One Year.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of a very devastating time for our community.

One word – Meningitis.

Even now that wound is so very fresh. That thought of, “that could have been my child” is still forefront in each parents mind more often than not.

I can’t even begin to address the rumors my son was coming home from school with on a daily basis immediately following this tragedy. Things such as, “they cut Jeremiah’s legs off with a chainsaw” or “we’re all going to die” or even “if it’s not in a bottle I can’t drink it because it might make me sick”. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I remember that day very vividly.

I was at work, a new office job in Tulsa, with my best friend and sister-in-law when my phone rang. A good friend of mine, who never calls because all of our communication is via text, was on the other line so of course I answered it.

All I heard from that conversation was, “Two kids at the school have died. You might want to pick up your son”. I don’t know how I made it through that conversation. Tears streaming down my face, I walked into my best friends office and handed her the phone. I remember asking her to call my ex-husband to pick up E-man from school and to find out what was going on. I sat on the sofa in her office crying, wanting to hug my children but in no shape to drive, listening to her as she called the school and my ex-husband and I’m not sure who else trying to find out what was going on.

I left work early that day. As soon as I was able to drive that is.

We ended up in the ER with ZigZag that night, running a fever over 102 degrees. More than a little stressed considering the circumstances of the day. The ER doctor was great and checked ZigZag for meningitis just in case. It was Roseola.  It came out in conversation that he didn’t think it was meningitis but he’d already had one patient die from meningitis that day and he didn’t want to lose another. It was a rough day for him too.

The children who died still have siblings in our school. And you can hear little whisperings amongst the students from time to time. They remember. They know that their friends, Andrew and Shuache, should be here playing with them and planning birthday parties and slumber parties and Spring Break festivities. But they are not here.

Jeremiah improved so much faster and greater than the doctors expected, even at their highest hopes for him. He still has a long road but he’s proved himself to be a fighter.

I do know there has been some talk about whether to commemorate this anniversary with a tree planting or something of the sort but the general census is that it is still too fresh in the students minds to do so. However, I know the daily moment of silence done every morning in the Oologah-Talala Lower Elementary will carry special meaning tomorrow.

 

Jeremiah.

Click here for a recent update on Jeremiah Mitchell along with his homecoming and appearance at the benefit carnival/concert this past weekend.

I have really struggled with this. I know that if this had been my child I would have fought to the death for his life. But I wonder if that would be selfish of me or if that would be in his best interest.

Thinking.

As I scan over a few blogs I frequently visit and blogs that friends have posted I’m overwhelmed by the realization that most of them are full of sadness. Don’t get me wrong. There are moments of joy and laughter told throughout the blogs, but in nearly every instance the blogs were created out of devastating circumstances. Another random glance of blogs shows that blogs are created out of anger or as a means of venting. While I understand this, I’m not sure I’d post something in anger for the world to read (I personally vent into Word documents!).

Flipside.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong in creating a blog for these reasons. Believe me, I’m the last person to judge why anyone else would do what they do. The most heart wrenching blogs I see are those created by parents whose child is going through something and they’re asking for prayer while at the same time updating everyone on the situation.

Flipside. (yes, again!)

On the whole asking for prayer thing, I’ve heard so many people say that it’s wrong to ask for prayer in a blog. Usually the reasoning behind this is that if the person writing the blog is a Christian then they should be able to pray for themselves and their family. At the same time there are those who say that the Bible says “1 can put a 1000 to flight and 2 can put 10,000 to flight” so why is there a need for more than 2 people praying? And then again, there’s the one’s who say that people who ask for prayer have no faith – how can they when Jesus said “he who as faith even as small as a mustard seed”? And a mustard seed is really stinking small.

