Hello faithful blog readers. Life has sure been busy here at the Harper house. As always, I seem to find myself running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. We are gearing up tonight for Reagon's first Jr High basketball game of the season...and I can't wait!!! I mentioned in a previous post that Josh started a new church about 4 months ago and we have been busy with several missions. This time of year is my absolute favorite and Christmas is just around the corner. Now, that is hard to believe! Wasn't I just posting pics of tubing on the lake just a few days ago? WOW, this year is flying by!
Recently, Jed was asked to be a part of a Relay-for-Life float for the American Cancer Society. He had so much fun throwing out candy to all the kids lining the streets to see the parade. I have been asked to go through training for speaking on behalf of the ACS and I am so excited about that! Do you think they can teach this southern girl anything about speaking? They have their work cut out for them! lol
A few weeks ago, Curesearch held a walk in Little Rock, AR to raise money for Childhood cancer. We put together a team with some of the families at the clinic and called ourselves "The Rhabdo Warriors". The five kids at our clinic who are fighting or who have fought rhabdomyosarcoma were listed on the back of the shirts. Sadly, just days after the shirts were printed and just days before the walk, our sweet Maddie Lanway passed away. We wore buttons with her pic and walked in her memory.
On Monday, Jed had another follow up visit for blood work and to have his port flushed. Readers of this blog frequently see Jed getting his port flushed but this is a new one...Jed flushed his own port. He thought that was a pretty cool thing! The nurses at ACH are amazing!
After our clinic visit, we made our rounds visiting our friends and passing out gifts from "Sharing Jed..The Jed Harper Foundation". Little Easton received one of the blankets we handed out that day (made by a sweet friend from church..thanks Missy!)
This is a picture of our adorable friend Easton riding in the outside play area on the Batman trike "Sharing Jed" donated in memory of our buddy Joel Smith.
The Sharing JED (Jesus Every Day) Foundation was set up by our family as a way to "give back" for all that was given to us while Jed fought cancer. Our needs were ALWAYS met and we never missed a meal, never missed a car payment, never worried about getting our girls to a ballgame or practice. It was amazing to see so many people come together and help us in our greatest time of need. But, over the course of our journey, we met with several families who did not have that blessing. We met families who ate out of the snack room because they couldn't afford a real meal from the cafeteria. We met families who lost their jobs, lost their homes, and couldn't afford to put gas in their vehicles all because of the horrible toll having a child with cancer takes on your finances. Josh and I vowed that after Jed finished his chemo treatments, we would focus on setting up a foundation in Jed's name. I have sooo much to say about this wonderful foundation but I am waiting on the launch of the website to introduce it all to you. I pray that it will touch your hearts like it has touched mine. So many people have already stepped up to be a part of this and already, many of Jed's friends and cancer families are being helped because of generous donations.
Sitting next to me on my desk is my "Thanksgiving list". My list of things to buy at the grocery store, clothes that need to be purchased, a reminder to charge my video camera, and so on. I started thinking about how I needed to make another Thanksgiving list of all the things God has blessed me with this past year. I scanned back at some pictures on the blog from 2007 before rhabdomyosarcoma became a common word in our family. I look at these picture taken on Thanksgiving Day 2007 and I think about all the changes that have taken place. Above Jed's head in his little highchair was a sticker that stated "Please don't share food with me..I am allergic to peanuts". For weeks before, I remember wishing that Jed didn't have this allergy and feeling so sorry for myself and for him. Not knowing that something much bigger was going to enter our lives. Our family spent much of Thanksgiving 2007 on our knees in prayer.
That very Thanksgiving day, we kept our sweet niece Aubri because our family's world had just been flipped upside down. Aubri's sister, Ava had just hours before been diagnosed with leukemia. Our family was thrown into the scary, unfamiliar world of childhood cancer. Ava was only two years old. (Ava's mom is Josh's sister)
Today, I am thankful that the two beautiful children below are cancer survivors!!!!
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Psalm 107: 19
