Ellie Ledin (00:01.006)
Hey all, welcome to the Inheritance of Hope podcast. My name is Ellie and I'll be your host today. And I'm joined with a really special guest that I think we will all learn a lot from and she just is such a sweet soul. So I'm really excited to have her on. Abigail, why don't you introduce yourself?
Abigail Camacho (00:20.305)
Hi everybody, my name is Abigail and I am currently living in Lynchburg, Virginia with my husband and I work for an orthopedic. I'm kind of in the middle of a few different things, but currently I'm doing like insurance authorizations for diagnostic imaging, which is not what I went to school for, but I love it. So it's been fun, but yeah.
Ellie Ledin (00:47.926)
Nice. What did you go to school for?
Abigail Camacho (00:50.428)
I went to school actually for finance, so yeah.
Ellie Ledin (00:53.728)
Okay, nice. So maybe not like what you were initially intending, but cool that you like it.
Abigail Camacho (01:00.359)
Yeah, no, definitely not what I was looking for at all, but it was the only full-time job I could get out of school. So I was like, well, we'll just see where the Lord goes with this. So, yeah.
Ellie Ledin (01:09.25)
Right? It will be a learning experience one way or another and get some new odd experience on your resume and that's great. And you recently got married, right?
Abigail Camacho (01:12.989)
Yup.
Abigail Camacho (01:17.511)
Yeah, yeah, no, definitely. Yes, yes, I did. I got married in December on December 14th of last year, so we just hit the five month mark. So.
Ellie Ledin (01:31.116)
Yeah, that's so exciting because I still have to, I think, update your contact in my phone or, you know, everything because I still have your last name, your maiden name listed everywhere. But yes. OK, so tell us a bit about your story, your family's experience with illness and what that has looked like.
Abigail Camacho (01:36.831)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (01:52.703)
you
Abigail Camacho (01:57.055)
Yeah, so my story with illness is that my dad back in 2015 was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which for people who don't know what that is, that is like the most aggressive type of brain cancer. And I was 11 at the time.
And that was a very tricky thing to navigate as an 11 year old, especially since I was the oldest of six kids at that point. So I was 11 and then the youngest was, hold let me do the math, two. No, I'm, hold on. Sorry, I'm trying to, yeah, she was two turning three. Yeah. And so she was two.
And I just remember like just how like everything in my life like turned upside down from like that first phone call. Cause we didn't, had no indicators that he was sick or had a brain tumor or anything until he had a grand mal seizure at a work lunch. And they took him to the hospital and they did like a CT scan, found a lemon sized tumor on his left frontal lobe and
And then I think a few days later they did the biopsy and found out that it was cancer. We didn't know what kind of cancer at the time, but it definitely was cancer. And Marci had his first surgery. And it was at that point that I think we found out that it was like, I don't know if it was initially glioblastoma.
But it definitely was like stage three brain cancer was officially like what it was. And then my parents went the next year and got a second opinion at Mayo where they were like, no, it's like stage four glioblastoma. And I would say like it was weird because so me and my siblings were homeschooled and like I was even homeschooled all the way through high school until I went to college and.
Abigail Camacho (03:54.183)
And so it was weird, like my mom being out of the house, like almost every single day, because she was just going to appointments with my dad. And then like after surgery, she was like always constantly going to visit him in the hospital. And there were times that she definitely took us kids with her. But just all the doctor's appointments post surgery and stuff just would be a lot to bring six kids to. So I mean, just any kids to in general. But so we had a lot of like babysitters and family come into town, which was fun, but also was like it was
Ellie Ledin (04:16.482)
Mm.
Alright.
Abigail Camacho (04:24.146)
a lot because I was just like I just want my parents back like I don't want I love my grandma but I don't want my grandma to be the one taking care of us all the time. And so yeah so that just was really hard like and I feel like I like put a lot of pressure on myself especially as the oldest to like take care of my siblings and to and to even like be
Ellie Ledin (04:28.078)
you
you
Hmm.
Abigail Camacho (04:50.802)
perfect quote unquote just because I was like, man, my parents are going through so much. Like I can't put anything else on their plate, which definitely has impacted me into adulthood and like not in good ways either. And so still trying to work through that and process through those things. But my dad,
didn't have any tumors after that first initial one until January of 2023 was when we found out that he had another, cause with terminal cancer, like brain cancer, it never actually leaves. So there's no, what's the word that I'm looking for?
There's no remission with brain cancer. Yeah, remission. There's no remission with like glioblastoma brain cancer, because even if the cancer cells don't form into a tumor, it still is there. And so...
Ellie Ledin (05:32.226)
Like remission.
Ellie Ledin (05:43.511)
Okay.
