My wife, Sherry, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and Bill was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Mike came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome and then he was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Barb lost her husband to a lung disease, and Steve struggled with a defective hip replacements. After a valiant fight, Edna's cancer took its toll and Don was left alone. Shirley was diagnosed with cancer, and Jim was too. As a group we shared many blessings too- shopping trips and golf outings, anniversaries and birthdays- and life went on. Bill continued to work for awhile, but finally quit to battle ALS (and he is still fighting the good fight). Mike received an allogeneic transplant that cured his Lymphoma, and he and his wife found a buyer for their family business. After her husband died, Barb sold their family business as well. She moved to the Chicago area to be near family, although she is still an integral part of the small group. Allison retired at an early age, and she and her husband continue to rear their two adorable daughters. Larry and Carol bought a condo in Florida, and they live there several months a year. They are still active members of the group, however, and have been both givers and recipients of support.
Over the years, many of our mountains became more like hills, and with a few more scars and a little less hair, we still gather and enjoy one another's company. Bill doesn't make it as much and Jim has slowed down. Sherry and I relocated to the Quad-Cities, but our love for the others has never dimmed. We've shared their tears and their laughter, and they've shared in ours. We've seen the power of prayer and we've seen the power of concrete action (by building accessible ramps, providing meals, making phone calls and visits). There is no doubt that our small group has become a family, and they are (or are surely among) the best friends we've ever had. Our experience shows what God can do... when we're willing to love and be loved by others. The members of our group are not the same age. They don't vote for the same candidates, and they aren't in the same income group. We've experienced different things in life, and we have different priorities ... but none of us has ever allowed any of these things to affect our love for one another... which brings me to my final point.
One of the dearest people in the world to us is Mike and Linda's daughter, Jennifer, who has been on dialysis for years and has already had one unsuccessful kidney transplant. She is a grace-filled and courageous young woman who has a loving husband and an adorable son, whom I call "Drew." She is a positive and hopeful person, and we've been praying that, against all odds, she would receive one more transplant- one more chance- and that through this gift of life, she and her husband would enjoy a long life together. It was too much to hope for, but we prayed that Drew would have his dad... and his mom... for years and years to come. Jennifer's healing was our boldest prayer, but who would ever expect that her angel would be a member of our own small group? I certainly didn't, but without anyone's knowledge, Barb began to investigate whether she was a match with Jennifer or not. Quietly, she visited physicians and discovered... that she was a match for a kidney transplant for Jennifer. A perfect match. A courageous act of love, and the surgery date was set.
Barb and Jennifer had their surgeries two days ago in St Louis, and by all accounts they are both doing extremely well! Jennifer's new kidney is performing like a champion, and Barb is on the mend. Pray, dear friend. Pray that there will be a complete healing this time, and that Jennifer will never look back from this time forward! Pray also for Barb, who put another ahead of self. Pray for her recovery and let her know that she is a hero of mine. Sherry and I knew that God had blessed us with a strong support system when our small group was formed, but who would have known that God had also blessed us with the stuff of miracles?
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