Updated Updates on my Three Bravest People

Here's a quick update on the three bravest people I know:
1. Baby Kate and her Family: Kate made it through her big surgery just fine. It was rocky for a bit but everything seems to have smoothed out and now she is home and recovering quite nicely. Her Mother and Father continue to be some of the most inspiring and incredible people I have ever had the pleasure and privilege of knowing. I have sat in my chair and sobbed silently as Ashley describes what was happening during Kate's recovery. I have marvelled at their faith and trust and absolute belief in the power of prayer and God. In almost every single update on the CaringBridge site, in the midst of her descriptions of Kate's surgery and recovery, there would be mentions of miracles and of their undying faith in the healing that would come for their sweet child. Last night's entry broke my heart and renewed my faith at the same time. Here's a snippet from her post:

A couple of days before we left for St. Louis, he (one of Scott's coworkers) asked if he could pray for Kate. He asked her if she knew that the Bible was a book of promises. She nodded her head "yes". He then asked her to stand on his Bible. I just loved that. What a powerful, tangible thing to do to remind a 3 year old of God's faithfulness. Right before we walked out the door of Children's, I snapped this picture. God fulfills his promises. Hebrews 10:23

Thus, the picture up above. You can, and I think you should, read the entire entry by going here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katelipke.

Kimberly: I wish I could tell you that Kimberly is moving right along and having a great recovery. I wish that was true, but it's not. Kimberly is having a very, very difficult time right now. She returned to work and was holding her own. Unfortunately, she began to have some issues and coplications. Right now, she's in the local hospital and seems to be gearing up for another monumental fight.

Earlier this week, Kimberly developed a rash and a low-grade fever. She was originally diagnosed by her doctor with "the worst case of shingles I've seen in 25 years". If you know Kimberly or read my first post about her, you will know that Kimberly is prone to get every single odd complication or infection imaginable. That sounds silly and exaggerated, but it's not. Yesterday, things got worse and Kimberly had a friend take her to a local emergency room. They told the ER doctor her situation. He took a look at the rash and told them that she did not have shingles. He believed the rash is associated with her lymphoma. Further testing revealed that to be the most likely case.

As of last night, it appears that her form of lymphoma, which is one of the rarest forms, has reared its ugly head and may have spread some. She is being kept in the hospital over the weekend and will report back to her cancer center first thing Monday morning. Most likely, Kimberly is looking at bone marrow and stem cell replacement. This is NOT the news any of us, most of all Kimberly and her family, wanted to hear.

Please, please, please keep Kimberly in your thoughts and prayers. Send her positive thoughts, spend time in prayer asking for healing, do whatever it is you do in times of stress and fear. You can follow Kimberly's journey on her CaringBridge site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kimberlyadelson.

Like Baby Kate, I'm going to stand on the book of promises.

Julie T.: Julie is still doing well. Like Kate's parents, Julie remains an inspiration to me and so many others. I think it's fair to say that God is working through Julie. You can continue to be inspired by her by reading her blog at: http://julietipton.blogspot.com.