Our World is Rocked

January 10, 2014.  That date that will go down in our family history as one of the most challenging, gut-wrenching days of our lives.  Paige had been battling respiratory issues so serious that simply breathing was a huge feat.  Doctor visits, days of no sleep, and a pneumonia diagnosis found us in the ER, where we spent six hours waiting to be seen.  Frustrated, exhausted, and on the verge of walking out the door, we were finally called back for her examination.  Because it was thought to be pneumonia, a chest x-ray was ordered.  And then…the hammer dropped.

Within an hour, doctors from just about every department in the hospital descended upon us--anesthesiology, surgery, cardio, oncology…you name it, they were in our room.  Still not seeing the bigger picture, we listened to everything they said and didn't really grasp what they weren't saying.  Paige was taken for a CT scan and then immediately to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where doctors spoke of the need for a biopsy on her lymph nodes.  I prayed with her, kissed her on the forehead, and told the surgeons to take care of my baby girl.  And then…the words came.

"We are 99.99% sure this is cancer."  My knees buckled, and the tears came down.  How could this happen?  We were here to get some medication for pneumonia--not a cancer diagnosis.  The chest x-ray had revealed a mediastinal mass that was basically the size of my daughter's rib cage.  THIS was the cause for breathing distress.  THIS was the thing that was zapping my daughter's energy. THIS was CANCER?  

There was no reason to hear any more at that point.  We needed to process what had just happened.  The hospital chaplain prayed with us, and we made a beeline for the hospital chapel--where we talked and prayed through tears for a long time.  And then…indescribable PEACE.

God is bigger than any disease, any fear, and any struggles we may face.  Paige is in for the fight of her life, but God is going to deliver her through this!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12