It has been a really hard week for a number of different reasons, and there really hasn't been much to share here that would be of interest to most folks. I've had a ton of work to do, which is good, but it has been tough to do that and take care of Mother [who hasn't felt well this week] and deal with car issues, health insurance issues, etc.
I have shed a lot of tears this week because I've been following the journey of little Anton Delgado, the little boy adopted from Russia who has EB. For more of Anton's incredible story, see Everyone Loves Him:
Anton Delgado was born a twin in Moscow in 2010. His biological parents took home his healthy brother, but abandoned Anton because he had a rare genetic condition called epidermolysis bullosa. Anton's skin is as delicate as butterfly's wings and even the slightest amount of friction can cause crippling blisters.
In 2012, Vanessa and Jason Delgado of Haltom City, Texas, stepped in to adopt Anton from the Russian hospital. Now 5, he is at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital recovering from a bone marrow transplant that will help stem the painful effects of his disease. Vanessa Delgado, 31, tells her family's incredible story of love and courage to TODAY contributor Susan Donaldson James.
Anton has been in the hospital for months, and it looked like the bone marrow transplant was successful until just a couple of weeks ago. Now Anton is not expected to survive because of extensive internal injuries.
I read his mommy's posts on Facebook every day and cry. I wonder why God allows this precious little boy to suffer, but I accept that there is a bigger plan in place, and I thank God for sending Anton here to the US, to a family that so clearly adores him. His mom and dad have strong faith, and that has sustained them through this journey. There are thousands of us who have watched and cheered from the sidelines, myself included, and now our hearts are breaking. I rejoice that little Anton will soon be well, and with Jesus, but he will be very much missed here on earth.
No word on Michael's car yet. Insurance is taking their time in evaluating it. I hope it can be fixed..
I wrote a Christmas letter yesterday and sent it to friends and family. This past year, 2015, has been so challenging for many different reasons, but my faith has held me in place, and sustained me.
One of the few benefits of getting older is that I can look back at tragic or sad events and eventually see the seeds of miracles. God can take even the most heartbreaking event -- for instance my son Michael losing his right hand at the age of 5 -- and turn it into a positive, like me finding Michael's photo and adopting him. I wouldn't have ever met Michael if he had not been placed in the orphanage and then been loved and cared for by his Kazakh caretakers, who worked hard to get him adopted. God Bless everyone at Adoption Ark, too, for helping me with everything.
Michael is the joy of my life.
I miss my daughter every day, though, and pray for her every day. She is on a journey she is not sharing with me right now, which is very sad and scary, but I trust God to look out for her, just as he looked out for my brother in Iraq in 2008.
I am constantly reminding myself to trust the Lord, because he is always with me on this bumpy journey called my life, and he has never let me down yet..
