Our Story, Part Two

It was a few days into Kaylee’s hospital stay before it truly sunk in with me that our diagnosis was most likely Crohn’s disease.  I believe that the doctors knew this from the start, but I had held on to the hope as long as I could.  I remember a doctor finally pulling me out into the hallway to make me understand.  He put it to me this way: “I understand that it’s not as simple as me telling you that she has asthma or something like that, but it’s not Leukemia either.  She’s not going to die.” 

I had what felt like an enormous lump in the back of my throat, and I could barely even speak.  Still, I remember trying one last time: “Is there anything less serious that it could possibly be?” 

“No, I’m afraid not,” he said.

With this news, I finally broke down.  This particular doctor was very kind and full of compassion.  He let me know that he and his wife had been praying for Kaylee.  I was truly grateful that he had been the one to finally deliver the news to me.  He stood there as I cried for just a brief moment before regaining my composure.  I did not want to look like I had been crying when I entered back into Kaylee's room.

For the remainder of the week, I kept my focus on her and on keeping her spirits up as much as possible.  I also put on a very good front for our many visitors.  It was when everyone had left and it was dark outside that I would think about things.  I would lay there and grieve for the loss of my child’s health.  This was not how I had ever envisioned things for her.  I knew I needed to trust God, but I wasn’t taking the news well at all. 

I did understand that it could be much worse.  Yet, I couldn’t help but think that if it was cancer, we would at least have a chance to fight it and a chance for her to be well again.  It was just so painful and hard for me to accept that she would be sick and struggling with this for the remainder of her life.  I couldn’t get past the permanence of it all.   

It was later during our hospital stay that I received a phone call with my first “warning.”  My brother called to tell me that one of his co-workers had Crohn’s and that she was now on a liver transplant waiting list because of the damage the medication had done over time.  I tried not to think too much about this, and quickly got back to caring for Kaylee.  That night as I lay there, however, I couldn’t get it off my mind.  I began to look up the medications for treatment of Crohn’s and read about all the possible long term side-effects.  The biggest problem for me was the fact that Kaylee was only 8 years old.

When her doctor came in to finalize the treatment plan for Kaylee, I remember he became very defensive at one point, as he explained to us:  “People are going to tell you to try other things.  They are going to tell you that this will help or that will help, but I do not want you to do anything without going through me first.” 

During this same conversation, I also remember that he became very annoyed when the hospital nutritionist entered the room.  Although the plan she gave us was completely different from what Dr. Robbins would give me later, this particular doctor did not want to discuss diet change at all.  He was adamant that Kaylee could eat anything she wanted once the medicine had begun to work.  I was honestly relieved to hear this at that moment.  I did not want her to be limited in what she could eat either.   We decided to go ahead with the treatment, although I knew there was still a possibility that God would lead me in another direction later. 

The seminar for Dr. Robbins was scheduled to be about 3 weeks after Kaylee was discharged from the hospital.  I was still going back and forth trying to decide if I was going to go or not.  I wasn’t completely convinced, and I did not want to waste my time.  It still sounded so extreme and radical to me.

During this time, I received another “warning.”  I had called a friend of mine to tell her that I would not be able to be in her wedding that was coming up because of Kaylee’s condition.  This was one of my close friends from high school, and I knew that she would be particularly empathetic, as she had faced many health issues herself growing up.  In fact, she had missed a great part of our senior year of high school because of illness.  What I didn’t know, prior to this phone conversation, was that her illness during our senior year had been a result of side-effects from the very medication they had just put Kaylee on.   Needless to say, when I hung up the phone with her, I had that feeling again that God was trying to get my attention.  This was a friend whom I had been in and out of touch with through the years.  It just so happened that we were back in touch at this time, because of her upcoming wedding. 

Although the results my friend had from the medication were extremely rare, God knew exactly how Kaylee’s body would respond to this medication over time.  If He was trying to warn me, I knew it was for an important reason.   I just had to be certain it was Him.

That night I said a prayer that was something like this: God, if you are trying to tell me something, I don’t want to miss it.  But this is so serious, and I don’t want to be misled either.  Please God, if this is You trying to warn me, I need You to confirm it to me one more time.  Please God, give me just one more confirmation so I will know for sure!   

