Opportunity is on the Road in the Middle of Nowhere

When I met Debbie Browne a few years ago she told me her story and we immediately bonded. She had a daughter with Turner’s syndrome and I had a sister with Down’s syndrome. We both learned through life’s circumstances there is always joy in the journey. Taking the time to find the good in any circumstance will lead you with joy through the journey of life.

For example, on a July 4th trip my 6 month pregnant daughter and I ventured to Missouri to visit a friend dying of cancer then to Illinois to celebrate with family. We drove her new car with OnStar on our 12 hour journey to our first stop in Missouri with our dog, Bella.

Around midnight, while my daughter was driving, she hit a piece of tire debris. We didn’t think much of it and kept driving along the Interstate bubbling with enthusiasm and talking about our goals and plans in life. Several hours later, halfway to our 1st stop fear set in. SaLise’s car had less than 10,000 miles and the engine light came on and overheated. We looked around at the fields on each side of us in that pitch dark sky and realized we were “On the Road in the Middle of Nowhere”. My daughter broke down crying in fear and said, “Now what are we going to do?” Does life ever feel like you are in the middle of nowhere?

All I could do is literally laugh out loud. What seemingly sounded like a great idea was quickly turning into a very scary moment. All I knew was the 4 F’s I was taught as a child. Faith, Family, Fun and Fortune. I reminded SaLise what Faith is; the belief in something that you can’t see. We are all called for GOD’s purpose. I knew GOD had something in store for us. There is opportunity in everything no matter if it is good or bad.

It took an hour to travel a few miles to the hotel only to be turned away because they didn’t allow pets. We were in Savanna, Oklahoma where the population is 730. We went to the truck stop and talked to the clerk, he shared his story about his teenage son who recently died in a car accident. He offered to look over the car and said he knew who could fix it, Bob. It was the radiator. Bob called his friend that owns a parts store, only to find out they don’t carry new car radiators. We called the dealership and they said it would be a week. Now what? Bob and I were determined to find the opportunity. Bob found an old minivan to rent with an old fashioned typewriter rental agreement.

Lesson learned: Opportunity is on all roads…even when you are in the middle of nowhere.

Paula J. Foulk

The Life Analyst

Houston, TX

She's a Miracle!

At 19 weeks pregnant, a routine ultrasound would tell my husband and me if our 3 big girls would have a sister or brother. The tech announced it was a girl! We celebrated then my husband left for work. Later my doctor came in to speak with me with a look of concern. He told me they had seen a small cystic hygroma on the back of my baby's neck indicating several different chromosome disorders.

I left the office, hurriedly unlocked the door to my minivan, sat down and sobbed. I was full of despair, hopeless and felt utterly alone. My husband, Jeff, couldn't understand me as I sobbed between describing the doctor's concerns. I tried to calm myself down. It wasn’t something I could fix.

Later we were told she had puffy feet - a marker for certain chromosomal disorders which could develop into hydrops in other parts of her body. We decided to take the materniT21 test by extracting some of the baby's DNA from my blood.

A week seemed like an eternity as we waited for the results. I imagined the worse and mourned for a baby I didn’t even know yet. We were on vacation in New Hampshire with our family when we got the results. Her test was positive for Turner syndrome. I found myself still desperate and alone - unable to reach out.

Upon returning home to Texas, I decided I had to make a change in my attitude and relied on my faith. I reached out to my mother's group at church and also found some resources online where I put my name in for information. It wasn't long before I received an email from Debbie at Leaping Butterfly Ministries who met me for lunch to help ease my fears as she reassured me everything would be okay. She told me stories about her precious daughter, Kellie, who had TS. She knew how precious my little Clare was to me and made me feel like she was so special - a life to be treasured. My daughter, too, deserved the same all children do - love, tenderness, care, and God's grace.

Mom's prayer group passed around our request to other prayer chains and friends. Prayers saved me from the depths of sorrow as I was able to start focusing on the health of my baby. The unconditional love and prayers I received during my pregnancy and even now from friends, family and those who don't even know my family absolutely filled my heart.

Clare Frances Hynes finally arrived on November 21^st 2013, screaming and wiggling in all her glory at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. She stayed in the NICU for 1 week while we waited on results from tests on her heart and other organs. She was discharged the day before Thanksgiving and the entire Hynes family gave thanks to God in unison, like never before.

Clare has been home for 5 months now and has enriched our lives like we never could have imagined. We now can’t remember a time without her. Her infectious smile brings tears to strangers - a life invaluable.

God is now using me to reach out to prenatal moms receiving the news of a Turner syndrome diagnoses to share how Clare is our miracle!

Jessica, Mother to Clare

The Woodlands, Texas

 

Clare Frances Hynes

What’s in a Name?

There are so many wonderful things I could say about my husband however, there was one thing I had an issue within our marriage. Vinnie wasn’t very good at picking out a nickname for me – or, so I thought. You see being a “little person” I’ve had endearing nicknames like snuggles, precious rose, and, of course, my favorite…Princess.

About a month into our marriage, while I was busy cleaning and Vinnie was relaxing in the living room watching football, he called me into the room, looked at me with the warmest loving eyes and said, “I figured out a nickname I can call you.”  So excited to hear what sweet expression of love he thought of I said; “Ok what is it?” His answer.  . . “You’re my Bee”!  “You mean the insect?” I responded. “Yeah, you are like a busy bee buzzing around our house and sometimes you can even sting me if I get on your nerves. It’s perfect!”

All I could think of was that Vinnie only saw a busy, buzzing insect when he looked at me. Wow, how romantic! I did not respond to his revelation and let him call me his “Bee”. I was annoyed and thought, “Whatever!”  It wasn’t until after my heart surgery that God revealed to me that nickname could be endearing and inspirational.

While recovering from heart surgery, I read Mary Kay Ash’s biography and my ah-ha moment came when she made reference to the beauty of the Bumble Bee and how unique it is. You see the Bumble Bee, when looked at aerodynamically, is not capable of being able to fly. It took scientists numerous years to discover God’s creativity and the truth behind its ability to fly.  Mary Kay Ash quoted, “Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.” This hit me like a bolt of lightning. I am a BEE. 

Praise God He saw me through my heart issues, Turners syndrome, deployments as a Marine’s wife, and a divorce. And, like the miraculous Bumble Bee in Mary Kay Ash’s story, I can declare – no one told me I couldn’t make it through the struggles I have, so I just did, hand-in-hand with my precious Lord and Savior who has been there every step of the way showing me love, mercy and grace beyond what I deserve.

Would like to end by saying ladies you are all beautiful and amazing. No matter what you face in this life, good or bad, trust in God with all your heart, let His words guide you...and BE THE BEE!!!

“The Lord delights in the way of the man whose steps he has made firm; though he will stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him in his hand.   I was young but now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good; then you will always live securely.  For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Psalm 37:23-28.

Emily, 33 years old 
Fort Wayne, IN

 

Emily, the Bee!