When word made its way around about Kyrie's diagnosis, one of Chad's cousins in Council Bluffs, Iowa, passed it on to someone who knew pediatric brain cancer all too well. Marcy is the mom of Ethan, and Ethan was diagnosed in 1999, when he was five years old, with the same cancer that Kyrie fought. She spoke with Jordan & Lacie early in Kyrie's short battle, offering her hardwon advice and support. Jordan said that Marcy was a tremendous source of comfort when both he and Lacie were submerged in shock and tears.
Ethan's family has fought a long, tough fight, trying new treatments & ideas right & left with reasonable success. The first line of treatment that Kyrie received wasn't even around when Ethan began to fight his cancer. When Ethan was 11, he was also diagnosed with leukemia, a result of experimental treatments years before. He is now 13, and for the past two years, he has been, luckily, fighting the leukemia more than the PNET. Until now.
His latest MRI shows "seed" tumors in his spine. I'm hoping you'll make room in your prayers today for Ethan, his family and the medical team surrounding them. For more info, please visit Ethan's Caring Bridge site here.
Even more reason to raise funding for PNET research, no?
Some day Kyrie's blog will be full, from top to bottom, of joy. That vision is why I love hearing about all the goodness that you are doing, no matter how small. Coloring books and birthday cards and friends committed to regular gatherings and people taking jobs to do good and handmade quilts for fundraising, even just a thoughtful comment or a quiet prayer for someone else--all of this matters.
The strangest thing about giving is that, at first, we think it will cost us, that we will lose something: time, money, energy. But after helping someone (even anonymously), have you ever really felt like you're "out" anything? Oddly, don't you feel full? Don't you feel satisfied, even energized to do a little more?
We who are well, we who are able, have a mighty calling to care. Today, perhaps you can care for Ethan.
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2 comments:
Wow, you know what? It does feel better to give and do..no, i mean it really does help the pain. Everytime I have given of late it has helped my heart to feel some relief, if only for a little bit, and then when the pain gets to me again, i know i need to give. My husband and I were laying in bed last night..both of us crying..this little girl has touched us so deeply and we have fallen so in love with her we both agreed..something huge has to come of this. Something HUGE..we all are wanting to do good for her and it does help the hurt, but how can we make our good efforts funnel in a direction of some type of permanent tribute. I remember the "something different" post and because there is something so different about Kyrie..how can we turn all our little efforts into something HUGE? WOW..i am getting the chills just writing this..The non-profit is wonderful..i was thinking the t-shirts, Rebecca is going to help the victims of greensburg..she should have a t-shirt that says something like "Kyrie's Angels" on it..or something. I dont know..but i am excited. Kyrie's spirit is so Huge, I believe that I am one of probobly thousands touched by her. We are going to do this.. And I am praying for Ethan now too. I had an opportunity today to reach out to someone dying and take their hand and say I'm here for you and you wont be alone in this (no more awkward silences and questions of what do you say to someone) I, for some odd reason knew exactly what to say. If you read my previous post then it was kristi..a stranger to me until yesterday! No longer a lurker, i decided to track her down and let her know how special she has been to me.
And Lacie, those flowers helped me more than you that day, trust me. We are here..not going anywhere. And we are going to get through this together and we are going to support you every step along the way. You are by no means alone. With love, Motherof2
A woman from my church told me a story yesterday. She has been going out every other day to help serve meals to people in Greensburg. Our church has been supplying homemade cookies and brownies to hand out to those who have lost everything. The ladies at the elementary school made cinnamon rolls last week. She said that a man walked up and received a cinnamon roll and broke into tears. The fact that someone cared enough to make that cinnamon roll for him was overwhelming....a cinnamon roll. So simple, yet so incredibly life altering for that man. Who knows what he was feeling in that moment...and I have no doubt he'll someday pay if forward. I too plan to go out and work at Greensburg in the next few weeks...I will also do it with a little angel in my heart.
You are all so inspiring and I thank God that although it's through a tradgedy we have come togther, we are all together. God is good.
Lacie and Jordan...I'm still planning to come out. Life has kind of swallowed me up in the last week...I think of you and pray for you daily. I will see you VERY soon! Love you both.
Friday night a group of us will gather...friends that have vowed to be better at staying in touch, and to do it in Kyrie's name. I have a feeling that she might be there with us! :) What an honor that would be!
Love,
Melissa
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