The very next day, the confirmation came.  I had planned to homeschool Kaylee the upcoming year, and had joined a homeschool program through First Baptist Pinson.   I received a phone call from the lady who was heading up the program to check in on Kaylee and to let me know that she was praying for her.  She told me that she had just gotten back from a conference and that she had mentioned Kaylee during the time of prayer request.  She then told me, “I am hesitant to tell you this, but a lady approached me as we were leaving and asked me to please tell you to be careful about the medication that they might be putting your daughter on.  I didn’t even think to ask her what medication she was referring to, but I just thought I should tell you this.” 

I didn’t need to know any other details.  I immediately knew, in my spirit, this was the confirmation I had ask for.….

Our Story, Part One

As I have mentioned, I had really just begun to pray in the months leading up to Kaylee’s diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.   Prior to this, I did not understand the importance of prayer at all.  Although I was not yet aware of how serious things were getting with Kaylee, I was praying over many areas in our lives and God had already begun to prepare the way for Kaylee.  Looking back, it is truly amazing!

We had just recently moved to Birmingham, and a close friend of mine was struggling in many areas with her health.  She and I had begun praying together regularly over these things, as well as other areas in our lives.  Her health issues involved serious food allergies, which were drastically limiting her diet.  In fact, there were very few foods left that she could eat without having serious reactions.  I was also having health issues of my own, which included on-going nausea and dizzy spells (that never left after my 5th pregnancy).  At this time, Kaylee was just beginning to have bouts of severe pain in her abdomen. 

It was very strange that we were all facing these various, yet similar, health issues at the exact same time.  My friend had gone from doctor to doctor trying to get answers and seemed to be getting nowhere.  There was really not much left for us to do except to pray for God to send us the answers we needed.  This was exactly what we started to do! 

My friend was at a very desperate place when she finally got some answers.  Someone recommended that she see a doctor in Oklahoma (Dr. Joel Robbins) who was treating his patients with a nutritional approach.  As I understood it at the time, he wasn’t opposed to traditional medicine or the use of medication; he was simply offering an alternative for those who were not satisfied with treating every condition or ailment with a prescription drug.  His focus was also to treat the root cause of disease and other health issues by restoring and rebuilding the immune system, through nutrition.  This was the first doctor who had taken her condition seriously and offered her some real answers. 

She began to try this approach to treating her health issues which included: juicing fruits and vegetables; taking digestive enzymes and other supplements; and eliminating and rotating certain foods in her diet.  She immediately began to improve, and was very enthusiastic about the things she was learning.  I could not argue with the results she was seeing.  I believed that God had brought her these answers, but I never saw myself going to those extremes.

In the months that followed, Kaylee continued to get worse.  Her weight dropped drastically, she was weak, and her stomach pains were becoming more frequent.  In the beginning, her symptoms had come mostly when she was upset or stressed.  Because of this, I had convinced myself that the underlying cause of her problems were related to stress.  One doctor had suggested stomach ulcers could even be a possibility.   I began to focus on trying to keep stress out of her life. I became an overprotective parent about everything! It is not easy to try and keep your child from ever getting upset!   

I wasn’t completely off the mark, as I would later find out that stress is indeed a strong contributing factor to the onset of Crohn’s disease and its symptoms.  Even so, I never would have believed that we were looking at something so serious.  Your mind just won’t let you go there easily.

My friend was continuing to do well, and told me that Dr. Robbins was coming to Birmingham for a seminar in August.  She wanted me to go with her to at least hear what he had to say and see if he might have some answers for Kaylee (and me).  I did not want to hurt her feelings, so I told her that I would think about it.  The cost was around $25, and she told me that if I wanted to go I needed to get the money to her by a certain date.   I decided that I had time to come up with a good excuse to get out of it.  Not only did I think this diet was too extreme for me, I did not want to spend the money or spend an entire day at a seminar.

All throughout this time, I was continuing to pray for answers.  I never would have believed that Dr. Robbins was going to be the answer for Kaylee also, but God had to get my attention fast!  A few days before I needed to get the money to my friend, Kaylee’s body completely shut down: her fever spiked; she began to have bloody diarrhea; and her stomach pain became so intense following meals that she stopped eating altogether.  At this point, I began to become very afraid for her.  I felt completely helpless!

Finally, a pediatrician asked me if there was a history of Crohn’s disease in the family.  I told him that I had a cousin with the disease, but he felt that was too far removed from her to be a connection.  I was relieved to hear this, and quickly removed this idea from my thoughts.  Even so, he made us an appointment to see a pediatric gastroenterologist at Children’s Hospital. 