Abigail Camacho (05:46.215)
And so it came back as a tumor. Then he got surgery, a second surgery that summer, I think. No, it was actually right after Easter, right after Easter. Cause I remember I drove back for Easter. my parents are leaving the next day to go to Chicago. Cause that's where his doctors were. And so he had surgery again and
He was doing okay, like definitely not as great as the first time, but I mean, he was also like 10 years older. And then October of 2023, we found out that treatments were no longer working. And so they took him off chemo and radiation.
and he tried Avastin one time and he like completely lost like all his motor skills. Like he wasn't able to talk, like he wasn't able to walk. And so, and he has always had a thing where he wanted quality over quantity. And so for him, he's like Avastin would not give him the quality of life that he wanted. And so he would rather die sooner than, than not be able to like communicate with people or not be able to just enjoy life. And so.
they decided to stop that treatment as well. And so then I ended up moving back home my last semester of school because we were told like, hey, like your dad probably has six months to live. Which I mean, he was already a walking miracle because we had been given a six to like year, year and a half ish estimate, like the first initial go around with his cancer. And he had outlived that by, what would that have been?
eight, nine years at that point when his first or second tumor came back. and so yeah, I moved back home, did my last semester of school online and then he just turned around one day and kept getting better. He was in a wheelchair and was immobilized for...
Ellie Ledin (07:34.446)
Mm.
Abigail Camacho (07:51.551)
like months like my like he had my mom while he was still like living because we all thought he was going to die by like March or April of 2024. And so he had like my mom going by him like a plot of land and like a tombstone and like get all of that stuff like funeral arrangements and stuff like out of the way because he's like, I don't want you to have to do this like if I was to die because he already knows like the grief that should be going through. And so he was like, let's just get all this done while I'm still alive.
Ellie Ledin (08:14.606)
Mm.
Abigail Camacho (08:21.566)
And so we literally had almost everything just like planned out. So then like it would make that transition like just a little bit easier. And then, yeah, one day he just turned around and started like getting stronger and he started walking and he's still around to this day somehow, like which is totally a miracle and totally the Lord, because none of us would have expected it. And it just is amazing to see just the Lord just bless our family with that.
And so,
Ellie Ledin (08:53.816)
Wow, what a story. With a lot of twists and turns. my goodness. Yeah, I mean from that initial diagnosis, like you said, that first phone call to now, like so much has changed and there's been hope and sorrow and then hope and sorrow and hope and sorrow, like kind of a...
Abigail Camacho (08:56.786)
Yeah. Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (09:04.583)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (09:11.112)
Yes. Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (09:18.228)
I'm sure like a difficult process of knowing, okay, this is coming to a close and you're kind of like coming to terms with that and then being pleasantly surprised like that does, I'm sure, take a lot of emotional strength to navigate.
Abigail Camacho (09:21.213)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (09:24.904)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (09:33.843)
Yeah. Yeah. Lots of anticipatory grief that I did not know was a thing until especially this last go around when, cause you know, being 11 compared to being, what was I, like 20 is a very different, like you're way more like emotionally just mature.
you're older, so you understand things a lot more. Because even at 11, it's like I understood things, but not to the degree that 20-year-old me would have back in 2024.
Ellie Ledin (10:05.624)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, no kidding. So are you 20, 21 right now?
Abigail Camacho (10:12.088)
I'm turning 21 turning 22.
Ellie Ledin (10:15.872)
Okay, wow. So, I mean, that is a lot to go through from like a young age and kind of carrying that with you. so were you anticipating like getting married and just knowing that, okay, my dad's not gonna be here for this? Was that kind of how you were?
Abigail Camacho (10:16.647)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (10:22.044)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (10:34.918)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was... Yeah, that was something...
that I never expected. I mean, I didn't even know that he was gonna be there for my high school graduation. And so that was something that I really had to wrestle through a lot was like, my dad won't be there to walk me down the aisle. And I definitely was a little girl who always was like, everything was like, my gosh, I can't wait for my wedding day and get to meet the man who the Lord has for me and stuff like that. I was definitely the little princess.
just like can't wait for my wedding day type of little girl. And so that was something that like.
Ellie Ledin (11:11.874)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (11:17.698)
middle school me had to wrestle through a lot, even high school me, of just being like, man, like my dad may not be able to be there. And especially with like that, like last year when treatment stopped working and stuff, like that was something, especially since I was dating my now husband at the time, I was just thankful that my dad had gotten to meet him. But even then it was like, I don't think that my dad's going to make it for my wedding, which praise the Lord, he did. And he was able to walk me down the aisle and stuff.
but that was something that my husband and I had to talk through of like, well, when are we gonna get married? Because if my dad dies in April, like we can't get married in December because I don't know how I would be and stuff like that. So that was just something that even like in the last year we had to work through and talk about. So.
Ellie Ledin (12:03.447)
Right.
Ellie Ledin (12:11.842)
Yeah. my goodness. Walk me through what it was like actually having your dad, not only at the wedding, but like walking you down the aisle, doing the father daughter dance. What was going through your mind?
Abigail Camacho (12:19.55)
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, I loved it. It was, I definitely, because...
