It snowed… AGAIN! It
was our 2nd snow storm in less than a month in the Atlanta area. I’m not sure that’s ever happened in my 30+
years of living in the big city.
I noticed some interesting things during the double whammy. There was a lot more energy and
enthusiasm for the snow the first time around. That first time, I took about 200 photos and even posted a little video to the blog of
the kids out playing. We huddled by the fire to warm up and then dashed back
outside to play some more. We laughed as
we bundled up in every piece of cold weather gear we owned. It took 15 minutes just to zip everything and
pull on dry socks and hats and gloves and scarves. We didn’t care. We were ALL in.
The second snow storm a couple of weeks later? Not so much.
We complained that it wasn’t “good” snow. It was too slushy. The sledding wasn’t fast or thrilling. We huddled by the fire MORE and we played
LESS. Donning all the gear seemed like a
lot of trouble this time. Rather than
celebrating “free days”, we began to grumble that we’d have to make up the
missed school days at the end of the year.
Lots of things in life seem harder the second time around. If that’s true even for exciting things like
snow days in the south, then things that were already hard the first time… like
chemo, can seem insurmountable the second.
Keaton had another MRI last week. It wasn’t the news we wanted. As of today, he’s back on chemo. More scans have been ordered and there will
be many medical hoops to jump through in the weeks ahead.
Are we disheartened?
Yes. Will it be hard? Yes. Is
that the whole story? NO!
After I talked to Keaton’s mom on the phone, I knew I couldn’t
give in to the disappointment I felt in my heart. I finished up some chores and then carved out
a few minutes to sit quietly. I grabbed
my bible and told God I needed to hear from Him. Where does a Christ-Follower find
strength? “Seek and you will find.”
I was flipping through some familiar passages, but they
weren’t producing the hope I felt I needed.
So I just sat still and asked Him what He wanted me to hear.
At that VERY moment, the phone rang again. It was Keaton’s mom, again. She had a story to tell me. And when we hung up… I knew God had answered
my question.
As you might imagine, dealing with insurance companies is a
nightmare during times of serious and expensive illness. Knowing that the doctors wanted Keaton back
on the chemo right away, and having learned that insurance companies do not
share our sense of urgency, Sharon began making all the necessary phone calls literally
from the car on the drive home from the doctor’s office.
The insurance company has additional rules when the prescribed
drugs are astronomically expensive. For
cost purposes, they mandate the use of particular pharmacies to
acquire these drugs – typically the big chain stores. Having our roots in small town USA, our
family does not applaud this rule, as we prefer the personal attention offered
by the “mom and pop” pharmacies. But we
want the drugs, so we follow the rules.
Today, the mandated particular pharmacy did not
have the drugs on hand. It was going to
be Tuesday before they could get them. Not
acceptable. Sharon got some moxi and
told the insurance company exactly that.
(In our family, we affectionately call those moxi-moments “getting in touch with your inner-Doris.” Doris is Keaton’s grandmother and is a force
to be reckoned with. We’re grateful she’s
on Team Keaton!) Miraculously, the
insurance company caved and granted a ONE TIME exception to the particular
pharmacy rule. Sharon knew exactly where
to go.
She walked in the door of their favorite “mom and pop”
pharmacy. They know her there. Heck, they even deliver drugs to your house
if you need them to do that. The
pharmacist wanted to help, but he didn’t have the required drug in stock either. He, however, could get it by Monday – so at
least that was one day sooner of cancer-fighting drugs into Keaton. Sharon was grateful. She chose gratitude.
One of my favorite authors, Ann Voscamp, has a saying: “thanksgiving
always precedes the miracle.”
At that very moment, a well-dressed blonde lady walked into
the pharmacy. The pharmacist looked up
in surprise and then smiled. He looked
at Sharon and asked, “How would you like to have that drug today?”
The well-dressed blonde?
Oh, no one special. Just a drug rep
from the company that happens to distribute the very drug Keaton needed. A conversation ensued. Hearts were stirred. Arrangements were made. And a drug sitting in Duluth, Georgia was
delivered by courier to Sharon at a pre-arranged rendezvous point…today.
Chemo drugs weren’t the only thing delivered today. Hope was delivered by God Himself… simply
because He knew we needed it.
Hearing the story from Sharon led me to the scripture I
needed earlier. Familiar? Yes.
But the pharmacy story chiseled the truth of it into my soul. I like it best from a new translation of
scripture called The Voice, "Know this: my God will also fill every need you have according to His glorious riches in Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King." - Philippians 4:19
It's fair to say that we needed chemo drugs today. But I think what we needed even more was the reassurance that God is still with us.
Are you guys still with us, Keaton's Warriors?
Here's the thing: that 2nd snow storm in Atlanta wasn't really any different than the first. We just failed to bring enthusiasm to the sled. This round of chemo won't be much different than the first. We need your prayers and we need your support. We need you to bring enthusiasm to the sled. You up for that? I assure you, your part will be easier than Keaton's, but it's vital. So do what you do best. Encourage. Text. Show up. Call. Break out those gray bracelets and do your thing. If God went to the trouble today to let us know that HE is still with us... maybe you could too. Nobody's quitting here. O-Linemen don't do that.