We had to wait a couple of days for the appointment, and I honestly did not think we were going to make it to that point.  I spent much of the night before on the phone with an ER nurse, as Kaylee screamed out in pain like I had never heard her before!  It was one of the longest nights of my life.  

Upon seeing the gastroenterologist, Kaylee was immediately admitted into Children’s Hospital.  Thus began a long week of test to eliminate (lymphoma and other serious diseases) and to get a definite diagnosis.  It was a whirlwind of emotions for me, as the doctors were explaining all that we were going to be doing.  Although I was so relieved to be in a hospital and to hopefully get some answers, I was very worried about what the doctors were suggesting could be wrong.  I convinced myself that they were wrong, and that they would soon find out that it was something much less serious.

As I was filling out the paperwork to have Kaylee admitted to the hospital, I had to ask someone what the date was.  My days had been so intense and hard that I had completely lost track of time.  As soon as I was told the date, it hit me that this date was familiar to me.  As I sat there trying to remember why I seemed to have this date sketched in my memory, it came to me.  This was the deadline that my friend had asked me to get her the money and to sign up for the seminar for Dr. Robbins.  I knew it might just be a coincidence that Kaylee was being admitted on that very day, but I also knew it might not be.  I had seen God at work in the recent months, and I couldn’t ignore the possibility that He might be trying to get my attention.  I did not want to miss anything that God might be trying to show me!  That night, when my friend came to visit Kaylee, I wrote her a check and told her to sign me up.  For the remainder of that week, as I would find out the devastating news, God continued to amaze me with His presence and His leading.  He clearly already had a plan in motion…..

God Is On Our Side!

When Kaylee was diagnosed at only eight years of age with an incurable disease, I was completely devastated.   I desperately wanted to ask for prayer for her healing, but I honestly did not know if I should.  After all, there were people with chronic illnesses everywhere.  Why should I believe that my daughter deserved to be healed any more than anyone else did?  When I would mention the word healing to anyone, I would usually get the same responses:  "It may not be God's will to heal her." or "God may choose to use this disease in her life to bring Him glory."  As a mother, watching my child suffer and knowing the possible long term prognosis for her life, this was hard for me to accept.  It felt almost like a death to me; a permanent death of her health and of the hopes and dreams that I once had for her life. 

So many people were praying for Kaylee following her diagnosis.  I was truly grateful for the prayers, but I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly it was that they were praying.  Naturally I assumed that they were praying for Kaylee to feel better and to recover quickly from the very weakened state that she was in at the time (her weight had plummeted to less than 40lbs).  Yet I began to pick up from the start that people do not really know what to do (as far as prayer) with these diseases that are not terminal, yet have no known cure.  If a person has cancer, for example, it is acceptable to pray for a full recovery and even a healing.  If a disease is "treatable" however, it is like we are left in limbo when it comes to prayer.  It is honestly a helpless place to be because these diseases can certainly lead to an early death along with many other life-long complications.  In addition to this, because you are dealing with immune deficiency, these diseases can multiply (which happened to Kaylee before she was healed).  Although it is extrememly serious and life-long,  people seem to have a block of some sort when it comes to how to pray.

I do remember however, one particular evening (during Kaylee's hospital stay) a man came in with anointing oil and asked me if he could pray for Kaylee.  I wasn’t really sure what to think about this, and honestly I was a little uncomfortable at first.   I remember that he anointed Kaylee’s forehead with oil and began to pray for her healing.  Although this was a bit outside of my comfort zone at that time, as he began to pray, I felt a peace come over me that I had not yet felt.  I wanted to believe that the words coming from his mouth could be our reality!  I will never forget this moment of hope, as I truly believe that this precious man’s prayer played a very significant role in what God was about to do for Kaylee.

In the first weeks following our diagnosis, I continued to be uncertain as to whether I should ask God to heal Kaylee or not.  Even so, my desire for Kaylee to be well again was so strong that I began to secretly say prayers, which would go something like this:  God, if you will make Kaylee well, I promise to be a better person.  I will live my life entirely for you.  I will do anything you ask of me! …..I began to beg God! 

