Sunday, May 1, 2011

Victory

Back in 2009, weeks after Brady’s diagnosis, I kind of claimed a Bible verse to represent our family’s struggle.



2 Corinthians 5:7



FoFF For we walk by faith, not by sight.



As a Christian I knew that only by trusting in the Lord would I survive the nightmare we found ourselves in without being destroyed by it. So that is what I did. That is what we did.



We were told by a specialist in December of 2008 that because of suspected Cerebral Palsy that Brady would “hopefully learn to walk.” As a mother whose heart was breaking, I needed the doctor to clarify his diagnosis with in a more tangible way. I asked him, “Will he be able to normal things, like play T ball?”



He kind of looked to the side and answered, “Brady will find lots of things he is able to do, T ball just won’t be one of them.”



For the next month we mourned and we clung to our faith as our sight had been shattered.



On January 21, 2009 we once again sat in front of the same doctor who told us that his diagnosis was wrong. Not cerebral palsy. Cancer. A form of cancer with a disgusting 55% chance of survival.



How else could we carry on, but through faith? One day at a time. One step at a time. One prayer at a time.



2 years and 4 months later, we claim a victory in Jesus’ name. Victory over the limits of a diagnosis. Victory over a tumor that sought to paralyze Brady. Victory over the limits of our sight.



In the quiet of our hearts we celebrated this victory on Saturday, as we celebrated Eli, Cara, and Brady’s T ball parade and first game.



We had faith that we would see this day, even when we were limited by our sight.



Enjoy the pictures my sister in law (Kristen Hamm Photography) and I took.





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Brady and mommy.



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Brothers getting ready to bat.



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The hats pushed the boys ears down and made then look a little like DopeySmile



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The parade, followed by a 45 minute warm-up, and 1 1/2 hour game made for a boy who got tired out. Shortly after this photo was taken, Eli completely melted down and was done with T ball for the day.



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Run Brady!



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Proud Grandpa.



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Sweet Eli hit the ball for the first time, promptly went picked it up, and then handed it to the pitcher.



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Brady is in the helmet. Notice the size difference between he and some of the “big kids” on the team.



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I wanted to ask the coach to make the triplets’ numbers 1, 2, and 3. Matt thought it was corny and didn’t want me to make a big deal that they are triplets. How much do I love their coach for coming up with this idea all on his own?!? Even daddy thought it was precious!



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This picture is just going to be a classic. Ha!



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Airplane overhead!



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Come what may, we celebrate this victory!



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7 comments:

  1. Yay! I'm celebrating with you, Megan!

    And I love it that you put the "wedgie" picture in the post!

    hugs,
    Steph

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  2. Praise the Lord! What an awesome God we serve! He is able to do exceedingly,abundantly more than we ask or think! Thank you Jesus! Rejoicing with you and family.

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  3. So incredibly amazing to see all three of the kids healthy and playing T ball! Amazing so many prayers answered.

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  4. I think the "wedgie" photo of Cara is one to save for the Sr. yearbook...of course she'll never speak to you again, but gosh-it's such a memory!! I still stand by my assessment of your writing Meg-your ability to inspire & entertain all at the same time is amazing!

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  5. Hi-

    I came across your blog while searching for photos of wagons decorated to look like fire trucks. My four year-old Teddy is going to be a Firefighter for Halloween and his brother (one year-old) a "Fire Doggy." I was only focused on the pictures when I started reading the sidebar about your son Brady and your family.

    I found myself reading, post to post, about Brady's diagnosis, surgeries, scan after scan, good news followed by bad news then by good news again. I kept reading, needing to know how Brady was, that he was healthy and cancer free.

    I can't tell you what joy it brought me to find out how well he's doing.

    We recently had a family member (my sister-in-law Jessica Shepherd) lose a year-long battle with cancer (esophageal). She was only 31 and left behind a one year-old son. Different circumstances but I can relate to the emotional roller coaster that comes when dealing with serious illness in your family.

    You, Brady and the rest of your family seem so strong and close. I take comfort in hearing about the ones who kick cancer's butt and can go on living happy and healthy lives.

    I usually don't say things like this to people but, cherish every moment of every day with Brady and your family. Never forget where you have been but don't look back.

    Good luck!

    Raymond Santos
    Trustee
    Jessica Shepherd Fund
    www.jessicashepherdfund.org

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