When I was little and of course went to church where I have belonged all my life, there was another little girl who went to church and belonged there too. Her name was Amy. She was a couple years older than me so my oldest memories of church, she was there. As we grew up, we were never best friends but we were always good friends. As we got to be teenagers, we found the back row of the church on Sunday nights and often Dairy Queen after said service, as soon as Robert was old enough to drive. Robert came into our lives when Amy was in 8th grade and I was in 6th. Robert was in 8th grade too. Somehow, some of us, me included, knew those two were a pair from day one. I so remember one of the girls on the bus one evening who had a crush on Robert. She had written in the condensation on the bus windows that she loved Robert. I told her that was never going to happen and I know she thought I was talking about me so I had to tell her Robert liked Amy.
Sometime during that first winter, after Christmas, it snowed. My dad couldn't stay in the house in a snow to save his life, so he and I got in the truck and went visiting. He wanted to see Ted so I could see Amy. It must have been the week after Christmas because Amy went and got this box of chocolates. Robert had got them for her for Christmas. It was the first time she had ever received a gift from a boy. I told her that day that I knew she knew he was the one. She said yes, she probably did. Over the next 4 years though, they were typical kids and some of those trips to DQ was Dave Bowers and I playing matchmaker because they were officially "broke up". In one of my yearbooks she wrote, "Thanks for helping get me and Robert together". I told her that since it was going to be there for the ages, she had to stay together. And they did.
We had such a wonderful childhood. There were just a lot of us that lived in a little 5 mile area that had been through everything together and that is truly what I feel is the meaning of roots. We had numerous church trips to here and there, Six Flags, Kings Island, and Opryland, back when Opryland was still an amusement park. I remember getting totally soaked on the river rapids ride. All of us girls seriously went into the bathroom and rung our clothes out. I remember ski trips, and lastly, the Women of Faith trip that Amy and Karen went to. They had to leave early for a wedding but it felt like old times when they were there.
We spent many nights having youth group parties, skating in Lowell and Nita Wellbaums's basement, swimming at Mark and Sheryl Fulton's as well as skating on her mom and dad's pond in the winter.
Amy was also in band so we had many band trips together. She graduated before we got to go to the Rose Bowl Parade, which I hated, and she did too.
I don't remember not knowing Amy had Cystic Fibrosis. I remember one time when I was really little, Dad and I had been to her house and I had seen the tent over her bed and asked him about it. That's when he told me that she was sick and would probably not get to grow up. I guess after that, I just measured what I saw against what was said. They would say she wasn't going to live to be 16. Her 16th birthday was on a Sunday and we were at church and she was doing well, it was a good day. I can't imagine your life being laid out in time frames for you, but Amy used that to live her life. I don't know what I would do, I don't think any of us do until we would be faced with it. She truly lived.
There were several times when we thought she wasn't going to make it, 20 years ago she needed a lung transplant. I was not here, I was in Pontiac so I didn't see her first hand but I heard that she was really struggling. Alice sent me a picture of their family at Christmas that year and I had our church up there praying for her, I seriously believe half the world was praying for her. It was a hard thing to pray for, she needed lungs. And we all knew that in order for that to happen, someone else was going to lose a loved one. Facts are facts though and many people die everyday and none of them are going to need any of their organs after that. I will never forget the day. We had absolute horrible weather the night before. Robert and I came home from Pontiac as tornadoes were raging through central Illinois. We saw two at Bloomington and then as we were getting to Champaign, the radio was saying to take cover. I got off the 74 to get onto 57 and stopped. I was just about to get Robert out of his car seat and get in the ditch when lightening flashed and I could see the tornadoes about a mile south of us. yes, there were two. I saw 4 all together that night. Anyway, I was at Mom's the next morning when the phone rang about 5:30, Amy and Robert were on a helicopter heading to Chicago to get her lungs. I can't even tell you the joy I can still feel every time I think of that moment. Since we were close to Chicago we got to go see her. The first time we went was on Tuesday after her surgery on Saturday. I need to back up and tell you, she always loved kids, and my Robert was no exception. We were in PA when he was born and the first time I brought him home, she had a port in her arm and couldn't hold him. It broke both of our hearts. That Tuesday though, Alice had taken us in to see Amy. We could only wave at her and Robert through the glass. Alice was holding Robert though and away she went and took him in to see her. It was so great a week later going up and eventhough we wore masks, we got to be in the same room and know how much better she was really doing.
I could go on forever about memories, good and bad, She was there for me when my dad died and when my mom was sick, I told her dad Sunday, seriously, I think she has been there more for me than I had for her. When we lived away, she had sent me a card and said if you get internet, here is my email address. Guess who the first person I emailed was? her address at the time was newlungs@________. I can't remember the carrier. Anyway, I'm going to move on.
I cannot tell you either, how many other CF patients she has introduced us to and that she has had her church family praying for. She just truly was an amazing person. And though her life was not a bed of roses by far. She made every day count so we can look back and say, she truly was a Wonderful person. The epitome of taking what God hands you and saying let me see what I can do with this, she did it all.
Hopefully, you have stuck with me through this because I'm getting to something really important.
We need to support finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. They have came up with lots of new treatments, but no cure. There is no federal funding for this, so it has to be donated. Please visit any of the websites at the end of the video I'm going to embed for more information.
Another thing I am asking is that you seriously consider organ donation. You truly will not need them after you are gone. After everything Amy had been through, she was still able to donate her eyes. I truly hope in someway, whoever gets them can truly see the world as Amy did.
So, as I said, I could write a book, there are so many things, her cousin preached the funeral yesterday and said "I didn't even have to make any of this up" which was funny but so true. I don't believe there was a person alive that knew Amy that didn't love her.
I leave you with One Republic's I Lived. I had heard the song before but had no idea that the video to it was made to raise awareness for CF.
Amy truly lived, and everyone who knew her, have richer lives because she did.....and does.....already looking forward to seeing her again when I get there. Through all the struggles just to breath here on earth, I know she is rejoicing with Jesus and has been since last Saturday. She isn't struggling to breath anymore and she is breathing in a glory that we cannot even imagine.
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