One night as I was sitting in church praying one of these prayers, something came over me that would change my perspective of everything.  I was suddenly overcome with God’s love for Kaylee!   In that moment, it just hit me that God loved her even more than I did, and that He wanted what was best for her life!  I didn’t have to beg or plead at all! The only thing I had to do was to seek Him with all of my heart and obey Him concerning her life.  That may seem like a "no-brainer", but somehow in the midst of all my emotions, I had lost perspective of my role as her mother. The truth is, she belonged to God, not to me.  I had just been given the honor and priveledge to raise her (for God).  It was as though an enormous burden had been lifted off my shoulders in that moment.  I realized that God was completely on our side!

As we begin to pray concerning these diseases, it is critical that we do not see God as being a billion miles away, or that He is up there in Heaven deciding if we are worthy or if we have enough faith for Him to give us what we are asking for.  Let's face it, we will never be worthy enough!  Praise God, it does not work that way at all!  God is actually right by our side, fighting with us!  He wants what is best!  Why would He not want us healthy?  It is so important that we keep this perspective!    

Again, there are so many things about disease and healing that we will never understand this side of Heaven.  Our minds are not able to comprehend the higher ways of God.  Yet, His Word is very clear on how we are to view  disease and sickness.  All we have to do is look at how Jesus responded to disease during His time on earth and what he gave his disicples. "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."  Mathew 10:1   

We may not be seeing many healings this day in time, but I do not believe it is because God doesn't desire for us to be healed.  When I look back, I can see so clearly that my perspective early on, as well as my hesitence to even ask God for a healing, could have prevented Kaylee's healing from the start.  In addition to this, I have learned that healing often times comes through the breaking down of principalities and strongholds (things beyond our understanding).  Therefore, it may require time, persistence, and God’s clear leading and direction. We cannot give up too soon! 

It took nine years for Kaylee to be completely delivered from disease, yet she was not symptomatic for most of that time.  As I started to pray and believe for her full recovery, God led me every step of the way.  She lived the majority of those years in good health (without any medication!)  God first led me to put Kaylee on a special diet that completely turned her around for several years. I have so many things that I am anxious to share about Kaylee’s healing, but for today this is what I want you to be assured of….God is right by your side and on your side!   

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Why Pray?

In the year leading up to my daughter’s diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, God began to prepare the way by showing me the importance of prayer.  To be quite honest, until that time, I rarely prayed at all.  Growing up, I had always believed that everything just kind of fell into place naturally, under God’s perfect plan.  I trusted that everything was completely under His control, and believed that prayer was just a formality.  I don’t even want to know the number of times I told someone I would be praying for them and didn’t.  It’s honestly embarrassing!  It seemed to be the proper thing to say in order to let someone know you were concerned for them. The problem is, when you don’t believe that prayer can truly make a difference and change things, it becomes another duty to add to your day.  With four children, I felt that I had enough on my daily agenda as it was.

Not only that, I was terrible at praying!  I was always intimidated by the beautiful prayers of many at my Baptist church, and I felt very inadequate in comparison.  It wasn’t until our WMU leader decided to start the women of our church praying together that I learned the importance of prayer.  Fortunately, our leader encouraged us to get the book: What Happens When Women Pray, by Evelyn Christenson.  This book was absolutely perfect because it encouraged women to start praying together by going around the room and praying only one or two sentences at a time.  Although this was hard for some, it helped teach those of us who were new at it how to pray aloud without feeling intimidated.  I learned to start praying to God rather than for those around me.  To my surprise, I instantly began to love gathering and praying with these women, and as we began to see answered prayer, I was completely hooked! 

Admittedly, by nature I am not a very submissive or “obedient” person.   I am not proud of these shortcomings… I am just being honest.  As a child, I always wanted to know why, and I absolutely hated the response: “because I said so!”  I am a person who wants answers!  If I am going to take the time to pray, I want to know that there is a reason for it.  I respect those who can obey easily and trust naturally, without having to know why.  I am just not one of those people.  Yet, I know God made me the way that He did for a reason.  I can be very hard-headed at times, yet once I understand, I am also very persistent. 

God was merciful enough, in spite of my stubbornness, to give me the answers that He knew I was about to need regarding the purpose of prayer.  In the months leading up to Kaylee’s diagnosis, I became a prayer warrior!  After moving to Birmingham in 1998, I started meeting weekly with my sisters-in-law and a few close friends, and we would pray over everything.  We were truly amazed at the difference our prayers began to make in the small areas of our lives. We totally submitted our lives and our futures to God during this time.  It is a time I will always cherish!

