A Christmas Miracle In The Works

"wow, just WOW. i'll be smiling all day, all week,...:)"

 

That's what I put as a facebook status earlier this morning. Just one of those life events that happens to people that I hear about and it makes me smile; gives me hope and cause to know that there is still a lot of good that happens to people. I've had a lot of good happen to me but this one isn't about me or my family. It's about two other very good friends of ours who have been blessed not once, but twice in the last year or so. Sit a minute, read further, and I'll explain without a lot of detail. By the end you'll see why I'm smiling, why everyone who knows the story is smiling.

 

 

On August 21, 1976 Kari Anne Hoppes was born. Little did anyone know that this little girl, less than 5 months later, would be going through chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and ultimately a nephrectomy (kidney removal) for a cancerous tumor found on one of her kidneys. Of course nobody wants to hear of things like that happening to anyone, let alone a child, a baby, someone who is defenseless and brand new to the world. I guess thankfully she didn't understand what was happening to her frail little body and hopefully wouldn't remember the pain and trials she went through.

 

As life went on she grew up normally, minus one kidney. She graduated high school, became an EMT, went to college and graduated as a nurse who currently works in an emergency room helping others. She's been devoted to a life of serving, caring, and helping those who are sick and injured.

 

Somewhere in the middle she met her future husband, Chris. They dated for a while and then broke up. Eventually they got back together again and finally got married on March 10, 2001. Next year they'll celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Chris is a firefighter, paramedic, and flight medic who is always on the go, working wherever he's needed, whenever he's called, but knows that family always comes first.

 

After they got married their house was a little empty so they got a couple "children." Duke and Hunter were their babies, BIG babies. A Mastiff and chocolate Labrador make for some large babies to handle but they were babied and pampered like no other. They were terrific companions and guardians to their "parents" and to the house.

 

After trying to conceive a child without success Chris and Kari decided to try and adopt a child, something they both very badly wanted in their lives; a namesake to call their own.

 

A phone call came unexpectedly one afternoon in late 2009 asking if they were still interested in adopting a little newborn boy. Without hesitation they both instantly said, "YES!" Later that evening they were at the hospital to pick up and bring home their, "gift from Heaven," as Chris calls him. Joshua now graces their house with pattering hands and feet, coos and cries of a normal one year old child, and keeps his parents smiling from ear to ear as they've become ever the doting parents. He IS their pride and joy.

 

Now over the last couple months Kari's health has deteriorated as her lone kidney continues to decline in function to the point of failure. Lots of doctors visits have happened to discuss treatments, outcomes, and prognoses and what could be done to help stave this off or to fix the problem. She's had a couple recent surgeries which is one of the short term options to help. During this time she's been off work, reduced in her abilities to function normally, even to the point of no driving or lifting up Joshua to carry him around.

 

Kari has been placed on a transplant list for a kidney. Here a lifelong care provider now needs help to continue to live normally. It's almost to the point of not being fair: here she has helped others for many years yet this has to happen to her while she's still young. She was dealt a bum hand, overcame the initial odds and has survived while still helping others. Why her? Why now? With all the good that has just recently come in to their lives, why this?

 

Chris told me a couple weeks ago that he was going to get tested to see if by some miracle that he could be a compatible donor for Kari. The odds of that are very slim but he wanted to check anyway. I don't think it was a huge secret but it wasn't one he made too public. A lot of people knew what was happening with Kari and like a normal loving husband he wanted to see if he could help out in any way. He told me that if he was compatible that this, "would be the greatest Christmas present I could ever give her."

 

They were at dinner last night at a local restaurant, full of other patrons eating their dinner, and with Kari's mom. Chris' cell phone rang during dinner. It was the doctor's office. They'd called to give him the results of their compatibility testing. He told me that he said, "You want to give me the results now???" But they gave him the unexpected results and all he could do was think of how he could tell Kari what had happened, what he'd done, and what the results were.

 
He was a match.
 
He leaned over and told her everything. After he got done she screamed with joy and excitement. Chris told me that everyone in the packed restaurant looked their way as the three of them hugged and cried with this wonderful news. It's December, the time of giving, the time of joy and blessings, and the time for God's miracles to be celebrated. This, is most definitely one of them.

 

The work's not over yet but the hardest task of determining compatibility is. A husband is compatible to his wife and will give part of himself to let her continue her young life healthy and happy, to be able to do things normally, and get back to some sense of normalcy. 

 

As a friend to both I couldn't be happier for them. I couldn't be prouder of Chris for what he's done and will do. I couldn't be smiling more for their family for what they've been through and the blessings they've received in the last year. God works wonders and this is no exception.

 

Smiling. That's all I've done all day today when I've thought about them and all they've gone through, all they've shared with me, all the headaches and heartaches they've had, and knowing that hopefully, God willing, all will soon be over. This is turning out to be one of the best love stories I've ever known.

 

"wow, just WOW. i'll be smiling all day, all week,... :)"