100,000
I am very excited. I have a little stat counter on my blog. It keeps tallies of how many people visited per day, new visitors and repeats, and it even has a map so I can see where people are accessing my blog. It's been just a fun little feature, but I am very excited today. Today it will hit the 100,000 mark!! That doesn't mean that 100,000 people have seen the blog, but it does mean that the website has been looked at that many times. That is incredible!
When I look back to starting this about 18 months ago, it began as a way to keep my family and friends updated on the kids. We moved to London, so I thought it would be a way to keep us all closer.
Then this past spring, when the doctor appointments got more serious and the diagnosis was given for both Waverly & Oliver, the blog took on a new role. It became a place for me to cry, scream, vent, beg, plead, remember, wish, hope, dream, pray, talk, share, laugh....all rolled into one.
I remember March when the doctors told us that Waverly had MPS III. I remember asking them if it was serious, if she was going to die from it. Our wonderful young female doctor took Waverly's hand and started playing with her. She had tears in her eyes as she showed Wavey a pen and paper. I knew. I wept and life would never be the same again for us.
I remember April, standing on Oxford Street in London, only 2 blocks from the embassy, when that same doctor called to tell me that Oliver's tests results were back. All she said was "I'm sorry". I knew. I fell on the sidewalk, holding Waverly's hand and looking at Oliver sitting in the stroller.
I think back to May, when we visited Duke. I remember the pain in having Waverly denied the cord blood transplant, but Oliver offered it. I remember the agony - by far the most difficult decision I have ever had to make - of whether or not we would pursue the risky treatment. It took Matt and I weeks to decide. I spent every night in tears, stressed beyond imagination at the paths before us. And then when we came to our decision, we never looked back. We have never regretted our decision and there was such unity in it for us.
It has been such a journey. There were moments when I didn't think that I could continue and take the next step. I know there is much in store for us and there will be many more times that I will lack the strength to move on. But this blog is a reminder that we are loved, we have not been forgotten. My children are making an impact on the world around them. They have changed Matt and I in a powerful way. It is my prayer that they will change your hearts, too.
Thank you for celebrating this small milestone with me.
Comments
I've seen information that states that those of us who don't read, lose the ability to empathize. We simply aren't exposed to worlds outside our door. Through the written word, not the videos, our minds are more able to understand lives that are not our own.
You are eloquent,and while I am sure you didn't choose to be a teacher in this capacity, that is what you are.
Thank you for opening your doors to us.
Your children are blessed to have been given to parents such as you.
(and I still want to blow razzberries on Oliver's tummy.)
I am praying Eph. 3:16-19 for your family.
Your children are beautiful and true gifts from God.
I know we will never be able to take away the pain you and Matt are feeling, but I hope on the worst days knowing that so many care so deeply about you all can help ease it in some small way.
You guys inspire me, thank you for your commitment to this blog.
Jason
Nothing I can say will make what is ahead of you easier, but please know that there are many here with you on the journey, and that Waverly and Oliver have made major impacts on the world.
Thank you.
Thanks for letting us be part of this long journey with you. There's a song that's been in my head for days, and you have been on my heart as it plays again and again in my mind. Margaret Becker wrote it, and Kristyn Getty sings it. I want to share the words with you.
Kristen (Taylor) Deese
Jesus, draw me ever nearer
As I labor through the storm
You have called me to this passage
And I’ll follow, though I’m worn
(Chorus)
May the journey bring a blessing
May I rise on wings of faith
And at the end of my heart’s testing
In your likeness let me wake
Jesus, hold me through the tempest
Keep my spirit staid and sure
And when the midnight meets the morning
Let me love you even more
May the treasures of the trial
Build within me as I go
And at the end of this long passage
Let me leave them at your throne
Thank you for sharing your story with us and allowing us to cry, laugh, and pray along with you. I love seeing pictures of your beautiful children. Some days I cry when I read your blog and wish there was something, anything, I could do to make things easier for you. Other days I laugh and smile at the stories you share of Waverly and Oliver's latest antics. Again, thank you for sharing your story.
I've heard the song "yours" by Steven Curtis Chapman many times, but after reading your blog that has become my daily reminder of your family - Each time I hear it, I pray for you.
"Hope like the sun is fading, They're waiting for a cure no one can find. And I hear children's voices singing, Of a God who heals and rescues and restores"
PRAYING!
JoEllen Hummel
Wow! Keep allowing God to use you in the midst of this grief. I continue to prayerfully follow your journey. Kendra (my wife) and I lost a son (17 months old) in 2004 unexpectedly to pneumonia induced hemolytic uremic syndrome. He was sick a total of 6 days. We had 6 hours between diagnosis and his passing. I am not saying this other than to note that we have had to grieve. Your grief is your grief and is totally unique and must be done your way. We grieved, still do in different ways, like you are and will. This, though heavy, is a gem of the process for all effected by these circumstances. Keep looking for God sightings in the midst of this struggle. Thanks for being completely and sometimes horrifically and beautifully honest, do not ever stop. God is honored even when you don't realize it.
Matt Ohime (TU)