Prayer brings us into the presence of God.  Prayer IS powerful and effective!  Prayer changes circumstances and prepares the way for God to move in our lives.  I still don’t completely understand it or why God requires it of us.  I suppose we should feel honored that God does require our participation and that we are of such great value and worth to Him!   Through the years I have slowly learned to be more submissive, even in the areas I don’t understand.  Yet, from first hand experience I can tell you that prayer IS, without a doubt, the most effective tool we have to battle the enemy and to bring about change! 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

Disease is Darkness

I cannot guarantee you a victory in every battle you take on against the enemy and his schemes this side of Heaven; but I can guarantee you will never have victory if you surrender to the enemy from the start!


One of the misconceptions I encountered early on in our battle for my daughter's health was the naive belief that everything that touches our lives is somehow within God's will and plan for our lives.  Working in the Social Work profession and witnessing first hand the consequences of poverty; broken marriages and homes; alcoholism and drug abuse; crime; and physical and sexual abuse on a daily basis taught me early on to discount this misconception.  The truth is we live in an imperfect, fallen world.  No matter how hard we strive to live a good and righteous life on our own, we can still become a victim or an indirect recipient of the consequences of the sin of those around us.  Having counseled victims of abuse, rape, and other extreme injustices, there was no way that I would ever believe that God's hand was in any of it, nor that He would ever will such evil on anyone.  That is not even fathomable for our good and perfect God.    

Furthermore, if we believe that the sin of man can’t impact and change the perfect will of God, then we would have to believe that God had no plan for the lives of the millions of babies who are aborted each year.  The fact is, sin does impact and change the perfect will of God (We can ask Samson about this when we get to Heaven one day), which is why we are to never stop praying!   I believe that God used my Social Work background to give me some understanding about the consequences of living in a sinful world.  Therefore, it was not hard for me to conceive that something evil could have touched our lives with the diagnosis of this disease in my daughter’s life.  I struggled to see this disease as anything but "an enemy" even if God could find a way to use it for good.  This outlook helped me to be able to deal with it accordingly.  

In order to fight when the day of evil has come, we must first be aware that it is indeed "evil" we are encountering.  With our "belt of truth" firmly in place, we must be able to identify what the truth is concerning disease.  Is disease an "enemy" or could it possibly be a "calling" on our life?  Much confusion exists today when it comes to the subject of disease.  

According to the Webster's Dictionary, disease is defined as:

1.	a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.

2.	any abnormal condition that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.

3.	any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society: His fascination with executions is a disease.

I think it is safe to say that disease is darkness. 

 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:  God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."  I John 1:5

  

If we consider the characteristics of God and compare those characteristics with those of disease; it is very clear that disease completely contradicts the character of God.  Words that characterize disease include; disorder, incorrect, error, deficiency, imbalance, abnormal, harmful, depraved, morbid, decomposition.  

   God  (light)                                                                Disease  (darkness)

1.  The Creator/Perfector                                 1.  Destruction/decomposition

2.  Rock/Pillar of strength                               2.  Infirmity/deficiency/imbalance

3.  Freedom                                                    3.  Bondage

4.  Just Authority/ Sovereign Authority            4.   Oppression/ Inequity/unjust authority

5.  Truth                                                         5.   Falsehood/incorrect

6.  Restorer/ Renewal                                       6.  Debilitation

7.  Perfect                                                       7.  Abnormal/error

8.  Order                                                         8.   Disorder

9.  Righteous                                                   9.   Depraved

God is light.  "For the fruit of the light consist in all goodness, righteousness, and truth."  Ephesians 5:9

Think about it, what do we want to be reigning inside of our mortal bodies or our children’s mortal bodies?  …Darkness or Light?   Falsehood or Truth?  Disorder or Order?  Depravity or Righteousness?  

It is clear that disease is not a product or “fruit” of the light.  Remember, "We have been called out of the darkness into His wonderful light."  Disease is not of God.  There is no darkness in God at all.  When disease has entered into the body, darkness has found a way in.  It is essential that we recognize this truth.  Disease is not something to ever simply accept.  It is something that we must regard as an "enemy" a "foreign invader," and we must act accordingly.  There is nothing in God's word to indicate that we are to simply accept disease as our calling in life.  Jesus never turned anyone away who asked for healing.  Jesus never told anyone that they were meant to live with disease, nor that they could bring glory to God by showing joy in the midst of it.   Jesus was both loving and compassionate to those who were suffering around him. 