I mean, I feel like with weddings, everything's just such a blur, like the whole day. Because even looking back, it's like I remember certain things, but then other things, it's just like, I can't remember that. Because it's just like so much like just emotion stuff is happening. Him walking me down the aisle was super bittersweet. And it just was so fun just being able to be like, wow, like my dad is here. Because like I even had talked with my husband about maybe like his father.
being the one to walk me down the aisle because I'm super close with his parents too. Like if my dad were to have passed. And so it just was really nice that like I didn't have to have anyone else but my dad be the one to do that. The father daughter dance. That was somehow I did not cry. I think I let out like one single tear like the entire thing but like literally so.
initially like back
in 2023 when we first found out that my dad's cancer is back before his second surgery. My mom had actually seen from one of our friends who's, her husband also passed a glioblastoma, Amy Shaw, who's super big in the inheritance of Hope community as well. They did a like, they had a like, they did like the processional as well with their dad and stuff and like all the girls dressed up in wedding dresses and he walked them all down the aisle and
Abigail Camacho (14:02.48)
like their daddy daughter dances and stuff just so then the girls like got that. And so my mom actually did that with us as well before my dad's second surgery. And so I like did the same song and everything that I did for that at my real wedding and like my dad started like he like broke down and like started sobbing like probably like
30 seconds in and I don't think there was a dry eye in the room but mine. Which again, I do not know how because I am such a crier. Like I am the biggest, like I will cry at the drop of a bucket.
Ellie Ledin (14:33.228)
Great.
Abigail Camacho (14:40.094)
And so, yeah, so that was just a very emotional like thing for me. And like I sobbed when I saw the photos, though, like in my wedding video, like I cried through all of that. But in the moment, it was like I just got to stand there and dance with my dad and then get got to give him a great big hug. And it was like, and it was.
Ellie Ledin (14:47.98)
Mm.
Abigail Camacho (14:58.832)
Such an amazing thing because that was something that I wanted so badly, yet did not think at all that I was going to get. And so that was such a blessing from the Lord that I did get to have that opportunity.
Ellie Ledin (15:14.048)
And almost thankfully, we're so busy with the wedding day, or you know, you're just kind of...
Abigail Camacho (15:18.749)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (15:21.278)
not fully soaking in every single moment. That might almost have been a good thing so that, you know, your makeup wasn't all messed up, you weren't like an unemotional wreck for the rest of the day. But to have those videos and the pictures after the fact to reminisce on is such a gift and one it sounds like you would have never anticipated. Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (15:22.725)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (15:27.27)
Yeah. huh. Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (15:40.124)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, not at all. Like that's I think something that I really, because like I said, like my wedding day was like the biggest thing that I like imagined growing up. And so like for me, that was such a hard thing was being like, wow, my dad more than likely will not be here. And somehow due to the grace of God and just his hand on my dad's life like he was.
Ellie Ledin (16:08.334)
Yeah. Oh, man. So how was it hearing? mean, you were 11, so that's young. And I'm sure, you know, at that age, like you said, you're not fully aware of everything happening, all the dynamics. But how did your family respond to the news that your dad would only have six months to a year and a half left to live?
Abigail Camacho (16:17.587)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (16:32.86)
Yeah. My parents actually...
blew me away with their faith on how they handled that. I can't really remember how my siblings reacted necessarily. I know I kinda at first tried to stay super strong and I was like, I'm not gonna cry when I heard the news. But then my dad said something that completely broke me down. And I was like, okay, I'm crying now. But it was actually amazing because I feel like the Lord is so gracious in how He prepares people for different things because the months leading up
Ellie Ledin (16:54.264)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (17:07.262)
actually to my dad's cancer diagnosis. My parents had been super, like the Lord had just been like just showing them over and over and over again, like who he was. And my dad was even like at church, like teaching through Sunday school, like teaching the attributes of God. And he taught on like the Lord's sovereignty, like the week before he found out about his cancer. And then the week...
after we found out like he had to teach on like the Lord's goodness and stuff like that to where he was like sorry to where he was like God was just constantly reminding him like hey I know that you're going through a big trial right now but I got you like I'm sovereign and I'm still good and none of this is out of my control like I know exactly what I'm allowing to happen to you right now and it was actually funny because
the Lord had laid it on my parents' hearts, just like the sufferings of other Christians around the world. And so they were actually, for the year of 2015, every month was going to be something different, where like for the month of...
I'm thinking it was April, like we weren't going to do like air conditioning or like for the month of October, we weren't going to do heating. And then for like the month of August, we weren't going to drive in our car except to go to church and just things like that to where like they would, we as a family would kind of be able to see just like the privilege that we have here living in America, but also to know like what kind of like a lot of our brothers and sisters around the world are facing. And we actually were eating rice and beans, like my mom found
ton of different recipes of rice and beans from around like.
Abigail Camacho (18:52.05)
different countries. And so that's what we were eating in the month of February. And so at first, when we found out that my dad had a grand mal seizure, my mom's like, my gosh, has he not been getting the proper nutrients? Like, did we end up like doing something to where his blood sugar was tanking? Like, she was just like, my gosh, am I killing my husband by feeding him? like it, but then we found out it was cancer. Mom's like, okay, so it wasn't the rice and beans, but yeah. So I feel like the Lord just even with putting
Ellie Ledin (19:05.322)
no. Yeah. no.
