Wednesday, January 11, 2012

January 10, 2012: The Day Our World Changed

It was a beautiful day on Tuesday.   It had snowed a little on Monday evening, but the temps had shot back up into the 50's and the sun was shining.    I decided to skip Institute to work on my upcoming sacrament meeting talk.  I kept getting interrupted as I worked, but for the most part it turned out to be a blissful 1-1/2 hours where I listened to uplifting music and studied conference talks and scriptures.  This video went along perfectly with the topic of my talk and touched my soul in a particularly meaningful way that morning.   

Little did I know then, how much that solitary hour-and-a-half was preparing me for what was to come later on that day. 

Long story short, a few hours later I received a phone call that would change our lives forever. 

Results from some blood tests had arrived and we found out that Spencer has leukemia. 

I have no idea what the coming weeks and months will bring to him or our family, but I do know that   in the 24 hours that have passed since we found out, that our family has already felt overwhelmed with the comfort and peace that only God can bring. 

9 comments:

George said...

We heard last night, Lara. We are so, so sorry.
Please give Spencer our love and tell him he is already in our prayers. Please tell your other angels that they are in our prayers, too, as this is going to be tough for them, as well.
And you and Glen? Well, all my nieces and nephews are in my prayers quite frequently. Their families, too.
My gut feeling is that this is something that you guys are going to burst through and come out even stronger!
We love you guys.
Uncle Buddy, Aunt Debra, and Hannah and Ethan and Issac
My f

alexandra said...

Lara, Jeff told me when he got home from YM. My heart goes out to you. I know you'll be inundated with calls and communications from friends and I don't want to overwhelm you, but please know that we're thinking of and praying for you, Spencer, and your family. Please know we're here to help you.

DeeAnn Franks said...

Your comments in your blog helped me to feel peace too Lara. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, especially Spencer.

Andie said...

Lara, I am so, so sorry. I'll be at the temple tomorrow; please know that I will pray for you while I'm there. If there is anything at all that I can do for your family, please let me know. ((Hugs))

Dad-Mom said...

We were stunned to hear the news and had a hard time wrapping our minds around the word leukemia that you pronounced over the phone yesterday afternoon. It is a word filled with fear and dread and only supposed to happen to old people-not vibrant athletic 16-years in the prime of their life.

As we have fasted together today and done some research, we are very encouraged with the cure rate, especially in young people and feel very comfortable that he will emerge among those 85-90% that survive such a diagnosis.

No doubt as Uncle George and others have noted, this will be a tough grind for the next few weeks and months, but you will all be stronger for this experience.

Our hearts especially go out to poor Spence who has to be scared and confused-wondered about the whys and wherefores.

Let him know that there are hundreds, if not thousands of his family members and friends who are thinking about him and praying for him on a daily basis. His name is already or will soon be on the temple rolls of numerous temples around the country.

We love each of you. And pray for you. Mom and Aitch are leaving in the morning and will be there sometime this weekend.

Heather said...

Lara and family,
Our hearts are full for you. My boys were trying to think of things we could do for you and Spencer. I know you'll have a lot of people asking to help you, but please let us assist you if we can in any way. We'll be praying for Spencer and your family.
Heather

Momma Nielson said...

Lara, When Bruce called me last night from mutual, he could barely get the words out. I'm so sorry that Spencer and your family have to go through this. Please know that Spencer and your family are in our prayers. Your faith and positive attitude have always been an inspiration to me and I pray that you can continue to be strong in the face of the long difficult days ahead.

Katie said...

Oh Lara, I am so sorry to hear it. I'll be praying for the spirit to bless your family with wisdom and strength to face the decisions and emotions ahead.

You have been such a great example to me of perspective and faith. Thank you for blessing the rest of us in the sharing of your experiences.

Sandra P said...

Hi Lara, My name is Sandra and my 1/2 brother Nicholas is Mika's first cousin. I saw her post yesterday regarding your son and wanted to let you know that although I don't know you, I have been thinking about your son and praying for him and your family. May God provide you all strength during this journey.

Sandra

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