Dear family and friends,
Today, June 13th, has been etched in our minds as the date our affliction over Judson’s journey with Krabbe began.
On that fateful Wednesday morning, we met with Judson’s pediatrician and the whirlwind picked up from there. I was told to take Judson immediately to the ophthalmologist, encouraged not to even stop for lunch, and that an emergency MRI was being ordered. At the time, the doctors were functioning under the assumption that Judson had a brain tumor; after the MRI (which occurred the following morning), Jud was going to be rushed to Los Angeles for brain surgery if any abnormal growth was visible.
Though they did not discover any tumors, they saw damage in the white matter of Judson’s brain…everything began to spiral downward from there.
I am realizing (as expressed in yesterday’s blog), that anniversaries are particularly hard because the memories from the difficult days flood my mind. They replay over and over. In turn, my new emotions of grief and sorrow are forced to mix with the emotions that were present on the day being remembered. It is a double whammy! And the challenging remembrances are also viewed through a lens of hindsight that gives a sobering reality to what had occurred previously.
This day last year was also the day we sent an email to a handful of family and friends informing them of our sudden concern for Jud. Something that stands out to us is the manner by which God used that small group of people to mobilize such incredible love, support, tangible assistance, and prayers for us. Beginning with those who received the first email, our story reached thousands of people, and we have had the amazing gift of knowing we have been upheld by SO many-family, friends, and strangers alike! It has enabled us to endure.
It is a sorrowful anniversary day, and we are baffled at what has occurred in the last year, but we also thank God for the way He has upheld our family since last June. We have much to be grateful for, including the sweet little man who graced our lives and left his beautiful mark on us and this world.
Even though we have been through the valley of the shadow of death this year, evil will not triumph, for the Lord has unceasingly been with us; His rod and His staff, may they continue to be a constant comfort. Amen. (Psalm 23:4)
Much love and gratitude,
Christina (on behalf of Drake too)
P.S. Our hearts are also with “Kenji” Harris (www.caringbridge.org/visit/lekendricharris) who is one of the small handful of children in the US with late-onset Krabbe. As I write this, he is fighting for his life! Please pray for his family too!