Ellie Ledin (19:19.714)
Right.
Abigail Camacho (19:21.904)
on their hearts was like preparing them for the suffering that we were going to be facing. But yeah, so their faith definitely was like super inspirational to even me as an 11 year old about of just seeing just how like even though their whole world was shaped upside down because my dad was he was let me think.
Abigail Camacho (19:50.142)
of how old he was like 38 I think when he was diagnosed. Hold on.
Because what, it's been 10 years. Yeah, he was 38 when he was diagnosed. And so, I mean, even as a 38 year old, like you still think you're invincible, like against everything. So I know that that had to have been crazy to hear, hey, by the way, you have a terminal illness at such a young age. So.
Ellie Ledin (20:12.396)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (20:20.736)
Yeah, and was there any signs leading up to it that something was going wrong?
Abigail Camacho (20:27.195)
So.
There was a few like he was getting more tired and like his speech he seemed to have to think a little bit harder on like what to say but like none of us picked up on it because he was a tax accountant and so it was during busy season and so we all were like well he's just exhausted because he's working crazy hours because he was like a senior manager at his firm too so he was like con he was like at work from like 5 a.m to like 6 p.m every single day and some days on like saturdays just because it's busy season so
Ellie Ledin (20:42.722)
Mm.
Ellie Ledin (20:58.254)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (20:58.304)
We just were all like, he's just tired because it's the crazy tax season. But besides that, we really had nothing besides the net seizure.
Ellie Ledin (21:09.046)
Right. Man, I hear that a lot where it just catches people off guard and it's a seizure or it's something that was just so shocking and then your world kind of changes ultimately.
Abigail Camacho (21:15.9)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (21:21.907)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (21:27.8)
Well, I know you shared about the rice and bean story, but I would love to hear if you have another humorous story comes to mind of something unexpected and just funny happened along the way.
Abigail Camacho (21:31.198)
you
Abigail Camacho (21:35.964)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (21:41.191)
Yeah. I mean, so our like go-to funny story that we always share as a family is so after surgery, dad, so a lot of times post brain surgery, especially with the left frontal lobe, because that's a lot of your speech and communication as well as like your movement part of your brain.
they just expect they're like, hey, you may not walk or talk after surgery for a bit. Well, my dad was able to walk and talk. Well, according to the doctors he was. He was able to like say like water and like wiggle his toes, which to them is like, this is great. But to like my mom, was like, what do mean he can walk and talk? He can't even say my name. Like, you know, just, but it's just different in like the medical world versus like.
Ellie Ledin (22:18.978)
Wow.
Ellie Ledin (22:24.014)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (22:27.834)
just just patience viewing things. But with his like lack of speech, he couldn't really say a lot. And so it was funny because like he couldn't say his name or my mom's name or ask for a glass of water, but he could say anesthesiologist. And then.
Ellie Ledin (22:31.628)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (22:45.816)
my gosh. That's a big word.
Abigail Camacho (22:49.218)
Yes, that is a very big word. And it's funny because it's at times like it's almost like his logical part of his brain and his creative part of his brain have switched because the right side is more creative while the left side is more of a logical part. So with him now missing like a quarter of his left side of his brain.
Like his right side has had to take over a lot. And so he'll just say really big words out of nowhere at times. Like instead of saying, like I told, I'm trying to think of a good example. Like, but it's like, you know, like those vocabulary words you learned in like elementary and middle school, you're like, I'm never going to use these words in real life. Like he uses those now at the most random times. Cause it's just like, he won't say the simple word. He'll say like the super like complex, like vocabulary word.
Ellie Ledin (23:34.894)
you
Abigail Camacho (23:39.773)
And it was really funny. because of his limited speech, he would tell people a lot that they're dismissed when he was ready to not have guests in his room anymore. then even one time during speech therapy, his speech therapist was like, all right, Wayne, tell me a couple of sports. And he was like volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, cricket, table tennis. And my mom was like, what?
Ellie Ledin (23:40.439)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (23:53.165)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (24:07.454)
Abigail Camacho (24:09.726)
Like, yeah, which it kind of makes sense because like his boss's son played cricket. But my mom's like, where did you get table tennis from? Like, like, why not just regular tennis or football or baseball? Like, it was so funny.
Ellie Ledin (24:11.286)
All of the obscure ones.
Ellie Ledin (24:18.766)
Okay.
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (24:26.455)
Right.
Probably, it's just a lot of entertainment for your family of just keeping up with, wait, what did dad just say? that's hilarious. And I'm sure, yeah, like I said, just probably very entertaining, not only for you guys, but medical staff or whoever is being told they're dismissed.
Abigail Camacho (24:34.183)
Yeah.
Yep, no definitely.
Abigail Camacho (24:48.07)
Yes. Yeah. huh. Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (24:55.736)
What about a moment of real heaviness or darkness that you experienced along the way? Which I'm sure there are many, but yeah.
