We got an early phone call this morning that David's mom was being taken to the hospital. She woke up feeling very dizzy and her blood pressure was through the roof. Last night, Christopher had talked us into letting him sleep in our bed, so he was awakened with the rest of us when the phone rang.
As David was getting ready to go to the hospital, Christopher looked at me with those big brown eyes and said,
"Can I tell you something?"
Not sure what he had on his mind, I said,
"Sure!"
He said, "You know what's even worser than being sick and going to the hospital?" His answer to this question was a single word that broke my heart...
"CANCER"
It breaks my heart that at the tender age of seven, he not only knows this word and what it means, but has lost two precious people in his life as a result of it. He followed up his single-word response with an understanding of what this word means far beyond his years. He said, "Cancer is something that takes over your body and then you die." While there are people who have lived long lives after this horrible diagnosis, for so many, his simple definition was true.
Last November, my cousin Karen lost her battle with colon cancer. Then just a little more than a week ago, my friend Kim lost her husband to brain cancer (see post below). Kim and Mike's son Cole is Christopher's friend (being only 8 months apart, they've practically known each other their whole lives). I think that hit Christopher harder than I realized.
When Karen lost her battle with cancer, Christopher could only think of one thing. "Does that mean Jonathan (Karen's youngest son) doesn't have a Mommy anymore?" When Mike lost his battle, Christopher didn't ask about Cole losing his Daddy...he just seemed to understand. Immediately after hearing the news, he began to pray. Later, I heard him ask friends at church to pray for his friend Cole because his Daddy died.
It just breaks my heart that my little boy and his friend have to know what cancer is...and how heartbreaking it can be. Please pray for a cure!
1 comment:
Hi Kara,
I agree, kids should not have to know all the horrible things in the world, least of all cancer! What a blessing it is that Christopher knows the importance of prayer and that the more the better by asking his friends to pray for Cole. This is why so many kids are growing up too fast, they know too much. You have clearly done a great job with Christopher that he can speak about such a sensitive topic so openly with you.
Elisa
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