Sunday, February 24, 2008

Jessica's Journal......

I have asked each of my older girls to write in their journals about J.J. and his diagnosis. Jessica (15 next week) wrote quite a bit, as she is very much another “Mom” in this house. It was interesting to see what she remembered. She was our babysitter the last two evenings before J.J.’s diagnosis, when he was really sick. There were circumstances I didn’t quite remember. I’ve only included the ending of her journal entry, since it includes much of her feelings and reaction.

Excerpt of Jessica’s Journal
Her Reaction to J.J.’s diagnosis

They put him in I.C.U. and I had to leave for I wasn't his mother......
I was worried. I kept thinking, “He will never be the same again. J.J. will be insulin dependent for the rest of his life.” In church on Sunday many people came up to me and hugged me. I can’t say how encouraging that was. It made me determined to encourage other people when they are down. In 2nd hour I almost broke down, I could hardly sing.

Our pastor’s wife took us to see J.J. It was then I broke down. People said it was stressful for me, but I didn’t realize it then. I didn’t want to admit that it was stressful. Now I look back and see that it was stressful..... that I was burdened with worry for my brother and his illness. One verse that our pastor’s wife reminded me of was Romans 8: 28:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

I shouldn’t have worried. J.J. was and is in God’s Hands. Everything that occurs is in His perfect plan and it is my job to trust and obey.

J.J. came home on Monday. It was so cool to see him playing with his sisters again. He didn’t have a care in the world (until he had to have a shot or a finger poke.)

Life became very different. We had to live from blood check to blood check. But it quickly fell into place for me at least....for my parents that is a different story. After a few weeks I began to accept J.J.’s diabetes. It became a lifestyle.

Our life is still hard and there are still more difficulties to face with my brother’s disease, but God is still sovereign and I pray that through this disease my family will learn to trust God and to give our burdens to Him. He will take care of all the details.

Psalm 62:1,2
My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation
He only is my rock and salvation, my stronghold;
I shall not be greatly shaken.

2 comments:

Brett said...

I disagree with anybody that says JJ can't have certain foods or certain amounts of food.

The better way to state something (if I can be bold enough to make a recommendation) is to say that some types of foods can be more prone to cause blood sugar problems (both highs and lows).

The key with eating anything, is just knowing the correct amount of insulin to give and when. The challenges come when some foods don't affect the body the same way as others...so you will find yourself over time 'learning' how different foods affect him.

For example, when Caroline eats Waffles for breakfast, we count them as 20g carbs each instead of the 15g thats on the label. I don't know why it is, but if we don't do that she goes higher.

One approach is to avoid problematic foods...another is to try and keep their lives as normal as possible and account for the variability as best you can.

Donna said...

Lynnea,
You have been blessed with some great kids. Jessica sounds so mature for almost 15. My goodness! Her thoughts & words bring such hope, inspiration, and trust in the Lord for all of us to remember. I love that verse from Romans that she quoted. I just have to be reminded of it from time to time. Thanks for sharing Jessica's thoughts on JJ & his diagnosis. This was so sweet.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...