If you read this post, you got a chance to meet Miss Raya. This sweet girl spent two weeks in late April/early May hanging out with Li'l Miss and me while her daddy was in the hospital fighting meningitis. If you didn't meet her, here she is. (Because, really, can you get enough of those blond curls?)
Raya's mommy, Jenn, is one of my close friends. We went to college together and then ended up teaching at the same elementary school. We spent five years trying to wrangle crazy kids down the hall from each other...and managed to have a few other fun adventures.
Jenn's husband, Ben (yes, they're all cute and rhyming like that), was hospitalized at the end of April with viral meningitis. Ben spent two weeks on an ICU floor and two weeks in rehab. During this time, he dealt with some pretty scary stuff: hallucinations, double vision, severe headaches.
The day he was to be released from rehab, Ben's doctors determined that he still had meningitis. Two days later, he was transferred to a university hospital. During his five-day stay, his meningitis symptoms improved tremendously - so much so that he was able to come home last Friday; however, Ben's doctors began to suspect that he had an underlying condition that was making his body vulnerable to the meningitis. They ran several tests to get an idea of what else might be going on in Ben's body.
A PET scan and a tissue test led the doctors to believe that Ben might possibly have lymphoma. Yesterday, Ben returned to the hospital for a lymph node biopsy. Jenn and Ben should know the results of that biopsy sometime next week.
This is a family who has been through a battle. I cannot imagine what it would be like to watch Jeremy spend five weeks in the hospital - to see him confused, hurting, and frustrated for days on end. Jenn has done that with amazing patience and strength. Jenn and Ben were hoping his return home last week would signal the beginning of the end of his medical struggles; now they've trying to process the news that the battle might just be starting.
Why am I sharing this story with you? Because I know the indescribable value of support, love, and encouragement. I know how it feels to have someone take your hand when you're walking in the darkness. Right now, my friends need that kind of love. So, I'm asking you, my bloggy readers, to pray for this family, to share Ben's story, or to give as you feel led. You can email me at whatitmeans2beheld.blogspot.com for information about a benefit website that has been set up for Ben and his family.
Thanks so much!
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