him. It has not been an easy process but the Lord has really been at work in my situation.

In this book, I want to share how God works within our circumstances, and specifically how He has worked through mine, to show me that He is there. No matter how dire things may seem, or how far we have sunk into the muck and the mire, He will offer strength and even give JOY during the hardest of times. If you are struggling with anything right now and questioning every part of your circumstances, no matter what they are, I want you to know that you are not alone and, this book has definitely been written for you.

Throughout my journey into the world of tumors and brain surgery, and all of the scary things that accompany such a difficult diagnosis, I have struggled with the devastating fear of the unknown. At times, I became overwhelmed with a panic so real, and so disabling I thought it could overtake me. I had gone through struggles with anxiety before, but never experienced panic so real and overwhelming. There were times I felt so down and defeated I thought I would never make it through the battle. I traveled a long road to recovery and it was hard. Starting with the basics, I had to relearn the simplest of tasks. It was everything that I always did so easily yet took for granted. That, in itself, was draining both physically and mentally.

After I started my intense rehab program in the hospital, I remember the therapists helping me to walk for the very first time. It was quite an overwhelming experience. I felt so defeated and my emotions really got the best of me. The tears just flowed down my face as I struggled to move, my body shaking uncontrollably with each movement. Two people helped me to stand and another would move each foot one step at a time. I felt so out of control and had to have help to keep my legs from buckling beneath me. I still recall praying and hoping that my body would stop shaking and simply remember how to comply with movements that should have been like second nature to me. The physical therapists would hold my hands to a walker in front of me and have another person