HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENNI!!

Our baby girl turns 36 years old in a few days! She spent her first Thanksgiving in a foster-care home because the juvenile court judge was on vacation and couldn't sign the papers for her release to be adopted by us. This picture was taken the day we got to bring her to our home - she was three weeks old. She was so tired when we remembered to take a picture of this momentous day. She would tell you that she had had a rough day! You see I was against pacifiers in those days; so as we left the courthouse after picking her up, I popped that Binky right out of her mouth and threw it in the trash - an act I lived to regret. I thought I knew everything about being a mother as we already had a 4-year old son. We had a very cranky baby for a few days until she found her thumb. And, did she ever find her thumb - she sucked that thumb for years!!
Can you tell she had orthodontia in her future? Look at those teeth and that cross-bite. Poor thing, she had to endure 10 years of braces because her mother thought she knew everything.


She was such a good kid - so easygoing and happy. She loved going to school, even though school work was a struggle for her. After several years in school, a learning disability was finally diagnosed. That didn't make learning any easier; however, it just gave us a definition.


She thought of school as a social occasion and excelled in all of the extra-curricular things. She played drums in the band, was captain of the flag corps, captain of a state championship gymnastic team, and worked really hard at the school work to keep her grades acceptable to participate in the fun stuff.


She was very, very social!! Oh, yes, she also spent a lot of time at the orthodontist.


She finally got those braces off in her Senior year in time to also be a beauty queen!


We couldn't convince her to try college, so she went right to work in retail. With her charm and sociability, she could sell anyone anything.

She fell in love and got married.


She had a baby - our first grandchild - adorable Caitlin!


I told you she was social - she was calling the world to tell them about this bundle of joy.



In a few months, she was pregnant again; but lost the baby in the fifth month. That was a very difficult time for her.

In 2001, she was having an ultrasound to diagnose a painful kidney stone; and in addition to the kidney stone, they found a baby lurking in there! She was finally blessed with another child. Because of the risk to the baby, they couldn't blast the stone. So, she endured that kidney stone for the entire pregnancy, working full time standing on her feet. She said she was glad to have her epidural to relieve that kidney stone pain for a little while during labor!!!

Look what she had - little, cutie Wyatt.


On the phone again to tell the world. And, they were finally able to blast that stone.

Little did she know that her biggest challenge was ahead. She had always suffered from migraine headaches; but in April 2006 she started having a different type of headache. The doctor diagnosed it as a sinus headache, but within a week she was in an ambulance on her way to the big city hospital with a brain tumor the size of a lemon. She started having seizures and went into all-night surgery. It was the worst type of news - a glioblastoma, stage four cancer.

They gave her 14 months to live, but after she could talk she told them that was not acceptable. She had a 4 year old and a 9 year old to raise!

Talk about a bad hair day!

She was in the hospital for 1 month; 2 weeks of that in ICU.
She learned to talk again and walk again; she began 7 weeks of radiation and 7 months of chemo.

Even though the treatments were horrendous for her, she was glad to be home.

So, now she is 29 months out of brain surgery and still going. A year ago, she wanted to drive again as she had been seizure-free for one year, but the doctor said he didn't know - he never had a patient live that long to want to drive again. We had her go out with a policeman friend to check her out, and she also passed that hurtle with flying colors. She will probably never be able to work again because of some short-term memory loss and lack of stamina; but her marriage survived, she is able to take care of her kids, and she is her usual, bubbly, social self.

She just had another MRI and it was clear once again. Let me tell you - this is one courageous, fighting-for-her-life woman!! She is an inspiration to anyone struggling with a life-threatening illness. I'm proud to call her our daughter. Happy Birthday, Jenni - and may you have many more and more and more and ------------.

I will be celebrating my birthday in a few days, too. It is my big 70! How blessed am I! After everything Jenni has been through, we certainly don't question God's plan for us, nor do we forget to pray and offer our thanks for our blessings.

To God be the glory as we begin this Thanksgiving season.

Sally