Abigail Camacho (25:04.348)
Yeah, I was gonna say there definitely are many. I would say probably the biggest one was recently just finding out that treatment wasn't working.
because I was away from home and I hadn't seen anyone since I had like left for school. And we were actually visiting my husband's family at the time. It was like my first time ever seeing them. And all of a sudden I got a call from my mom and I wasn't able to pick it up because we were out and about. And she texted me and she goes, hey, we really need to talk. And I was like, that can't be good. Like if she's sending me that. And so.
We get back to his house and my mom tells me and that was just like devastating because it was like, okay. Like this is like, cause it always was.
Because like you always have it in the back of your head where like you're like this is actually cancer and it's actually bad. But I feel like because we had lived with it for so long that it's almost like my brain couldn't actually process like, this could actually kill him. Like this is actually something super duper bad because I had seen the like side effects of it, but I never saw like the actual decline in the actual like near death that we got like those few months.
Ellie Ledin (26:13.006)
you
Abigail Camacho (26:27.614)
after I moved back from school where he was getting closer to death and it was like, wow, this is actually like super close and this is actually something super real that we're probably going to be dealing with. And so I'd say that was probably at least that I can think of off the top of my head, like the darkest moment.
Ellie Ledin (26:48.812)
Yeah, especially because it sounds like there was a huge gap between the first surgery and that first initial diagnosis. And then a lot of times, you know, it's almost easier to like just face a hard season and then be on the other side of it. But to have this like lingering, is it going to come back? Is it not? And then having like such a quiet time and then for it to come back is just
Abigail Camacho (26:52.668)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (27:06.29)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (27:12.477)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (27:18.736)
I would imagine that's so devastating.
Abigail Camacho (27:19.876)
Yeah, no, it was. And it was always hard too because like it was one of those things where it was like, where we had to always keep a very like healthy balance of like, well, my dad could be completely healed because we had no way of knowing.
but it also could just be dormant like it actually was. And so it's so hard when people are like, yeah, your dad's completely healed of his cancer. it's like, but we don't actually know that. Like that's the thing with this cancer is that we can never know. And so I'd say that was also just super hard was that people, especially who aren't in the cancer community, like they definitely were, it wasn't like they were trying to say anything wrong, but it just is that they just can't comprehend like the actual like unknown that comes with it.
Thank
Ellie Ledin (28:07.054)
Yeah, we often hear that people want to help, but they aren't sure. Like, so what are some things that people have said or done that have not been helpful? And then what are some things that people have said and done that have been helpful?
Abigail Camacho (28:12.828)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (28:21.597)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (28:25.308)
Yeah, I would say things that have not been helpful are like, it's not to any fault of like anyone, but it's like, I would say back to like that whole thing of like, well he's healed, like the Lord has completely healed him. And it's like one of those things of like, do I believe that the Lord can completely heal someone of a terminal illness?
I that that was on. Sorry, I'll just repeat that. One thing, like people definitely are well-meaning when they say this, especially like in church and stuff like that. I've just been like, well, the Lord has completely healed him of his like cancer. And do I believe that the Lord can completely heal anything 100 %? Like God is not a God to be put in a box. Like he definitely is a great physician and a God of miracles. However, I also am aware that
Ellie Ledin (28:52.056)
Sure.
Abigail Camacho (29:17.504)
Sick death is something that we face on this side of eternity every single day. And I can't put my hope in a miracle and not in the Lord. And so I feel like that was always something super hard that people were well meaning in, but that's not 100%. That's not necessarily true.
And then I think another thing is like people who just expect me to come to them and like give them updates about like how my parents are doing. Cause even my mom was diagnosed then with uterine cancer the year of 2024. So we kind of were like going uphill with my dad and then like literally the, a few days before I was supposed to go to school. Oh no, it was 2023. Hold on.
Sorry, I'm trying to remember my dates. You know, it was 2023. So we were finally going uphill with my dad, because the first half of 2023 was all my dad. Like, we kind of were like going really downhill, then we like spiked uphill all of a sudden, we're like, cool. And then the summer kind of studied out. And then a few days before I was leaving for my senior year of college, my mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer and...
So she was, and yeah, we found that out a few days before I left. And so that was super duper hard, because I was like, my gosh, now both of my parents have cancer. And so like, and I had like friends who were both meaning, but they at times would be like, they would almost like get.
almost upset at me because they would find out things from my mom's blog instead of me. And it's like, guys, like I'm not just gonna randomly just like bring up, hey, this is what's happening in my parents life. Like, because it's just weird for me. Like it's weird for me to like come up to somebody just out of blue and just dump a ton of stuff on them. Like, unless you ask me how people are doing, I'm not just gonna randomly come up to you and be like, by the way, like.
