A Favor from you for my Young Hero | Filed under General
If we can look at prayer for what it is–connection with a higher power–it loses much of its unpleasant side. It becomes something that we do for ourselves, but more important others and whatever we do to make our own lives better and richer ends up helping all of the people with whom we share our lives. Prayer helps us put to rest things that need to be put to rest, such as resentment and anger, and it helps us to make other parts of ourselves, such as peace and compassion, much stronger.
Prayer doesn’t have to be formalized. It doesn’t have to be done on our knees in a darkened room–some of my best prayers have happened on long walks at night, under beautiful star-filled skies, or on long drives with the music off or on and the windows wide open. My prayers tend to be more like conversations, and I try very hard to listen for answers, too–there’s no law saying that all prayers are one-sided, and it’s a shame that we’ve come so far from God that we feel that he never tries to tell us anything.
If you want to do something nice, try a little prayer. A sincere little prayer in which you talk about the things that really matter to you, and about which you won’t have any preconceived notions of what should happen. The more you talk things over with God, the less those things will bug you as you go through your life trying to become the person you’re meant to be.
Now that I have your attention, I think you will want to pay attention. I believe you will want to know more about this special teenager. Kayla, is a sixteen year old niece of my blogging friend Susan.
Kayla is a courageous, fighter who has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is the most common type of bone cancer. It usually appears in teens often during their growth spurts. Osteosarcoma affects twice as many guys as girls and tends to show up in people who are taller than average. The most common symptoms of osteosarcoma are pain and swelling in an arm or leg that is sometimes accompanied by a lump. Some people have more pain at night or when they excerise. Osteosarcoma is most often found in the bones around the knee but can occur in other bones as well. In rare cases, a tumor can spread or metastasize beyond the bone to nerves and blood vessels of the limb.
Treatment for osteosarcoma usually involves chemotherapy (intravenous, or IV) medication that kills cancer cells) as well as surgery to remove the tumor. In the rare cases where these procedures can’t fight the cancer completely, a doctor may need to amputate (remove) part or the entire limb to fight the cancer. Most teens develop side effects, such as hair loss, bleeding, infections, and heart or skin problems, from medicines used in chemotherapy treatment for osteosarcoma. The good news is that most teens with osteosarcoma do recover if treated in time.
Kayla has already received chemotherapy and she has experienced many side effects that such as hair loss and blood clots of her legs, and many more so Wednesday morning she will face amputation of her right leg. Now you understand why I call this young lady brave, courageous, and a fighter. Kayla is my hero.
I ask you take time Wednesday morning to stop no matter what you might be doing and say a special prayer for this brave teenager and her family. Don’t forget it does not stop with her for she has young siblings at home and her parents. Everyone’s world fell apart when she was struck with this disease; I know you will take the time to send special thoughts or pray or whatever you believe.
Please go here and let Susan know you are keeping her precious niece in your thoughts and praying for her or sending positive energy her way. It matters not how you live your life just pull together in a very postive way for us so this special one to be healed.
We have seen this work, You have not let me down so please don’t start now. Thanks.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
Beautiful post, Vickie. Kayla is a hero of mine as well, I can’t say what I’d do given her options.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
I am praying and will continue to do so for Kayla.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
My Dear Friend, Thank you so much for your support and prayers. This is a lovely post and I appreciate all of this so very much. Kayla will be feeling all this blog love.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Consider it done.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
Me again. You used to have your email on your side bar. Please send it to me at susanstcyr65@hotmail.com so that I can respond to the requests you made in my comments! Thx.
August 29th, 2006 at 1:57 am
Count me in too. She is an amazing young woman.
August 29th, 2006 at 7:30 am
Beautiful post, Vickie, if sincerity and words like this our Kayla and our Susan and their family will hopefully feel us there with them tomorrow.
August 29th, 2006 at 8:13 am
prayers and good thoughts are going up for this sweet young lady.
August 29th, 2006 at 8:30 am
Many prayers are being said for this young lady and also for the surgeon. I hope she feels them.
August 29th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Wow, that is indeed one brave kid. I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow.
August 29th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
A wonderful post.
August 29th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
Done.
August 29th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Beautiful post Vickie. I’m in.
August 29th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
Kayla has been in my thoughts for the past few days and she will stay in them all day tomorrow praying for her to face her ordeal..she is such a brave young woman, and yes, a hero!
August 29th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
hello miss vickie.
i will say a prayer for kayla tonight. i talked to my wife tonight and she will get the nuns at the monastery to say prayers for her also tomorrow. i called her tonight and i never can get in to talk with her because the nuns do not know how to transfer a call. i said a prayer before i called this time and ask the LORD to let me get through this time so i could tell her about kayla and i got tranfered right away. i have tried to call several times since she has been gone and was never put though to her but i got to her tonight. thank you JESUS.
August 29th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
My heart goes out to Kayla and her Family. God Bless them. I have a bro who has had osteo mylitis since he was 13 yrs old- he will be 79 in November. Right now the Dr says his leg is on the edge of breaking from the bone being destroyed for so many years. If it, or as the Dr says, when it breaks they need to remove the leg. So, While I am praying for my Bro`s leg to hold together, I will certainly add Kayla to my prayers.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Your thoughts on prayer are like mine.The brave young lady will be in my prayers.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
A lovely tribute to your hero Ms. Vickie. Prayer is powerful, and I add mine to yours.
August 30th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
You can count on me praying for Kayla and her family:thumbsup:
August 31st, 2006 at 10:13 pm
I was so glad to find that Kayla came through the surgery without incident. It takes a while to make a full recovery, but this hurdle is past.
September 1st, 2006 at 3:43 pm
I did pray for Kayla, and I will continue to do so. Hope you have a nice weekend Vickie.
P.S. I have a new blog url http://almostwrite.blogspot.com
September 1st, 2006 at 11:28 pm
Vickie, Thanks so much for this amazing post. It was overwhelming to see so many responses. We ended up with 1000s of people praying and thinking of her. She is doing well, and although she has a difficult time ahead and a very long recovery to make, I have confidence that she will do it.
Love susan
September 3rd, 2006 at 10:22 am
Hi Vickie
Came through Summers blog. Like one blooger said, prayer is powerful and together, who knows what is possible. Kayla is definitely brack and she will be in my thoughts. Dawn