It is hard to plan your response to bad news. You might envision yourself being strong, determined, and able to withstand anything or you might guess that upon the telling you would breakdown and cry. Truthfully, I hadn’t any notion of how I would handle the life changing news when they found a tumor in my little girl. I do know that in the cold and sterile hallway of my small town hospital my surreal life began.
We were instructed to rush to the Children’s Hospital; our room in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) was being prepared. The drive was one hour and by the time we arrived Maddy could no longer walk. Her daddy carried her into the emergency room where they rushed her to PICU and immediately begin her biopsy while placing her on dialysis to save her kidneys. The biopsy result: Burkett’s Lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer that can double in size within 48 hours.
Prior to Maddy’s diagnosis I had known friends and family with cancer. I had been touched by their stories but I had no idea just how evil cancer is. But with Maddy I saw the evil and destruction this disease tries to impart. Cancer not only impacts the physical body – but it tries to destroy the spirit. It tries to change the soul of the person and her caregivers. Through the Grace of God alone, our family fought against cancer and in our fight we sought the many blessings that were given to us at that time. Our journey gave us friendships (both new and old), opportunities, and love: deep strengthened love within our family.
Now on the eve of our community’s Relay for Life and the fast approaching anniversary of Maddy’s diagnosis, July 22, 2004, I write this first entry of my Blog. This Blog was an item on my Bucket List and I can think of no finer way to celebrate Maddy’s life than by fully living my own. I hope you enjoy reading it and that you come back to visit often.
During Maddy’s battle I would post updates on her status through CarePages and with each post I would make an assignment for the reader. I will continue this tradition in this Blog. To be honest, those assignments were really reminders to me, to enjoy the day and the many blessings within it.
For a more details on Maddy’s Story visit the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital website: http://www.devoschildrens.org/body.cfm?id=63
2 comments:
Love it, Nance. I've missed your assignments!
Welcome and Happy Anniversary! You'll craved the connection you'll feel with people you've never even met. (I too am looking forward to the assignments again.)
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