Ellie Ledin (31:11.086)
Thanks
Abigail Camacho (31:32.137)
this and this this happened unless it was super big. Like I did tell a lot of people before my mom did like posted on her blog that they ended up finding another growth in her. And so they upped her staging to a stage three uterine cancer just because her doctor wanted to be able to attack it with as much as they could treatment wise, since she knew that my dad also was a terminal cancer patient. But that was just really hard, I would say.
just having people in my life who were expecting me to be the one to communicate things when it was really hard for me to be, because there was a lot of stuff that I even compartmentalized like unhealthily, where I would read something and be like, cool, and then I would shove it down and forget about it just because I didn't healthily work through things. And then things that people did that I liked, I just, I always appreciate
when people are just willing to sit with me and just allow me to open up in my own time about stuff and just not ask a ton of questions, but rather just ask one and then just let us sit in silence even if we have to. And then.
I'm trying to think of what else. And then even just friends who would just like randomly text like, hey, I'm praying for you or just send Bible verses and stuff like that always was super nice too, of just seeing that they're there for me and that they're wanting to actually be there, but not actually like pushing for me to tell them stuff and things like that.
Ellie Ledin (33:15.35)
It sounds like the emotional energy to have to, you know, notify all these different people is obviously really draining. And so if other people take the lead and without expecting a certain level of information or relational currency, just show up and say, hey, I'm thinking about you and kind of taking the burden of the emotional energy and initiation is really helpful.
Abigail Camacho (33:21.874)
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (33:43.55)
No,
Ellie Ledin (33:46.272)
And something you said was so profound, I feel like I just wanna like put it on the wall or something, but I might butcher this. But something like I can't expect and hope in a miracle and not in the Lord. Is that what you said or?
Abigail Camacho (33:50.854)
Yeah
Abigail Camacho (34:01.534)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, there was something along those lines. Yeah, because that's, that's I think been the biggest thing for me, especially recently that I have, especially I would say since college, because I feel like there's a lot of, especially in the church today, there's a lot of.
Ellie Ledin (34:06.156)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (34:21.882)
stuff about, well, if you just have enough faith, the Lord is going to heal you of everything. And it's just like, I don't think that that's biblical. I know countless, like strong believers who have died from cancer or from a heart attack or from other things like that. We just recently had a guy at our church who was like super influential with my walk with the Lord, especially when it came.
to just like healing from certain aspects of my life through different ministries that we had at church who died of stage four lung cancer a few weeks ago. And it just was like, know so many strong believers who definitely prayed for healing, but I feel like if we're expecting life to be easy and if we're expecting life to be painless, that's not what like Jesus even told us was going to happen with the Christian life. And I think that it's an unhealthy expectation to have
in this present world that we even live in where we do have, because if you don't die of cancer, you're going to die of something else. And I would not wish cancer on anybody. Like even the worst person I could think of who's alive today, like I wouldn't wish cancer on them because it's just such a bad thing.
But I don't think that God's heart is for death for anybody. Like, and we even see that like death wasn't supposed to be something that was around. It wasn't until the fall that death entered into our world. And so I don't think God wants anyone to die of anything like, and so like cancer is just one of those things that it just is like, because we live in a fallen world, we're going to experience it, unfortunately. So.
Ellie Ledin (36:01.454)
Yeah, and knowing that the Lord is present through it all, He is near and it's maybe not the thing that He's wishing on anyone or initiating, but that He is present and He is a helper. He is the great physician, but that doesn't automatically mean healing on the side of eternity. So,
Abigail Camacho (36:05.244)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (36:10.686)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (36:16.882)
Mm-hmm. Yep. Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (36:25.62)
We talk about that a lot at inheritance of hope of how do we wrestle with that tension because we know that the Lord is good and we also know things are hard. So what does that look like? And it's hard and it looks kind of different for a lot of people, especially because all of the families we serve are impacted by terminal illness, which is.
Abigail Camacho (36:27.57)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (36:38.909)
Yeah.
Thank
Abigail Camacho (36:44.668)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (36:47.362)
excruciating and painful and so difficult and yet we can still say like yeah there's joy in the midst of that because we know we have this eternal perspective that there is more to the story. So how did your family get connected and hear about inheritance of hope?
Abigail Camacho (36:48.626)
That's nice.
Abigail Camacho (36:54.47)
Okay.
Abigail Camacho (36:59.87)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (37:06.334)
So going back to Amy Shaw, she actually was the one who told my mom, because they went on a retreat, I think in 2019, yeah, I think it was 2019 they were served, if I'm not mistaken. And she's like, oh my gosh, Rebecca, you need to go and do this thing called inheritance of hope. The retreats were amazing. Like you just need to get your family on one. And so we were supposed to be served April of 2020, but.
As we all know, March 2020, the entire world shut down for months. And so we were not able to go on our retreat. And so we actually weren't served by inheritance of hope until March of 2022. But I had actually gotten involved with inheritance of hope before that, because I helped volunteer on the like hope at home retreats that they did.
It was like the online retreats that they used to do and offer during like the COVID era. And so I kind of was already like a volunteer with Inheritance of Hope. then, we were served in March of 2022, literally one of the best things I ever like experienced. I loved it. Like I loved meeting other people my age who...
also had either a parent who was sick or is sick because at that time they were serving families who parents had passed since over COVID. There were a couple families on the wait list whose parents had already passed at that point. It just was fun like being able to just see
Inheritance of Hope just in action and just seeing just like the love and just the joy of Christ that every volunteer had on that retreat. And even it just was super fun like going to Disney and Universal with my family and just making those fun memories. And I actually am now a family volunteer with Inheritance of Hope where I have, I think I just did my fifth retreat in North Carolina this last.
