Five Years

I recently had a wonderful conversation with Mom. It is not that all conversations are not great, this one was just a sweet reminder of God's faithfulness and mercy. It blesses me that we can talk about things of God and share our hearts freely. We were reflecting on the fact that this coming March Mom will have been battling the challenges of Aplastic Anemia for FIVE YEARS! Wow!

I still remember sitting in the doctor's office and hearing him say that unless aggressive and adequate treatment was received, Mom would only live for 21 days. After this news, Dad, Mom, Stasi and I went to lunch. During lunch Mom began teasing Dad about just needing to make a full size stand up poster of her and put it in the dining room so each morning he could come in and have their daily "state of the union" conversation. She figured he'd hardly even miss her when she was gone if he went with the poster idea. Dad kept saying, "That's not funny Dianne" with each new "plan" she had...giving her car away, etc. This was all done in good humor, although Dad wasn't appreciating it much. I was. Mom was showing us all how she was going to handle the challenge before her...with humor! I believe that it has been her great outlook on life, her sense of humor, and her strong faith and trust in God that has given her the last five years. The life expectancy of the average patient with her medical condition is two years. God has mercifully given her three extra and Lord willing, there will be many more years ahead.

Mom's condition doesn't change much. She deals with excessive pain, vomiting, break through bleeding and the need for blood and platelets. Some days are better than others. She has felt bad for so long that she has forgotten what is it like to feel good. She is grateful to be able to spend most of her time at the ranch. She is finding the good in every day God has graciously given to her. Recently, I had surgery that left me in a similar condition as Mom for about three weeks. As I struggled to recover, I couldn't help but grow in my sympathy and admiration for Mom. Her walk is so hard. I about fell apart with my trial and she keeps walking with hope.

I am very proud of Mom. She trusts in God and it is reflected in her daily life...what a testimony.