A picture is worth a thousand words

Well, the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. But what if 300 words could change a life?

Growing up in the church I have been blessed with the generosity and kindness of “church family”. When we were packing and getting ready to move up north there were many people from our local church who came over to the house to help my mom pack, or help clean, or help paint the house and get it ready to sell. As I finished high school and entered the beginning years of college the church family generosity didn’t stop. 

Two years ago today I attended my cousin’s baby shower. After 19 long years there was going to be a new baby cousin in the family. As friends and family gathered with gifts and excited faces nothing could have prepared us for what was to come. After non-immediate guests left and the family was sitting in the living room, my aunt announced to the family that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. What? This couldn’t be happening. We must have all heard her say something else. Right? Shock-to-the-boom.

Then March 23, 2012 happened. It was just a normal day. Woke up. Went to class. Drove to my cousin’s house where my dad was doing some remodeling work to have lunch with them. While eating pizza and talking to my cousin about school my dad comes back into the room with tears in his eyes and said, “Albert called me back earlier with your blood results. You are very sick. You have cancer.” What? I’m only 22 years old. In just a few years I’m going to finish college and start my career. This isn’t fair. My brain didn’t even process that. All I was able to say was “okay” and continued eating my pizza.

On the trip home I called my co-worker and dear friend Jenny, who after hearing the news immediately turned in her Bible to verse to share with me and prayed for me right then and there on the phone. When I walked through my front door I saw the love of Christ as my mom, brother, and two close family friends sat in the living room to gather around me and my family and pray for us.

As the days continued, we were all gratefully overwhelmed by encouraging text and facebook messages, financial gifts, meals, “thinking of you” gifts, but most importantly prayer. Prayer is a powerful thing. It has cast out demons, healed the sick and lame, and made the blind man see. There have been times when people have come up to my parents and have said to them, “You don’t know us, but we have been praying for your daughter.” I have also received a 3-ring binder from my old elementary school choir teacher filled with hand-written notes, encouragements, scripture verses and drawings from her current students to me saying they were praying for me. Kids that have never met me, who I don’t know are praying for me? If that doesn’t show you how powerful the body of Christ is I don’t know what else to say to prove it to you.

Coming home last night from a dinner out with the family is just another example of Christ-like blessing. When it came time to pay, the owner told my dad that “someone took care of it already.” Another act of kindness by a church member who came in to pick up a take out order. With being less than a week away from finishing my 6 months of treatment I cannot even begin to describe in words how grateful I am, my family is, for the kindness that has been shown to us. These very small blessings have impacted us on a very small scale.

So back to my original question - what if 300 words could save a life. According to the National Cancer Institute, "approximately 12,400 children in the United States will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year". The statistics are staggering. Because of modern technology cure rates are improving greatly, but pediatric cancer remains "one of the leading causes of death by disease in children under the age of 15 and claims approximately 3,000 victims each year".

[read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/09/10/september-national-childhood-cancer-awareness-month/#ixzz26Ala3H3r]

This month is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w75xWhtQ3Lk&feature=youtube_gdata_player] People and organizations all over the nation are using this month to raise awareness and funds for research that will be aimed at treating and possibly finding a cure for this devastating disease.

Well, this newly released touching song by Taylor Swift is not about a girl who wrote a song about a boy who she is “never, ever getting back together” with. This song is about a 3 year old boy who passed away from cancer. I encourage you to listen to the song here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ITrd7fM6aY&feature=youtu.be) and consider buying ‘Ronan’ on iTunes. All of the proceeds are being donated to cancer charities. To read more visit: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/71841119.html#ixzz267SPqP3l

*I dedicate this blog post to Sarah Faith: cancer survivor and one of the bravest kindergarteners I have been blessed to know*