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Yes, God can certainly be glorified through anything.  We know that God can use any situation and turn anything that Satan intends for evil into something good.  However, we have got to be smart, open our eyes, and see what is going on all around us. The misconception that we are "called" to endure disease joyfully (along with medications that "mask" the symptoms of disease without offering a cure) is giving Christians a false sense of security, and often times stopping the necessary prayers and lifestyle changes that can directly impact the disease. The focus has become about staying as comfortable as possible from one day to the next, rather than facing the reality that something is very wrong! To make matters worse, these medications (which are unnatural to the body) have side-effects that can bring on a whole new set of problems.   

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I am grateful for the medical advances that have saved my children’s lives!  However, when the human body is dependent on man-made medications to function indefinitely, we have a problem!

I am not going to pretend that I have all of the answers concerning disease and healing, because I do not.  I can only share my own personal experiences as well as the understanding that God has given to me through this time.   My goal is to encourage you to pray and never settle or fall into the lie that disease is the plan for your life or the life of your child!  Begin your battle today by recognizing and standing firm against the devil’s schemes with your “belt of truth” firmly in place! 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  I Peter 2:9

The Beginning

At an alarming rate, we are watching as millions of Americans are afflicted and diseased because their own immune systems have suddenly, without explanation, turned and made their own organs and tissues their target.  This bizarre phenomenon known as autoimmune disease is on the rise, and it is now dramatically debilitating the lives and futures of our children.  Autoimmune disease, which includes: Type 1 Diabetes,  Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Crohn's disease, Grave’s disease and Rheumatiod arthritis (to name a few) is becoming more and more common and even accepted by our society. The question is, as parents, is this something that we should accept as God’s plan for our children’s lives or is it something that we should view as an enemy attack (the day of evil) and respond as we are taught in Ephesians?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when (the day of evil) comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:10-20)

This was the question that I was faced with more than 13 years ago when my daughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 8.  There were many Christians who were telling me that God could use this disease in her life and that we could bring great glory to Him by being joyful in the midst of it.   As a mother, however, I never found peace in my heart with this explanation.  After all, it is a mother’s instinct to always strive for the best health and overall well-being of her children.  While suffering in this life may be inevitable, it should only be for a season, not for a lifetime! (I Peter 5:10) Furthermore, what if this was a tactic of the enemy to try and stop the greater plan that God had for her life?  I was not ready to give up the hope of her living a healthy, pain-free life.

Today, I have a wonderful testimony to share about my daughter because God led me to make the right decision at that time.  I made the decision to ask God to heal her, and I asked over and over again....night after night.  It was not always easy! It required me putting on the full “armor of God,” trusting God when things looked bad, persevering through many trials, and listening closely for the leading of the Holy Spirit. Remember, when you choose to “battle” the enemy, you will encounter resistance and “back-fire”!   Don’t get me wrong, I was far from perfect in this “battle” and many times struggled with doubt, fear and unbelief.  Praise God that even in those moments that we are faithless, when our faith fails, His faithfulness endures! (II Timothy 2:13)

I have decided to start a blog and to share our story of Kaylee’s healing for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I want to encourage any mothers who are out there to never accept disease or to believe that it is God’s ultimate plan for your child’s life!  We know that our children are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and that their immune systems were not created to target and attack their own bodies!  Clearly something has gone terribly wrong in this scenario! Secondly, I am doing this as a reminder for myself.  For you see, this past summer my son was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes.  With this most recent diagnosis, I have found myself thrown back into all of the same emotions and fears that I faced with my daughter. 

Had I started this blog a year ago, I would have offered the same message of hope when sharing our story.  I was full of confidence, just coming off the victory we had over my daughter’s life.  I wanted to share our story with everyone I came in contact with!  Now that I find myself on both ends of the spectrum, it puts quite an interesting twist on it all.  It is amazing the way that God chooses to work things, and it is rarely the way that we visualize it.  I am now being put to the real test to see if I believe my own message of hope.  Admittedly, it is a harder than I thought it would be.

The best way I know to begin this journey is at the beginning…. A little over 13 years ago, I had to make a very important decision.  Was I going to accept an “incurable” disease as God’s plan for my daughter’s life or was I going to fight it the way we are taught to fight in Ephesians?  Was I going to believe that “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23) or was I going to limit God to the perimeters of my own understanding?   I chose to believe, and today my daughter has been delivered from disease.  I do not know for certain what the future holds for my son’s life or how long this battle will last. Today, the only thing I know for certain is this:  I choose to believe,again!