Abigail Camacho (39:08.08)
month in April and I love it. I love volunteering. I love being able to give back and just serve a family that's facing something similar like what mine is going through. And then I also did legacy videos so as a legacy video coach.
Ellie Ledin (39:28.694)
Yeah, can you talk a bit about legacy videos? Because it's so accessible. Anybody can, everybody should. Whether or not there's a diagnosis in the family, it's a resource available to all. So anyone who's listening to this podcast episode, what would you tell them about legacy videos and why they should make one?
Abigail Camacho (39:34.814)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (39:51.761)
I would say first and foremost, none of us are promised tomorrow. I mean, even my dad's neurologist told him, goes, Wayne, everyone has a bus coming to hit them at some point in their life. The thing is, is that terminal patients see that bus coming? Well, then the rest of us don't. And so, and so I would say, especially if you have kids or even grandkids or even if you're just single, like they're just, or not single, but like.
If you don't have kids yet, like there are just so many amazing things that you can just even say to like your future self or say to your kids, grandkids, your future kids, just even your future self of just being able to document and just have a video for your loved ones to have because that's something that like knowing that once my dad passes I have a video of him like saying I love you and like being able to talk especially since it's been hard because he can't really communicate
super well. Now it's like you can still have a conversation but it's not anything like how it used to be before this last go-around with cancer and so...
It's like knowing that I'll like that I have a video of being able to hear my dad speak like he used to is just so comforting to me to know like, like once he does pass, it's not going to be the last time I see him or get to like here and I love you from him. And so especially for those who are facing a terminal diagnosis, I highly recommend it because even if all that you do is get on and say that I love you to your kids, that's something that they're going to treasure for the rest of their lives.
And I mean, like we even have volunteers who've like parents have since passed and they say that that video is something that they go back to like all the time just to be able to see their parents again. And it's just something so precious and something that I definitely think people should take advantage of.
Ellie Ledin (41:54.058)
Yeah, you articulated that so beautifully because it's such a priceless gift and I think a lot of people struggle to even think about doing it in the first place but then also like once you're on that call what do I say? Because it kind of forces us to face our own mortality and so like you said we're not promised tomorrow so why are we banking on having more opportunity to say something that we actually mean instead of having it always documented and
Abigail Camacho (41:59.251)
This is
Abigail Camacho (42:04.584)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (42:12.636)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (42:19.154)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (42:23.952)
preserved in your voice with your mannerisms. Like that is a priceless gift. And I think some people have this notion that, I have 45 minutes to convey everything I need to say and capture my legacy. And it's like, it can be a five minute video where you just say, love you. This is what I think about you. And that could be it. You don't even have to share any stories if you don't want. So it's so accessible.
Abigail Camacho (42:27.826)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (42:38.226)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (42:42.963)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (42:49.502)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (42:53.872)
And it's so worth it. We've never heard anyone say, regret making one. But we do hear the opposite of like, man, my person just died and I wish that they got around to doing this. And it's such a helpless feeling because it's like, yeah, I know I wish everyone has this gift, you know? yeah. And the nice thing is that is a free resource, as is all inheritance of hope resources.
Abigail Camacho (42:56.26)
Mm-hmm.
out.
Abigail Camacho (43:06.288)
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (43:19.124)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (43:23.792)
From your perspective not only as a family served but now like a very involved volunteer What would you say to people who have donated to inheritance of hope like what has their? Impact or what impact has their generosity had on you personally? Have you seen that money in action?
Abigail Camacho (43:29.266)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (43:35.474)
Yeah.
Abigail Camacho (43:39.282)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (43:42.879)
Yeah.
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to Inheritance of Hope because honestly, seeing coming both as someone who has been served and getting to receive that, but also someone who now is utilizing your resources and both having been a legacy video coach and being a family volunteer and going on multiple retreats is that your money is what makes us be able to do what we do for these families. Because I just know even for myself, like my family was able
not that we weren't open before, but was like inheritance of hope because of the different groups and just the facilitators ask questions and just facilitate discussion. It's like, I feel like we were able to be a ton more open about even just our thoughts and feelings towards cancer, which was truly remarkable. And I feel like a lot of my siblings, especially those who weren't really processing things healthily, were able to start processing things a lot more.
healthily and were able to open up to my parents more and were able to get the help that they needed like through therapy and stuff that they were initially closed off to. And then I would say on the flip side as a family volunteer, being able to see a child go from super reserved and closed off to by the end of the weekend being a completely different kid because they've learned, I'm not alone in this struggle. There's other kids my age.
Like it's the most heartbreaking but amazing thing to see kids in the kids group be like, my gosh, your parent, your mom is also sick. So is mine. And they have something that they get to relate to another kid.
