He's My Son

So a while back in my blog I talked about a patient who's sibling I had met with who were telling me "Gotta Have Faith". I once again talked to those siblings today, but it was not about "having faith" My sweet Ian passed away this morning at 06:30 after a 14 month battle with a very rare form of cancer, that was supposed to take his life last Feb when he was diagnoised. He was given 6-8 weeks, having that cancer did not stop him. Ian went on his Make-A- Wish to Hawaii, was able to scuba dive, he played some of the best games of soccer he could have ever have played. He became the Olympic Training Center's star honarary athlete, and did numorus other things that he loved to do.
You have to understand that this was a kid that if someone told him he could not do it because he had cancer, he would push even harder to get that accomplished. There were many times in the past few months that we thought he was passing, but he battled back, shocked all the medical staff, as we would stand there and say, "well, thats Ian for ya!" His family continually had the faith that he would be healed... I have been around a lot of families and I have to say that this family "HAD the FAITH" like no other. He fought the great fight and won the battle........... but with the Angels. I learned a lot about faith and a lot about my own faith through his battle.

There is a song by Mark Shultz called "He's My Son", and the words would not stop running through my head in the wee hours of this morning... It makes sense to me now. That song became Ian's song for the past few days...but his family had the Faith that God would heal him once again. I am going to paste a blurb from his father's journal yesterday afternoon:

Yesterday afternoon I had a profound time alone with Ian. He was alert and seemed to be "with" us. Tears were flowing as I said something like this: "Ian, I'm sure that somehow in the midst of all this Jesus is making Himself known to you in amazing and personal ways. And we want you to know that however HE is leading you, we want you to follow HIM. As far as we can understand His leading, we believe that He intends to heal you. But if He is clearly telling you that He wants you to leave us and go home to be with Him, then we want you to do that. I really mean that. Even though in the coming hours and days you'll hear us intensely battling for your healing in prayer, if Jesus Himself is calling you home, go for it. Dont' worry about disappointing us. That would be very hard for us, but we'd be happy for you. HOWEVER, if you hear Jesus calling you to fight, then I want you to FIGHT with all you have. I know this has been incredibly hard for you. But if Jesus is telling you to fight, then He will strengthen you. Don't lose heart, son. Just follow Jesus however He leads you. And He will enable you."

Then I strapped in for battle, and kept at it for hours with a few breaks. Later one of the dear nurses was marvelling at Ian and said, "He is is fighting so hard!" And my father's heart rose with hope that Ian had heard his orders from Jesus, and my heart swelled with pride over my son's response.

Ian finally had the permission to stop fighting, and let go and go. As hard as it is for all of us, we know that he is once again the kids with the longer hair that is running on the soccer fields and loving life, as he is "God's Son" forever more.
please remember this family:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ianlyons

Here is the link to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8bvA3M63G4