How was your Christmas? For that matter, how was your birthday? I pray both were good and the next ones are even better.
For a young girl my wife teaches at Cypress Christian High School, sandwiched between the two was a very scary event.
On Dec. 23, Kelsey turned 18 years old. She is a phenomenal student, making all As—mostly 100s—on her work. She is a faithful Christian young lady, serving the Lord as best she can. She is very respectful to her teachers, a good friend to her fellow students. Her life’s altitude has no limit. Her parents love the Lord, which means they are able to love her in the best way a person can.
Dec. 23 was an amazing birthday.
A turn of events
On Dec. 24, Kelsey had a routine visit with her local optometrist, Dr. Moore. She wears glasses, perhaps from all her reading. Lately, she felt she might need a stronger prescription for her glasses.
She noticed some vision problems, especially in her periphery. She was driving her car to school the other day and almost sideswiped a car to her left. She felt the driver came out of nowhere. And no, Kelsey was not texting while she drove.
When she and her mom showed up for their eye exam, their regular doctor was on vacation. A Dr. Strong would be filling in. Kelsey and her mom didn’t mind. They just wanted to get the new prescription and head home to get ready for their family Christmas the next day.
Dr. Strong conducted the eye exam. Kelsey’s vision had not changed. She would not need a new prescription. The doctor then asked Kelsey, what made her think she needed to change.
Kelsey told the doctor about her near wreck. She also ran into the wall at their home. Her mom wrote it off as a clumsy teen too preoccupied with high school life. It was then Dr. Strong’s facial expression took on a serious look. She told the two they needed to go to the emergency room immediately.
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Kelsey and her mom were shocked. Dr. Strong said she feared there might be a brain tumor. The mom and daughter left immediately. On the way, they called the family to join them and asked for prayer.
At the emergency room, Kelsey was examined and then sent to Texas Children’s Hospital for an MRI. It was there a tumor was found on her pituitary gland with a huge cyst emanating from it. Two brain surgeries were scheduled.
Dec. 23 was Kelsey’s birthday. Dec. 25 was Christmas. In between—Dec. 24—Kelsey’s life changed.
Prayer and grace
My wife, Lori, was called by Kelsey’s mom for prayer. Lori is close to all her students. She prays for them morning and night. She prays with them during the school day. Each one is precious.
Lori was devastated when she heard the news. The next morning, on Christmas morning, Lori and I made the trip to Texas Children’s Hospital in the Houston Medical Center. As we entered Kelsey’s room, Lori ran to her bedside to give the young 18-year-old student a hug.
They both began to weep, as did Kelsey’s parents. I must have gotten something in my eye at that exact moment, as my eyes watered trying to wash out whatever irritant had gotten into them.
Kelsey and her parents shared with Lori and me God’s goodness and grace. One, that God would let Kelsey celebrate her birthday without a worry. Two, that God would have Dr. Strong do the examination and not their regular doctor, for it seemed Dr. Strong was more in tune with such conditions.
Three, that God would get Kelsey in at Texas Children’s Hospital so quickly, and that before Christmas, she not just would be diagnosed, but have the surgeries scheduled to remove the tumor and cyst.
Four, that God would let the tumor be detected before it did any permanent damage to Kelsey’s optic nerve and vision. Five, that it appeared the tumor was not malignant, that surgery would permanently repair the damage, giving Kelsey a full, unaltered life.
On Dec. 25, with Kelsey and her family in the room, Lori asked me to pray.
Knowing love
I remembered one of the most memorable Christmases of my life. When I was around 10 years old, Mom’s whole family—my grandparents, my aunts, uncles and cousins—gathered at our home for our family Christmas. I did not get to participate. I was bed-stricken with pneumonia.
I heard my cousins playing. I heard the laughter of the adults. I listened to the Christmas music being played. Everyone popped into my room to leave me my gifts, but I was too sick to open them.
I spent the whole evening sick, separated and loved. Some 50 years later, this holds out as one of my all-time favorite Christmases.
I pray Kelsey will look back on this last Christmas to see God is good, she is loved, and she will have a wonderful life in the years ahead, in Jesus’ mighty name we pray.
Johnny Teague is the senior pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston and the author of several books, including The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.
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