: N. Turner Simkins
: Possibilities Perseverance, Grace and the Story of One Family's Life With Leukemia
: NEWTYPE Publishing
: 9781942306788
: 1
: CHF 9.40
:
: Biographien, Autobiographien
: English
: 200
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
This book maintains a broad range of appeal to individuals and families who have experienced catastrophic struggle, illness or torment on any level, but primarily to readers with an appreciation for stories of spiritual growth and personal reconciliation. It has been posited as a combination of 'Man's Search for Meaning' and 'Unbroken,' which is a testament to both the beautiful writing and dramatic story about the plight of a loving son and brother that is both staggering in scope and mesmerizing in tone. It has received tremendous praise from authors in the faith community (Richard Roar and Wm. Paul Young), non-fiction adventure (Hampton Sides) and the medical community (Dr. William Evans, CEO St. Jude Children's Hospital). Possibilities is testament to the fact that some stories can be both brutal and beautiful; but few stories have ever been more powerful.
SURPRISE ATTACK
FALL 2008 TO SPRING 2009
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“Daddy, my leg hurts.” Not exactly something unusual to hear a first grader complain about. Brennan’s older brother, Nat, had leg pains at times. And as Brennan’s became more and more frequent, and we took more and more notice, our comfort was slightly bolstered with reassurance from other parents that their kids had the same issue.
But Brennan was never a complainer. If anything, he was the tough one, always wanting to try new things. He had the capacity to take on grown-up sized chores as a little guy. Even as a pre-K’er, he would work on his golf at the driving range and the putting green productively until he could not stand any more. He would sometimes be asleep in the car before we could arrive home (which was just a few blocks away). He would watch the older kids and study their moves. He was strong.
So when fatigue started to layer itself on top of the pains, our parental concern produced an appointment with a highly regarded pediatric orthopedist. His prognosis was that Brennan appeared normal, but that in very rare cases, leg pain could be symptomatic of blood disease. He told us not to panic, but that Brennan should have a blood test in the not too distant future. This was December.
I honestly don’t recall the pain becoming more severe, but Brennan started to get tired a lot, sleeping in more. The pain persisted. We scheduled the blood test just after the new year in 2009, at the finale of the Simkins birthday season. This started in November with me and Nat, who had just turned nine, and concluded with Brennan on January 21. We had all planned a great winter birthday retreat to the North Carolina mountains, and with snow in the forecast for the weekend of January 17, we all gathered with Tara’s family for the big winter celebration, complete with snowmen, winter campfires, s’mores, cakes, movies, and a cabin full of cousins.
We awoke on our first mountain morning to the fulfillment of the weatherman’s prophecy—a healthy foot of snow. Our beloved little Blue Ridge retreat was blanketed with a whiteness rarely seen by little boys in central Georgia, and like Christmas, the kids were up early, tugging our sheets, begging for sleds, snowman parts, shovels, and much parental assistance.
All but Brennan. He slept. And he sl