My heart is broken tonight for yet another cancer warrior. Please celebrate with me the life of Kori E. Quinn, age 18, one of the bravest girls I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

Kori's body succumbed to Ewing's Sarcoma in February, 2014 after a five year battle, including multiple relapses. She fought with all her strength, and used every breath God granted her to further awareness and research for pediatric cancers. In her last post on Facebook, she urged friends and strangers alike to donate life-giving blood, if not for her, then for someone else in need. Selfless to the end, Kori's courage should be emulated by anyone who finds himself fighting against the odds. We love you, Kori. You will be missed.

This is Kori's amazing mom, Krista, who helped her daughter to start the foundation that bears her name, i-rok foundation.org. She has vowed to continue the work of this foundation to ease the lives of cancer warriors and advance the cause of research for pediatric cancers in the U.S.

The girls always appreciate the individualized attention from our Care Assistants and nurses in the Hem/Onc clinic. Elizabeth is in the pink/red shirt above. Sarah is one of the blonds below. I can't remember the name of the nurse in the green shirt :-(

One of the neatest opportunities for cancer families is an annual Christmas party, hosted at a schnazzy ballroom downtown. They pamper the kids and shower them with gifts, as well as attention and support for the parents and siblings.

Strangely, along with the pride I feel for the amazing life Kori lived, and the fiercely protective feelings I have for each of our child warriors, there is another feeling. For lack of a better term, I sense it is something like a survivor's guilt. The questions loom when I am least prepared. Why did my daughter celebrate her 5 year remission date during the same week her friend was being life-flighted home from college to fight the final battle of her war on cancer? Does anyone else's child have less to offer the world? I know these fears don't serve a purpose, so I turn them over to the Lord and commit myself once again to the advocacy and awareness I know were so important to Kori in the last five years of her life.

Thank you for coming on this pictorial journey with me. And please, go kiss your child one more time. So many moms do not have that opportunity tonight.

Reflections on my 35th Birthday...

My version of Longfellow's "Mezzo Camin" -
Half my life is gone, and (by His grace) I HAVE fulfilled the aspiration of my youth,
to build some lofty song that will outlast my days.
Sorrow and care may threaten to keep me
from the plans God has for me.
Halfway up the hill, I see the Past lying beneath me:
a fulfilling ministry, loving marriage, godly kids,
and a future full of His promises.

"I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you, and to give you an expected end."

It's been a long time since I've posted, as my hubby so lovingly reminded me when he saw what I was doing. But I wanted to share this poem, written by an unsaved poet, as a challenge, both to those of you who have most of their lives ahead of them, as well as to those who see the end nearing ever more quickly. Life does not have to be filled with regrets and missed opportunities. While the days may be filled with discouragement and unmet goals, the years can be filled with growth and love for others. If you are ministering to "the least of these" in His strength today, God is pleased with your efforts. He does not ask you or me to be concerned with results -- He only asks that we be faithful to our calling.

A song I have been listening to from West Coast Baptist College's "Stand" talks about this. It says, in essence, that when we get to heaven, the Lord will show us the faces of those we served, not because we were part of the visible harvest, but because we were faithful to sow the seeds and to water them with His love and His Word. That is my desire for whatever time remains in my life here on earth.