I received my STRENGTH key a few months ago from my best friend. I had to leave my home and travel to another state so my youngest son could undergo medical treatment again. My son was diagnosed with a rare disease just last March 2015 at the age of 7. This was a shock to our family. I took him to the doctor with suspicions of juvenile diabetes and was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. We felt blessed he was one of the few children able to participate in a gene therapy transplant study due to the early discovery of the disease. A bone marrow transplant summer of 2015, great check ups, up until June of 2016.
At that time we were told the disease was active again, another shock. Again we felt blessed there was an actual match for him. He would need to undergo and unrelated transplant the second one now at the age of 8. At the time I received the key this August I had already been in the hospital for over 2 months. He had received a bone marrow transplant and had complications. Receiving the key brought me to tears and at the same time the reminder that I needed to pull all I had and embrace the word for my son in the hospital and for my other two children. Sadly my son passed away just a month ago, he contracted several infections that he could not recover from. He was the star patient never complained and this entire year having undergo more medical treatments and procedures than he ever had, he always had a smile and found a way to make others smile. I now pray for the STRENGTH I need to recover from this loss, and find the strength to embrace God's will.
When I received the key did not think I would be giving one away so soon. Soon after I returned back home, I found out a great friend, who has guided me professionally and helped me grow so much since I first met her in 2006, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and had mastectomy the same day my son passed away in October. I gave her the strength key to serve as a reminder of the force she is in this world.
-Jhoanny
