Thursday, March 12, 2009

Gotta Have Faith

You know that song, "Gotta Have Faith"? What does that mean to you? I believe I am a person of strong faith, but today I have new meaning for the phrase, "Gotta Have Faith". Before I left for camp, I was asked by a patients family to talk to the siblings about how their brother was doing. This is a patient who was supposed to go to camp with me. He is an amazing 13 year old boy, who at diagnosis in Feb 08 was given a less than 5% chance of survival, but in Jan of 09 was declared Cancer FREE!!! This is the same boy who he and I had lunch with Michael Phelps before Michael left for the olympics. This is the same boy that three weeks ago was hiking a mountain, and jut returned from his Make-A-Wish trip, in Hawaii.
Now unfortunately has his cancer has returned to his brain. He began to have uncontrolable seizures that have placed him on a ventaliator and in a coma. The family has been told the worst, he has permanent brain damage and he will never be the same again IF we get him off the vent.
Of, course this family is crushed, but the HAVE FAITH, and the faith so strong that they believe from a vision God has given the mother, that GOD will heal him and he will continue to live a healthy life, however they have to be patient.
As I was sitting in a room with 3 ( a 9, 15, and 19 year old all brothers ) of his 6 siblings, and we were talking about feelings, and emotions. They all whole heartedly looked at me, and said that they were not worried about their brother dying, that they believed God was going to heal him. But that having the patience was the hardest of all! WOW! First of all, to get teenage boys to talk about their feelings was amazing in itself, but then to hear them say, "You gotta have faith", clearly puts that term in a new perspecitve for me.
As I head to camp without my buddy I encourage you to follow his webpage, I promise you wont be disappointed as his father lays things out so you feel your right there.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ianlyons
Faithfully I can say, You gotta have the faith!
Heather

1 comment:

  1. Wow...this is beautiful Heather! :>) You are amazing at what you do. God has certainly gifted you. Never lose heart. Love ya!

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