Friend Time at Girls Camp
Jessica and MaKenna catching up
Bishop Bird and his wifeJessica, more than anything wanted to go to Young Women's camp up at the Hycliffs in the Owyhee mountains about an hour and a half away from here. Unfortunately the week of camp fell on the same week as her Chemo treatments. Her worst days are day 4-5 & 6 after Chemo and the day she wanted to go up was day 4. The day when she knew she would be feeling the most sick.
She fasted on her scan day last Thursday since she would be in the hospital all day doing proceedures and most of them, they wanted her fasting anyway. We made her medical fast into a meaningful one and prayed with everything in us that she would get to go up for just one day to be with her friends and spend some time with her leaders.
Monday was her spinal Tap and chemo. She was pretty wiped out with exhaustion after that. Tuesday, she was a bit nauseated and Wed and Thursday she was starting to really feel the die off from the Chemo. Chemo is designed to kill all the fast growing cells in your body. By the 4th or 5th day you really feel killed off. That's how you can tell it's doing it's job.
So Thursday morning Jessica was really tired and doing everything in her to curb her impulse to throw up. By the afternoon, she started to feel a bit of energy and the nausea almost went away. We piled into the car with the Bishop and his wife as well as Brother Lee and his wife. She made it up the windy road to camp and she enjoyed 4 hours with her sister and her friends. We ate an amazing meal with the Bishops and all the girls in the stake.
We finished off the evening with a spiritual message around the campfire with her leaders and her Bishop. Each of the girls read letters from their parents and then we closed with a heartfelt testimony meeting. We couldn't have asked for a better night.
At 11:30 that night as we got home from our little adventure, Jessica started to feel the full effects of her chemo hit her as if someone had pressed pause for 7 hours and then pressed the resume button the minute we walked in the front door. The rest of the weekend for her has been pretty nasty. We are grateful for the miracle we asked for and for all the tender mercies that went along with it.
How blessed we were to have gotten a bit of a break.
God lives and He loves us doesn't He. What a thrilling testimonial of that. Thank you for sharing it with us. Mom and I were praying earnestly for that same thing. We are so very grateful Jessica's prayers and fasting were answered so miraculously.
ReplyDeleteWe love you all so very much and are looking forward to seeing all of you on the weekend Philip returns from his mission. Hopefully we can spend 3 or 4 days with you in Nampa too. All our love --- Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa
oh this had me honestly weeping... Dearest Jessica just having one of probably many simple wishes- to go to girls camp for ONE day. It's so hard to believe what we take for granted, the simple pleasures in life that we often get to enjoy... soon we are pleading for the opportunities to have them, even if just for a moment. Jessica is such a fantastic girl and I'm so glad to hear that God has blessed her, please pass on my love and heartfelt wishes xoxo She really is an inspiration to all of us, I very much look up to her and all of the strength she is able to pull out of no where, and for her ability to turn to God and ask for that help through trials. That is a gift and a talent and a wonderful blessing, she is a blessing to all of us.
ReplyDeleteI am sooo sorry I didn't get to see you at girls camp. I too had an extremely stronge testimony meeting with our bishopric. Every girl in the camp cried except for an in active saddly who too is going through a hard time. Her dad has some illness and is told that he won't live past this year. I love you soooo much Jessie and am glad that you are my caousin and flabergasted at how wonderfully you are handling your cancer. I am over joyed that I live so close and can visit you so often. With all my love-- Kaydee :)
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