Prayers, Please!

Can you please, please pray Jonathan and the other boys on his relay team (and the rest of the swim team, I guess?) are healthy tomorrow for the swim meet? We just learned that one of the boys on his relay team started throwing up on the way home from their swim practice yesterday and now has a fever. No!!!! Hoping he is better soon and they don't start falling ill, what a terrible disappointment after a season of hard work! (We do have an alternate for that medley if he isn't better, who is a terrific swimmer, but I'm also concerned now the other kids will get sick, too, and not be able to compete in anything) :(

THANK YOU!!

Grace Under Pressure: Prayer and RAK request

One morning after being woken by my son at 2 AM I stumbled in to my computer and saw I'd just gotten a comment from "Nancy". I hopped over to her blog "Are We having Fun Yet?" after reading in her comment she had a terminally ill daughter to learn a little more about Nancy and from what illness her daughter Jessica suffered. Three hours later, I was still reading: the stories, pain, struggles, humor and joy she shared so candidly about her daily life and her amazing family completely captivated me, she is courageous, witty, and takes nothing for granted. They get through each day through their love for each other and their faith in the Lord, they are just amazing. I am going to be posting more about Nancy and her daughter later as they have some new medical issues they are dealing with, but the really pressing request for prayers today is for Nancy's nephew, Marcus.

Tragically, Nancy’s sister Karen, has a son Marcus (Nancy’s nephew and Jessica’s cousin) who is also terminally ill, with cancer. You can read more about Karen, Marcus’s recent Make a Wish trip to Pearl Harbor, and see pictures they just had taken of their lovely family on Karen’s blog “I Made it Through Another Day”. My original intent was to ask you to send cards to lift up the lot of them: Nancy, her family, Jessica, Karen and her family and Marcus. Recently, however, Marcus is not responding to chemo, hospice has been called. It is difficult to summarize in one post the depth of their pain right now and their need for prayers and support more than ever.

Marcus Russell is 17, and has been battling brain cancer for 2 years. He was diagnosed on Oct. 2nd of 2006 with a brain tumor and had surgery to remove it the very next day. He underwent chemo and radiation treatment and did quite well during that time. Marcus has been very active in marching band and church. His family, friends and community have been very supportive of him. While on his Make A Wish trip in Hawaii in August, Marcus became very ill and it was then that they found a new tumor. Within a couple of week's time he developed multiple tumors throughout his brain. He started a brand new chemo treatment (which made him quite sick) and this last week the MRI showed that it wasn't working. He has already become blind and is now unable to walk. They've been told he only has days left.

When I asked Nancy what they needed, she said: “Just asking for prayers would be awesome. Prayers really do help. Back when we placed Jessica into hospice I got so many emails with good thoughts, prayers and love that I knew I would be okay. I also knew that God heard each and every prayer and those who offered up the prayers were also blessed.”

Your prayers and RAKs would be amazing. I had one other idea that you might be able to help with: If you are able, would you consider putting Marcus's pic and part of this post on your blog? Can we let others know who he is, that he was here? When Karen asked Marcus what he would like the world to know about him and he said, "I am the dark night - I am batman". (When you read their blogs, you'll see they are always ready to lighten the mood with a joke, no matter the circumstances) Nancy says: "He is a man of few words and he doesn't even want to think about what to say. (But they were excited about this idea of posting his pic and gave it their blessing) "BTW, Marcus has always been a fan of batman and a WWII buff. (Family) recently took Marcus to an air force base and the airman presented Marcus with a helmet and other things. They were impressed with Marcus's knowledge of the jets and he even knew all about a new one that will be available next year."

You can also leave comments for the family and get updates at: http://www.carepage.com/ (set up an account and then click on "visit a carepage".... enter "marcusrussell" no spaces - and it will take you to it)

Here is an address for RAKs (they gave permission to list it here)

I Made it Through Another Day
http://lagorda67.blogspot.com/
Karen's address is:
Karen Russell or Marcus Russell
100 W. 500 S
Providence, UT 84332

My heart just breaks for them all, this post doesn't begin to do their story justice, but I wanted to be able to do something. I'm praying they all feel God's presence with them now and His comfort and love (and maybe, even a miracle.)

God bless, thank you for reading.