Yesterday marked eight months since my mom's Whipple surgery. She finished chemo four months ago. Three months ago, walking up a flight of stairs still depleted just about every bit of energy she had. Most of the (very few) outings she went on were limited to less than two hours, because even one hour was exhausting for her. Most of her time at home was spent resting in the recliner. She was so weak she couldn't even open a pickle jar on her own.
These days she's back to her "where do you get all your energy?" old self. Three weeks ago, Mom took in a 6-month-old foster dog who lost his home due to the threat of flooding. Two weeks ago, she stood up in front of a bunch of friends and strangers at Relay for Life and shared her story of survival and hope (and then she led the other survivors in a lap around the track!). Last week, she and a couple of friends planted our summer garden. Last Friday, she walked all the way up to the nosebleed seats in the FedEx Forum and cheered the Grizzlies on to another playoff victory. This week, she's keeping my three-year-old nephew Chase and having a mini "Camp Granna" with him. Tomorrow she's going on an all-day field trip with Tekia's class. Her last two CT scans have shown no signs of cancer anywhere in her body. And pickle jars are scared of her.
Miracles happen.
Today I'd like to recruit Team Tricia to pray for another friend who needs a miracle. Michael is 17 and is the youngest child of Dan and Donna Daniel, who are friends of my parents from college. He had a skateboarding accident on Sunday afternoon and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He remains in critical condition today - sedated and on a ventilator. The swelling in his brain has increased tremendously over the last 36 hours. Michael's prognosis is uncertain, but the faithfulness of his Father is most sure thing I know. You can go here to follow Michael's journey as told by his oldest sister, Bonnie.
Please join me in praying for complete physical healing for Michael, spiritual healing for his family, and wisdom for his doctors and nurses. Lift them up as you have lifted up my family over and over again over the last nine months. Thank you for loving us and, in turn, loving our friends.
Edited to add: Michael has been healed in way that we here on earth can only dream of. He went home to be with Jesus around 6pm tonight. Please continue to pray that our always-faithful Father will hold close the hearts of Michael's family and friends as they face the coming days, weeks, and months.
