Be a Miracle-Maker!

This week in Atlanta a local radio station (Star 94) is doing a radiothon to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The children served by these hospitals are extraordinary and impact the lives with whom they come into contact. These patients have been diagnosed with life threatening conditions (like cancer or other diseases) and have to experience all sorts of examinations and procedures to have "normal" lives.

These are children. They should be playing with dolls (or action figures); throwing footballs or baseballs outside with friends and family; attending school or VBS; or learning how to read. They are doing all these things, but have to take breaks for chemotherapy, radiation treatments, invasive procedures, or just daily doctor visits.

Why bring this up?

You never know the turns your life or your child's life will take - the dreaded unexpected trials! In 2003-2004, I was diagnosed with a mysterious liver condition (they were ready to add my name to the liver transplant list), infertility, and a brain tumor (hemangioblastoma)!

I had multiple biopsies and uncomfortable scopes (the doctors became very familiar with me: they went up the out hole and down the in hole), to determine the cause and extent of my "liver damage". FYI - I am an occassional drinker (1-2 every couple months) and never took any sort of pills (even for headaches - Advil, Tylenol, etc.). So this liver condition seemed to have no real cause - just whacked out enzmes and liver cells.

7 months later (?), I was diagnosed a brain tumor. Within 2 weeks of being diagnosed I had a cranectomy to remove the tumor from my cerebellum, which is the base of the brain, near the brain stem. The tumor ended up being benign (noncancerous), about the size of your thumbnail with a cyst that was the size of a plum (look at the picture of my profile). 80% of these tumors occur spontaneously - again, nothing in my environment or actions could have caused this growth.

Prior to playing the "medical mystery game" with liver procedures and brain surgery, Jen and I were trying to get pregnant. Post surgery we jumped back on that horse (maybe that was the problem...). We wanted to share our lives with our very own munchkin - someone to keep us up at night terrorizing the cats and dog.

After months (maybe years) of unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, money spent on ovulation sticks, getting our hopes up and then having them dashed when there weren't two blue lines, and a couple rounds of clomid; it was my turn to get tested.

First of all, let me tell you how much pressure it is to make a deposit in a cup and then have to drive through Atlanta traffic hoping to God that I would not get pulled over for speeding, get involved in a car wreck, or worse get stuck in traffic in the middle of the Summer.

Well, after 3-4 deposits and tests, more probing than an extra on the X Files, and having the family jewels scanned with an ultrasound (by the way, that is one of the many jobs I would not want to have), we found out that my boys were for looks only.

Through each of these trials of my life (and my family's) I have had an incredible peace and often times made jokes and laughed about the situation - I have posted about mine and Jen's attitude previously. We both knew and understand that God has a plan for our lives and that we were to have children to raise and corrupt (I mean spoil).

God did have a plan for us to have children, it just was not what we had inititally expected. Thanks to answered prayers and modern medicine M.E.L was born in September of 2005, but being that she is part of my family, she had to do things the hard way. The first 5 days of her precious life we spent in the NICU at Gwinnett Medical - she wanted to breathe before she was told too and sucked in some poo (even at an early age she was doing things on her schedule, not anyone else's).

Again, why do I bring any of this up?

In each of our lives we must decide how we are going to respond to life's hiccups. Are we going to shut down and have a pity party, or are we going to keep our head up and remember that God has created us for purpose. He has breathed his Spirit into our bodies and wants us to pass His love for us to those around us, without condition.

By stretching out a helping financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual hand we do the work we are called by Him to do. By living beyond the walls of our church and living in our community and helping those that we may not even personally know, we are showing that we are part of Christ's church-body.

Help become a Miracle Maker for these sick children. By donating ANY amount of money you are touching the children's life through patient care, research and education. You are also helping the families of these amazing kids by picking up where insurance needs may leave off.

If you are unable to donate any money, donate time. Pray for the families that are struggling with finances due to hospital bills; struggling with the pain and maybe the guilt that they cannot erase their child's medical condition. Pray for the doctors, nurses, and patient care staff, blessing their bodies and hearts for the work that they do each day (24/7) to lessen the pain and trials of their patient's illness.

Listen to your heart. Listen to make the right choice.