by: Jennifer Whitten and Introduction by Wanda Haskins
I would like to share an article that our daughter was asked to write for a homeschool newsletter. Thankfully this story has a very happy outcome. Notice I didn’t say ending because God is still using her and her family. I also want to say that while as a mom and grandmother I am very proud of our daughter, son-in- law, grandson and granddaughter this is not about what they did but what God did through them. I believe that their story can be an inspiration and comfort to others who might be going through their own storms. It is an example of God’s great love for those who trust Him.
“JOY THROUGH THE STORM”
By Jennifer Whitten
Our family moved to the Columbus area the summer of 2017. God had answered many prayers to get us here and made what seemed like impossible circumstances possible. We felt the Lord was leading us to Columbus and we happily followed.
By Fall, we were enjoying life in our new town. Then in a blink of an eye everything changed. Wednesday, October 25, 2017, began what would be the scariest season of our lives but also one of the most joyful times of our lives. My fifteen-year-old son, Walker, woke up with double vision in his left eye. After hours of examinations ER doctors and specialists, and a CT, Hunter and I were told Walker had a large mass behind his left eye. Walker was admitted to NCH and would spend the next two days having scans, biopsies, surgery and more examinations. Sadly, by Friday Walker had a confirmed cancer diagnosis with an unknown outcome. My husband, Hunter, and I prayed with Walker and our daughter, Anna. We talked to them about what we did know for certain, GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD! We told them we did not know why God was allowing us down this path, but we knew for sure He was leading the way and would hold us in His righteous right hand and reminded them that we praise God in good times, and we would continue to praise Him in difficult times. As followers of Christ, we are all missionaries, and our mission field is wherever God puts us. Our mission field was the HEM/ONC floors at NCH for the next year. That night began the first of many that we thanked God for trusting us with this trial, asked for His help to not waste the trial and for Him to not only use it for our good but that others would be drawn to Him through it. We knew He would get us through each day and prayed He would be glorified through this trial and we would grow even closer to Him.
After learning that kids come from all over the country for Walker’s doctor, we felt confident that it was not an accident that Hunter was called out of the blue about a job in Columbus. God knew exactly where we needed to be! He had gone before us and prepared us for the coming storm, Praise His Holy Name! Dr. Y told Walker they were going to fight his cancer with him. Walker said, “Thank you. But I am not fighting my cancer, God is. God knew the number of my days before I was born, and I will not die a day before I am supposed to. I am totally trusting in Him and His will for my life. And God has given me a comfort and peace that I cannot describe”. At fifteen our precious son faced a possible death sentence yet had unshakable faith and confidence in His Heavenly Father, pure joy in his heart and true hope for a future! People would often ask how Walker and our family could be so happy all the time. We would tell them it was all God! Walker said many times he was glad he was going through this because God was teaching him so much about Him and who He wants Walker to be. Walker and Anna loved how much easier it was to share their faith and how often they were able to. Our family thanked God continually for trusting us with this trial and the opportunities to share Him with others.
Walker began chemo two days later and radiation at The James the next week. There are too many answered prayers, blessings, and God moments over the next twelve months to fit in this newsletter. What I will tell you is my son suffered tremendously, the radiation basically burned him inside and outside. His esophagus was described as raw meat. He lost over seventy pounds in a little over two months. Walker was in the worst pain imaginable. Head and neck radiation we were told was one of the most painful things you could go through. Hunter, Anna, and I were heartbroken to watch Walker endure so much pain and suffering. The siblings often are overlooked in these situations. It was also painful to watch eleven-year-old Anna suffer watching her brother and best friend going through so
much. We have always been so close and love being together. Being separated at times was hard on us all. It was the most difficult time of our lives. We were also blessed beyond measure, had true joy each day, we woke up excited to see what God was going to do that day and what doors He was opening for us to share what He was doing in our lives and the good news of Christ. Our family learned to truly live one day at a time and not worry about tomorrow. We looked to our Heavenly Father and not at our circumstances. And let me tell you the view was beautiful! God taught us that even though we were not happy about our situation we could still have true joy while enduring tremendous suffering during the worst trial of our lives. We were blessed to know we needed God every second of every day. Without our suffering we may not have realized that kind of intense need for Him. The many opportunities to share what God was doing in our lives, to pray for and with other kids and families at the hospital, to speak at events, conferences, and before the state legislators were blessings. We had the sweetest hospital family, family, friends, and strangers all over the world prayed for us daily. We had much to be thankful for, two kids that loved the Lord and walked closely with Him daily, Walker had a treatable cancer with the chance of survival, our precious Anna was a mighty prayer warrior and encourager to us all, Hunter was a strong spiritual leader and led our family well through the storm, and most of all, we had our incredible Savior with us every step of the way!
Although, we pray our family will never have to go through something like this again, none of us would give up what the Lord taught us for anything! We are so thankful God did not let us waste this trial. As Christians, we are either going in, in the midst of, or coming out of a trial. No matter what size the storm God is allowing you to go through, remember you can still have joy each day through trials and suffering. DO NOT WASTE A TRIAL! You will miss out on so many blessings, spiritual growth, and the opportunity to help and encourage others. We feel so undeserving and eternally grateful for all the blessings the Lord showered us with and want you to experience His awesome blessings too. This story is not about our family or anything we did, we are sinners, and weak on our own. This is a true story about what an EXTRORDINARY ALMIGHTY MERICIFUL GRACIOUS SAVIOR can and will do in and through His children in their hardest days. How mighty and majestic is His name! We want Christ alone to receive all the glory, honor, and praise that He deserves!