Abigail Camacho (45:26.45)
that most of the time they cannot relate to any other kids anywhere else, whether that's in like their sports, their school. Like IOH is just something that we have an ability to be able to connect kids and connect adults to each other in a way that they can't anywhere else. And I would say Inheritance of Hope is honestly a one of a kind organization. Like I don't know of anything else that is like it. And I think that it...
is legitimately changing lives for the best. Whether that be just through the gospel or even just a loving smile of a volunteer who takes care of a family for the weekend. It literally is helping families get through this and to be able to find the joy and the hope of Christ, but not even that, just being able to be like, there's more to...
life than just this cancer diagnosis? And how are we going to make lasting family memories that when we look back down the road, we're not going to regret how we spent our time, even despite facing cancer or even ALS. We can't forget about ALS, but even like ALS in the eyeballs. Like, how are we going to make these memories?
Ellie Ledin (46:40.312)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (46:45.844)
Right. And to not have to worry about, hey, money is so tight right now. We have all these medical bills. We're navigating insurance. And then now what are we going to just spend a ton of money to take six kids to Disney? That's probably not a priority. So to do that and to have these video resources, online support groups, and know that you don't have to worry about it because other people are so generous, not only with their time, but their money too. It's so
Abigail Camacho (46:50.344)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (46:56.732)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (47:08.958)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (47:15.908)
humbling to just see the whole picture and you have a unique perspective because you are on the receiving end and you know giving these resources now too is just it's such a beautiful thing to see and be a part of.
Abigail Camacho (47:18.6)
Yep.
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (47:31.262)
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (47:33.518)
Well, to close out this episode, I'm gonna ask a question we ask all our guests, and that is whose legacy has been impactful for you? So that could be in their life, in their death, just someone who you are carrying on their legacy by the way they lived.
Abigail Camacho (47:45.522)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
I would say definitely my dad. He's not gonna be my only answer though. My dad definitely, I mean just seeing him just in his faith over the last like 10 plus years now that he's been a terminal cancer patient has just been so inspiring and how he just is able to still laugh and just have fun.
But I would also say someone who got me through a lot, especially the first go-round with my dad's gangster was Cory Ten Boom. And if you don't know who that is, she was a Christian in the Netherlands during World War II. And the Netherlands was one of the countries that the Nazis occupied during World War II. And her family converted their addicts into a hiding place for Jews. And...
Somehow they got tipped off to the Gestapo and almost her entire immediate family died in either a concentration camp or like her father didn't even make it to the concentration camp because he died while in prison.
And she was really the only one who survived. And like she watched her sister, Betsy, like succumb to the flu while they were at Ravensburg. And just her faith and just her courage through that whole thing and how she never denounced the Lord once was so inspiring to me.
Abigail Camacho (49:14.142)
as a kid facing nothing like what she faced because we both suffered differently. But just seeing her faith through that and even at the end of her autobiography, The Hiding Place, which I highly recommend anyone read. She even while she was telling her story at a church one time.
Old German soldier who actually was one of the German soldiers at the concentration camp came up to her and She in that moment had to decide whether or not she was going to forgive him for everything that He put her and her sister through and she did and it was just a beautiful story of just like how the Lord like even in something so dark as a concentration camp under like Hitler and Germany and Nazi Germany like she was able to see past that
and see just the human being that God created in his image.
And something she even writes in a different book is that life is like a tapestry or like an embroidery if anyone does embroidery. And it's like we typically don't see the beautiful finished product. We only see the messy stitching side in which if you've ever seen like any sewing project, you know one side is an absolute mess. Well, then the other side is beautiful. And a lot of times we don't get to see the beautiful side until heaven, but we just have to trust that the Lord, despite all the messiness that we see, is
working out something beautiful. So she definitely was someone who has impacted me a lot.
Ellie Ledin (50:44.294)
I love that. love I've definitely I'm not actually sure if I've read The Hiding Place, but I read A Tramp for the Lord, which is another book. I don't know if that's the tapestry one, but my gosh, I feel like so much inspiration came from that. And like you said, the suffering was different, but just seeing someone live their life and faiths out so well in their suffering is way more
Abigail Camacho (50:49.251)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (51:06.014)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie Ledin (51:14.592)
Yeah, inspiring and motivating than someone who has like a perfectly calm, comfortable life and never leaves the comfort zone. It's like that's not what the Lord is calling us to. Like we are to live out our faith in all circumstances. And so I even like hope that for your life as well in the midst of a lot of suffering from a young age that like other people will see, man, I love how Abigail lives out her life and I'm inspired to like
Abigail Camacho (51:16.126)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (51:36.028)
you
Yeah.
Ellie Ledin (51:44.538)
in my faith because of how she's doing that in suffering. So thank you for living that out well and spending this time with us today. I know people will be really touched by what you had to say.
Abigail Camacho (51:45.469)
Mm-hmm.
Abigail Camacho (51:59.59)
Yeah, well, thank you for having me on. I loved it.
Ellie Ledin (52:02.988)
Yeah, good.
