Prayer Request

The first day my daughter Noe was in the hospital for encephalitis was hell basically. My friend Laura was there to cry with me and to give me her strength, support, and love. Now more than anything I wish I was back in Canada to be with Laura to cry with her and give her my strength, support, and love.

Laura is the mother of 3 beautiful girls that are aged 13, 12, and almost 11. Last week her middle daughter, Tori was diagnosed with Stage 4 Germ-cell Cancer. It started on her ovary and has metastasized into a large tumor in her abdominal cavity and she has spots on her lungs.

Tori is the sweetest girl. She has autism, epilepsy, and a heart murmur, but she doesn't let that stop her. She can do many amazing things. When Laura asked her if she understood what it meant that she has cancer, she said, "Yes, I'm going to look like Caillou and I won't feel so well." That pretty much sums it up, but I was amazed at her bravery. The Children's Wish foundation will also be in touch with her, so Laura asked her if she could do anything in the world, what would she want to do? Tori's first response was, "Nothing. I've already done everything I've wanted to." She's so content in the present and happy whatever her circumstances, those are lessons I'm still working on myself. Laura asked her again, and this time Tori said, "Well there is one thing I'd like to do. I'd like to meet the prophet." Again, I was humbled by this sweet girl. Where most would want to go to Disneyworld, she wants to meet President Monson. I think he'd want to meet her too!

This past Tuesday she began round 1 of chemotherapy. If all goes well, she'll be in the hospital for 5 days of treatment and then get to go home for 2 weeks. After that cycle it will begin again for 3 rounds. They're hoping that at the end of the 3 rounds, the spots on her lungs will be gone and her tumor will have shrunk to an operable size. The next step would then be to remove the tumor and do any possible reconstructive surgery to her organs that the tumor may have damaged. They will finish up with 3 more rounds of chemo, and hopefully in 6 months it will all be a memory. The one nice thing about germ-cell cancer is that once it's gone the doctor's say you are cured from it, not in remission from it, and I hope Tori will be cured from it soon.

I've cried so hard for my friend and her family, but I do have faith in God that he is aware of Tori and loves her. I also have a firm testimony of prayer and that through it miracles happen. My request is that you would please pray for Tori, that the Lord's Spirit will be with her, her family, and all of her doctors and nurses that they will all be guided and directed to do what is best for her. I've learned that faith is not a noun, it is not something you have, instead faith is a verb, it is something you do. I know through our faith, miracles will happen!