February 27th, 1978 ~ I became a big sister. One of the best days of my life, although at the time I was just a toddler... Jon Dewey, known to those who love him most as "Jonny".
He was a ham from the start - silly, outgoing, authoring his own jokes in preschool, and pranks and practical jokes in early elementary school. He learned to water ski at age 4. He was always fearless, and full of adventure. I could fill this post with stories of our growing-up years, of dressing him up in my dresses and my mom's old wig and convinving the neighbor kids that he was a cousin, or tying him to a tree and pretending he was our pet dog, or pretending he was training for the Olympics and timing him as he'd run around the perimeter of our house... my lil buddy. Grew up to be one of my best friends.
February 27th, 1993 ~ I became the sister of someone in chronic pain, someone who escaped death, someone who lives every.second.of.his.life in great (often disabling) pain. We were up at our parents' cabin on Jonny's 15th birthday. The lake was frozen solid, so we used a friend's 3-wheeler ATV. I bet it was originally Jonny's idea to tie a ski rope to the back, and then attach a black inner tube, and then to build a jump so he'd fly in the air when riding on the tube... well he did. he flew through the air, but the tube didn't stay with him. Instead he landed, head first, on the frozen lake. My dad and I were standing 100 ft away when we saw it happen. I remember my dad saying "Oh sh*t, he's dead." We ran down to the lake. He should've been dead, or at least paralyzed. But this is Jonny we're taking about. And Jonny just stood up and said he was fine. But he wasn't.
The next day his headache arrived. It hasn't left since. My brother doesn't get headaches. He has a headache. He has been to every type of traditional and non traditional doctor possible.
He had a constant headache all through high school, all through college, all through teaching overseas for four years, all through the birth and raising of his toddler son, all through the loss of his stillborn twin daughters, and still today - 19 years later, he still has a headache. Not just a dull nagging headache, but a severe throbbing, migraine-like headache.
I know the Bible says that God hears every prayer. I know it says in the Bible that God collects our tears... and if prayers and tears take up physical space, then those offered for Jonny would stretch to the moon and back 19 thousand times. Our biggest prayer, for Jonny's head pain to be healed, hasn't been answered with a "yes" yet, although a million other prayers have been: he is alive, he is married to the most.incredible.women.ever, he is a good daddy, he is a good teacher, he is alive (did I mention that one already?)...and we still pray every night before we fall asleep that God would heal him.
And there is hope. With God there is always hope.
Later tonight, when my kiddos are in bed, I'll post more specifically about some new reasons we have to hope in Jonny's healing...it's exciting!
In the meantime, please pray for Jonny on his birthday.
Praying! love Em
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