For the Love of Sherry

For the past two years, I've been saying, someday I'm going to write a book and name it "For the Love of Sherry". Those of you who have been around for the past 2 years of our lives, you know exactly what I mean. For the rest of you, let me fill you in.

Sherry is our youngest daughter and she will be 24 in November. When she was 21, she was a normal, healthy, independent young woman, working full time, volunteering at church and spending time with family and friends. Without warning, her health took a sharp turn and before anyone knew what had happened, she had become confused and left home with acquaintances from work. The next five months were spent trying to locate her, get help for her and bring her back home. Her confused mind lead her to hurting herself and believing that her family didn't care about her. These "friends" became her new family and eventually took her to Wisconsin (we live in Arizona). Because she was an adult, authorities could not force her to return home. We spent 5 very long months praying for her safety and trusting God to bring her home. We knew something was terribly wrong but could not find authorities to assist us. Finally, we received a call that she wanted to come home and praised God for answering our prayers. We quickly made arrangements for her to fly back to Arizona. The moment we saw her, we knew she was sick, although we didn't know what was wrong with her. She had lost about 50 pounds, looked like a homeless person, was confused and scared. We saw that her neck was enlarged and made an appointment for her to be seen by our family doctor right away. He diagnosed her with a thyroid disorder, started her on medication and recommended followup by a specialist. Before the appointment could be made, she ended up in the emergency room of our local hospital. She had gone into a "thyroid storm" and was extremely ill. They diagnosed her with Graves disease, as well. The episode left her muscles weak and she could only walk with the assistance of a walker and needed a wheelchair for long distances. The doctors were sure that with physical therapy and time, she would walk again.

Here we are, nearly 2 years later and she is still not able to walk. She has had more medical tests and doctors than most of us have in a lifetime. She has been tested for MS and other diseases several times but the results always return in normal ranges. She has spent most of the last year in a wheelchair, with some slight improvement from time to time, but has not been able to walk unassisted.

Recently, she has had muscle contractions in her right foot and right hand that have "frozen" in a twisted position. The condition is called Dystonia and the contractions have left her unable to use her right foot or hand (she's right handed). Now she needs assistance for the little things in life, like fixing her hair, getting dressed, preparing food, and even wheeling her chair.

Sherry doesn't complain much and tries hard to contribute to daily routines and be as independent as possible. She helps with household chores, our dog, her nephews, and even volunteers in the children's ministry at our church, when she is able. God has blessed her with a great sense of humor, a tenderheart, and a joyful spirit. Everyone that knows her loves her and wonders if they would have the same disposition if they were in her situation.

I know God has allowed this in her (our) life for a purpose. We may not know what that purpose is or how He wants to use this in her (our) life but we keep trusting Him! God gives undescribeable peace in the midst of life's storms and every day we have reasons to be thankful!

Philippians 4:6, 7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.