So far my updates have focused on what’s happening with Kendall at the hospital, but I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge some of the MANY blessings and miracles we have seen throughout this experience. I won’t get to them all, but here are a few:
-My mom has cancer and has been in poor health for the past several months. About a week before all of this happened she started having more energy and feeling better. Having her able to help with the kids (and me!) has been such a blessing.
-A little background on the picture that is posted here on Meal Train. We found out about Kendall’s tumor and his upcoming surgeries and hospitalizations on Thursday, August 27th. He didn’t check in to the hospital until Monday morning, so we had a few days to prepare and spend time together as a family. Unfortunately, by Friday he was in a great deal of pain and the medication they had given him made him really sick. He had to spend most of that day in bed and sleeping. I really wanted some family pictures before he left, but I wasn’t sure he would physically be able to take them. I talked with a friend to come take pictures of us Saturday morning on our porch (since we were isolating and couldn’t leave the house), and then prayed for the best. The whole photo shoot was amazing. Kendall was able to get through more than 100 pictures without having to take any breaks. So grateful.
-There were even blessings in my car accident last week. The kids weren’t with me in the car and no one was hurt. When I took the van to the mechanic to repair the damage he actually found some other problems, not caused by the accident, that I was unaware of. If those hadn’t been taken care of I might have ended up having a much more serious accident.
-Last fall we opted to sign up for the more expensive health insurance option through Kendall’s work, because I had recently had a lot of health problems. I ended up not really needing it this year, but it has of course now more than paid for itself. We also learned that if we had chosen the other option then Kendall would not have been able to go to Huntsman Cancer Hospital and he would not have been able to have the same surgeon who was needed for a very specialized, tricky surgery.
-Even COVID has been a blessing. We were very strict over the summer with isolating because of my pre-existing conditions and my mom’s health. That meant that we had several months of concentrated family time. We really got closer as a family over the summer.
-Those are just a few of many. Words can’t even begin to describe how humbled and thankful we feel over the outpouring of help, love, and support we have received these past two weeks. We can physically feel the effects of the many prayers being offered for Kendall and our family. I’ve never experienced anything quite like this. People we haven’t interacted with in decades have reached out to us. Numerous people have helped my children. I haven’t had to worry about meals. So many have been generous with helping us financially. Words aren’t enough, but thank you. Thank you so much. We love you all.