I wrote this first post the week after the Careity Celebrity Cutting.
DECEMBER, 2014
Amanda walked into the herd of cattle slowly and a bit hesitant. The crowd that filled Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas were all on their toes.
Beverly Branch started singing a breathtakingly beautiful version of Hallelujah with lyrics by Lyn Walsh. You could cut the tension with a knife. I sat on a horse behind the judging booth watching everything in slow motion. Just as in Amanda's cancer diagnosis, there wasn't much I could do but sit back and watch.
I couldn't help her, she was on her own. She just had my support, but the journey was hers to play out.
My nerves were frayed. So many things can go wrong when performing on a cutting horse in front of a live crowd. Especially when less than a few weeks ago, Amanda had never been on a cutting horse. And she had her double mastectomy only two months earlier.
Rick and Shelly Mowery were kind enough to help her get prepared. She rode a gelding named Little Seabiscuit owned by Angelia Taylor Jensen.
I know Amanda so well and I could see she wasn't going to let anyone see her doubts. She kept her head up high.
Light with her hands, she worked her way through the herd. It seemed like forever before she cut the first cow out, but when she did, the last year flashed before my eyes. The diagnosis, our children, the fear, the friends, the support, the doctors, the horses, The Horses! They kept us afloat in every way. They kept us moving. They kept us believing and I knew than that it would be ok.
This night Amanda had the spirit of the horse in her.
Something I have worked nearly all my life to achieve. She was connected, she had a deep seat and was sitting tall.
The cow turned back and Amanda was right there. Her horse was right there and she didn't take her eyes off that cow. She not only wanted to be there for herself but for her horse.
She gave herself to the moment. The emotions welled up in me. Every time she made a move the crowd got more excited. I couldn't hold back the tears and I didn't care. She expressed herself through the horse that night and I may be biased but I never saw anything more beautiful in my life. Not only have I never been so proud of my wife but I have never been so proud of anything. When the music stopped, they had Amanda speak to everyone. This was Amanda's cleanse of the past and dreams of the future. There wasn't a dry eye in the house and I wept like a child.
The 2014 Careity Celebrity Cutting was an amazing event. Lyn Walsh and Beverly Branch have accomplished incredible feats with this charity. Words can not express how grateful we are to Careity Foundation for their help during our time of need. A special Thank You to Lyn and Beverly for giving Amanda such a special opportunity.
We had the support of family, friends, clients and strangers. She even got to perform with her Breast Surgeon, the Amazing Dr. Amy Gunter.
The strangers' emotion was so touching, so many people wanted to meet Amanda afterwards and tell us their stories and experiences with cancer. I could see it was hard on Amanda, that she was getting so much attention. So many people she talked to were still fighting for their lives and she didn't feel worthy. But that is Amanda.
We went to the after party and we danced for the first time in a long time, to George Straits, "The Chair." We got to see Lyle Lovett and Tanya Tucker perform and Amanda was awarded a beautiful Bronze. The night was a blur. We had moments of celebration and were very emotional. It was quite overwhelming, but neither one of us would have changed it. We spent the night at the Worthington Hotel, the first night away from our children since they were born, but had to get up early to get back to the ranch and take care of our chores.
AUGUST 8, 2015
Amanda completed 33 rounds of radiation at the end of January and is getting more of her strength back everyday. She still has reconstruction surgeries to do as well as a full hysterectomy at some point.
She is back working with me- training horses, giving lessons and keeping me in check. We are doing our best to live in the moment.
If you ever see people fighting through a disease, don't feel sorry for them. Know that they have strength inside but just might need a little smile and kindness to help bring them through. That is what we have received from so many and words can not express what every email, phone call, card and so much more has meant to us.
Thank you. With all my heart.
The Crying Cowboy,
Steve Stevens
http://www.careity.org
http://www.fox4news.com/clip/11004552/fox-4ward-cutting-horse