Think of it this way though, if you’re a parent who’s child is stricken with some horrible disease or if there’s a sudden, life-changing event in your family how would you handle it? Sure, you’d pray and plead. Maybe cry and get angry. You’d also become mentally and emotionally drained. And, let’s be honest, you’re going to be so focused on “fixing” everything that while you may still pray, your focus will be split. Having other people to surround you with prayer, to surround your family with prayer, to pray when you can’t … those prayers make all the difference. That doesn’t mean that the prayers of the people actually going through the difficult situation don’t count. They do. But it’s also encouraging to know that there are people praying for you when you’re not strong enough to pray for yourself.

I don’t have all the answers. If I did, I’d be God and believe me when I say that is one job I definitely DO NOT want! I don’t even have most of the answers, but I have the answer. There’s a story in the Bible where a man asks Jesus for something and Jesus says, “do you believe?” to which the man responds, “I want to believe” and that was enough. I think that’s pretty much the equivalent of wanting to pray and not being able to, whether from exhaustion (physical, mental, and emotional) or from something else. Those are the times we need to be carried.

The last few months have been kind of draining for me, and for my family albeit in different ways. First there was the whole changing jobs, getting used to a new schedule, and all the things that go with that.

Then there was the meningitis outbreak at the school. This has been the most draining part. We lost students. Another student is still under going multiple surgeries and recovery programs. And, with all of the media mess – with their half-truths and ignorance, we lost a really awesome principal. And there’s the thought that that could have been my child. The first few months after this started were the worst. There were daily, nearly hourly, reminders that my son could have been one of the victims. Then school let out for summer and it hasn’t been anywhere near as prominent in my mind. But, there are times when I feel almost guilty that my kids are both so very healthy.  I know, however, that my children are children of God, heirs with Jesus, part of a chosen generation. And I know, that even with all that the world can throw at them that there are angels surrounding them, guarding them, and protecting them at ALL times.  I also know that I have to continually “let go” and say, “We’ve got angels around us – go be kids”. No evil shall befall us, no weapon formed against us will prosper because we are children of God.

Some blogs I follow regularly:

http://www.whatbeautifulsimplicity.blogspot.com/

http://jennifer-thecolorfullife.blogspot.com/

http://jeremiahmitchell.com/

http://www.makenziesmiracle.org/2009/03/my-journey-to-healing.html

http://www.asecondmiracle.blogspot.com/

http://mycharmingkids.net/

Not Over Yet.

Meet Jeremiah Mitchell. He’s a kindergärtner at Oologah and he was one of the kids who contracted Bacterial Meningitis two weeks ago. On Wednesday this week he had his arms removed from the elbows down and his legs removed from the knees down, as well as part of his face. He’s now getting stabilized and will be transferred to Cincinnati for more surgery (facial reconstruction). Please pray for his family and for his classmates as they are the ones who are struggling the most with this but please keep everyone else in your prayers too.

How to help Jeremiah Mitchell:

An account has been set up at Lakeside State Bank in Oologah to help Jeremiah’s family with medical bills. The account is called “Jeremiah Mitchell.”

Checks can be sent to the bank at Box 190 Oologah, Oklahoma, 74053.

Donations can also be dropped off at the bank: 12602 S. Highway 169 in Oologah.

Prayer Request.

I have a huge prayer request. I previously posted on the bacterial meningitis outbreak that is happening in my town and now I am asking you to pray. This is the school my boys attend. (Both boys have been cleared.) Currently, there have been 7 confirmed cases (2 deaths) with up to 11 in the hospital showing meningitis symptoms.

My prayer request is two-fold; 1.) for the sick kids and their families as well as the families of the kids who’ve died and 2.) for the town, for this to be used as a wake-up for those who don’t know Jesus and His healing power.

In the midst of all of this there has been some good news. Jeremiah Mitchell (6, Kindergarten) was given only 25% chance of survival with the doctors saying he’d have to have both arms and legs amputated if he lived. Now, they’re saying he’s improving and they’ve found a pulse in his knees which is fantastic!

Thank you for taking the time out to pray for our town and our kids. Please pass this one to everyone your church and your friends. Even if they don’t pray they probably know someone who does. You may never know how appreciated it is!