prayer request...

I am not sure if this is fate, irony, or just plain crappy-crappy "luck"...

Three years ago I met one of my very best friends, Courtney, because our kids are the same age (Charli and Landon are 3 weeks apart). She lives in Iowa but made the long trip to come to Charli's benefit and her entire family (husband and son Landon), came to the Relay last year when Charli was "honored" and has just been a great friend to me, all ways - always. We meet with them a few times a year so the kids can play and we can enjoy some adult time too! These are the friends we went to the baseball game with several weeks ago before Harper was born.

Long story short...Landon was diagnosed with cancer today. He is three.

He has something called Wilms tumor, a cancer of the kidney. He went for his 3-year check yesterday and his doctor felt a lump on his kidney and she requested an ultrasound for today...Courtney got a call this morning confirming her worst fear. Thank you God for his dr. who was proactive...she is a great doctor!!!

As soon as I saw her name pop up on my caller-id I knew...i knew it wasn't good news.

It is funny how fate places people in our lives. Courtney and I are so very much alike...our personalities, our husbands, our pasts...everything. Why did we have to have this in common too? When she was expressing her fears to me, I thought - of course he will be FINE- what are the odds that two best friends would have kids who are the same age BOTH have cancer. It just wouldn't happen, life will be normal again after the scan. Their life will never be normal again.

Landon will have a CT scan on Monday to determine more information on the tumor. I pray that it can be removed and no other treatment will be necessary. Please pray for that too.

Even if that is the case, their world will never be the same again - ever. I don't care what anyone says...their world has been shattered and although it WILL be rebuilt on an even more solid foundation, it takes some time to get there. And even when he is healthy and perfect again, the fear is always there. Trust me.

So please pray for Eric, Courtney, Landon, and their baby on the way that they will have the courage, strength, faith, and patience to make this journey. I know that they will, but they wonder how they can do it...I know them well enough to know that they CAN and they WILL come out on the other side stronger because of this.

Why does life throw these things to us...will we ever know? I think we all have our own hardships for various reasons. While I do not know why Landon was handpicked by our God on this road, I know he was...they all were picked by Him to do His work though this fork in the road. I "think" I know why Charli was chosen, although I will never truly know until I get to ask Him myself...but she is serving as an inspiration to Courtney right now...and that is enough for me.

Courtney, Eric, Landon, and baby R...we love you so much and are heartbroken with you and for you. We have faith that you will be taken care of. And please remember that in your moments of weakness and doubt, I will be here with enough faith for all of us - so please allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel to get through the day. The truth of the matter is, there is no one way to handle this...you do what you can, and allow the rest of us who love you to do what you can not. In the meantime...welcome to this crappy club, it holds a life long membership...so while we are here we might as well make the best of it.

As we continue our fight in childhood cancer we will always expect miracles and am humbled to personally know and love two tiny miracles who are fighters, warriors, and most of all...survivors.