IN SOME WAYS, I WAS

TERRIFIED.

IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT

CONCEPT TO TRY TO THINK

ABOUT AT 10 YEARS OLD.

MY LITTLE GIRL, WHO WAS

ALWAYS THE FIRST ONE OUT TO

PLAY IN THE MORNING AND THE

LAST ONE IN AT NIGHT WAS

LOSING ENERGY.

I WASN'T AWARE OF ANYTHING

GOING AROUND OR ANY KIND OF

A FLU.

THERE WERE LOTS OF HOSPITAL

TESTS, LOTS OF VISITS, LOTS

OF, WELL, WE CAN TELL YOU

SHE DOESN'T HAVE CANCER AND

SHE DOESN'T HAVE MUSCULAR

DYSTROPHY.

WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE WHAT

SHE DOES HAVE.

IN THE MEANTIME SHE WAS

GETTING SICKER AND LOSING

WEIGHT.

IT TOOK NINE MONTHS TO

ACTUALLY RECEIVE A DIAGNOSIS

OF WHAT WAS ACTUALLY GOING

ON.

THE DOCTOR SAID IT'S A

CONFIRMATION OF WHAT I WAS

THINKING, AND SHE HAS LYME

DISEASE.

AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH

THROUGHOUT HER BODY.

AND I REMEMBER HIM SORT OF

PATTING MY HAND AND SAYING

THINGS WILL GET WORSE BEFORE

THEY GET BETTER.

AND AT 10 YEARS OLD, I

DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT

WORSE WAS BECAUSE AT THAT

POINT I WASN'T ACTUALLY ABLE

TO WALK ON MY OWN.

IN MY MIND, WORSE WAS, LIKE,

DEATH.

THEY HAD TO PUT A PICK

LINE IN HER ARM IN ORDER TO

GIVE HER I.V. MEDS.

SO HERE SHE WAS ALREADY SICK

AND GETTING SICKER FROM THE

MEDICINE.

I DIDN'T WALK FOR ALMOST

TWO YEARS.

I LOST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT

OF WEIGHT.

I HAD PRETTY SEVERE

HEADACHES, PRETTY MUCH

MIGRAINES.

IT WAS A DIFFICULT AND

TERRIFYING SITUATION TO BE

IN.

I ASKED MY MOM, YOU KNOW, IS

GOD PUNISHING ME?

DID I DO SOMETHING TO MESS

UP?

DID I PRAY THE WRONG

PRAYER?

AND I REMEMBER STOPPING

AND HAVING TO JUST SAY A

PRAYER, AND SAY, LORD,

PLEASE GIVE ME THE WORDS TO

ENCOURAGE MY DAUGHTER

BECAUSE I'M NOT QUITE SURE

WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY HERE.

AND I HAD TURNED AWAY, AND

WHEN I TURNED BACK TO HER,

WHAT I SAID WAS, NOPE, YOU

HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING

WRONG.

BE ENCOURAGED WITH THAT.

GOD DOESN'T GIVE DISEASE.

THAT'S NOT HIS CHARACTER.

AND I MIGHT NOT KNOW, AND I

MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE

YOU A LOT OF THE ANSWERS

THAT YOU WANT, BUT WHAT I DO

KNOW, MARY ROSE, IS THAT GOD

IS STILL GOOD.

MY MOM AND I WOULD HAVE

TIME, USUALLY IN THE

AFTERNOON, WHERE WE WOULD

PRAY.

IN THE MORNING, IT WAS

USUALLY HER READING

SCRIPTURES FROM THE BIBLE.

I REMEMBER PRAYING AND

ASKING GOD, OKAY, LORD, HOW

DO I ENCOURAGE HER BECAUSE

SHE REALLY, REALLY NEEDED

ENCOURAGEMENT.

ONE DAY I STARTED READING

PSALM 23 OUT LOUD, AND SHE

SAID, I LIKE THAT, MOM.

THAT BRINGS ME HOPE.

AND SO THAT BECAME ONE OF

OUR FAVORITE SCRIPTURES TO

LEAD.

READ.

HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET

WATERS, HE RESTORES MY

SOUL.

HE GUIDES ME IN THE PATH OF

RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS

NAMESAKE.

EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF

DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL

FOR YOU ARE WITH ME.

I BEGAN TO REALLY PLACE

MY TRUST IN GOD, AND KNOW

THAT HE WAS THERE.

AND THAT I WAS GOING TO HOLD

ON TO HIM.

AND AS I DID THAT, SLOWLY I

BEGAN TO TAKE STEPS

FORWARD.

MY HEADACHES WOULD DECREASE,

OR MAYBE I WOULD BE ABLE TO

INTRODUCE NEW FOOD INTO MY

DIET.

WHEN I PHYSICAL THERAPIST

TOLD ME I WOULDN'T BE ABLE

TO WALK AGAIN --

I REMEMBER MARY ROSE

SAYING, OH, REALLY?

I'M 11 YEARS OLD, AND YOU'RE

NOT GOING TO TELL ME I'M NOT

GOING TO WALK AGAIN.

OBVIOUSLY, YOU DON'T KNOW MY

GOD.

LITERALLY, THOSE WERE HER

WORDS.

THAT WAS A DAY THAT GOD

USED TO FUEL INSIDE OF ME

THAT HE WAS BIGGER.

TO PUSH, TO GET THE

EXERCISES DONE, WHEN SHE

COULDN'T MOVE AND WE HAD TO

DO THEM FOR HER.

AND WHEN SHE STARTED TO GAIN

STRENGTH AND SHE COULD DO

THEM, IT WAS HARD.

SHE WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN.

IT TOOK ME ABOUT SIX

WEEKS OR SO FROM WHEN I WAS

STANDING, AND THEN I TOOK MY

FIRST STEPS.

GOD JUST SAID, KEEP YOUR

FOCUS ON ME, AND I WILL BE

YOUR HOPE.

EVENTUALLY I GOT TO THE

POINT WHERE I COULD DO A

STATIONARY BIKE AND THEN A

TREADMILL, AND NOW I DO AN

ELLIPTICAL.

I ALSO HAD TO LEARN EATING,

AND EATING WELL.

FROM THE TIME OF THE

DIAGNOSIS TO THE TIME SHE

WAS ABLE TO FUNCTION PRETTY

MUCH ON HER OWN WAS CLOSER

TO A FIVE-YEAR TIME PERIOD.

GOD HAS DEFINITELY HEALED

ME IN MANY, MANY WAYS.

THERE IS NO MANMADE CURE FOR

LYME DISEASE, BUT I BELIEVE

THAT GOD CAN HEAL US FROM

ANYTHING.

I'VE BEEN OFF ANTIBIOTICS

FOR THREE YEARS.

GOD HAS DONE SOME AMAZING

WORK IN MY LIFE.

I'M DOING BETTER HEALTH-WISE

THAN I HAVE BEEN, I THINK,

PRETTY MUCH EVER.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT

GOD HAS DONE AND THE HEALING

HE HAS GIVEN ME.