She has beautiful blue eyes, gold ringlets and the sweet face of a six year old with just a hint of baby left to her. I know all about her brother and sister, her parents who moved to Phoenix to pastor a church, and her love of Disney. I hear details of her life every day, but we haven’t ever met. I heard about Kate through a friend on facebook and follow her life on caringbridge.org. If you haven’t heard of this site, odds are you probably will, because it is a blog for families who are going through medical crisis.
Kate is six and was the picture of health, laughing and playing like any little girl would until she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her mother and father have blogged about the surgeries, blood counts, therapies and how a normal life is not so normal anymore. They have laid bare their hearts day after day asking only for prayers on behalf of their daughter Kate. Their faith has drawn me into reading these posts each day, and some days it is hard to even read what this family is enduring. The words on the screen blur with tears at their pain, and I smile at the bright spots they seem to find in spite of them.
I hug my boys a little longer after I have read about Kate’s day because it reminds what I already knew. I worked on the oncology unit of a children’s hospital before I had children of my own, and my heart still aches at the thought of the loss and the miracles I saw there. Life can change in a second, a minute, a year and all we can do is pray through these storms. I don’t know what the future holds for Kate, but I will continue to read and pray for her. If you want to get to know Kate too, here is her website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate.
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I’ve been following Kate’s site for over a year now I think. Such a sweet little girl.