Family Friday

This Friday, I want to extend outside our immediate family and introduce you to one of my sisters in Christ. Her name is Stephanie. Stephanie is a mother of three children. I met Stephanie here online. She's a friend of a friend.. I keep having to remind myself that we haven't actually met in person. Anyway, Stephanie is an ordinary girl like you and me (unless you're not a girl and then, not so much). She is a mom that tries to squeeze 40 hours out of a 24 hour day, she disciplines, she hugs and kisses and when she lays down at night she prays for her children. And also like most moms, she has the desire to give her children every chance in life. I guess that's why her situation lays heavy on my heart. Her story could easily be my own. Stephanie's daughter Makinna was born with ear deformity called Microtia & Atresia. You can click on the link in my left side bar to get more information. But, the abbreviated version is that she wasn't born with an ear canal on her left side. Makinna is otherwise a very healthy and happy little girl. But, because of the deformity, Makinna doesn't have hearing in that ear. Statistics say that children with this deformity if left untreated, have lower grades in school and ultimately, lower paying jobs as adults. As a mother, I understand the need to do anything that is under my control to put my children on a level playing field. Starting in November, Makinna will undergo three different surgeries to correct this condition..

So how can you help? Well first, something we all can do, pray for the Sherwood family. Trey and Stephanie with Makinna will head out from central Florida and fly to California three different times. There are no doctors experienced at preforming this procedure on this side of the country. They will leave their other two children in someone elses care while they travel. And as always any procedure, life threatening or not, is huge in a mother's eyes. This no doubt will be difficult time for this family. Please pray for peace and for Makinna to respond better than even expected.

And of course, this will be quite an expensive undertaking. The procedures are estimated to cost from 15,000 to 20,000 dollars. Our family knows from personal experience the toll that health care expenses can take on a family. We are so blessed that our church has set us up with a much better plan than we've ever had before but up until this year, we have had only one year that had less than 5000 dollars in medical expenses since 2002. We are so thankful that this is a burden that has been lifted from us. I see this as an opportunity that we can take to thank God for the health that he's blessed our family with and blur those lines between families and be the family that God intended us to be as one. If you feel so inclined, you can click on the picture of Makinna on the side if you would like to donate and help carry this burden of the Sherwood's. Whatever you can do, ever little bit helps. I have also set up a place where you grab a button to share her story on your site. Please join me in loving, supporting, and encouraging this family.

May God bless you so that you can bless those around you.

Dana.

PS: I will try to do our weekly family update some time this weekend.