I Need Your Prayers Tonight....

I know I have been missing lately and I wish it were for happier circumstances.  Sunday night, my beautiful and vibrant sister in-law went into cardiac arrest and is now in a coma.  She has suffered for four long years with stage for breast cancer.  She was only 32 when she was diagnosed....it is all so tragic.

K is more than a sister in-law to me, she is my big sister.  Being the oldest in the family, I never had th
e priveledge of having an older sibling.  When I started dating S back in 1998, K quickly took on this role and I now I can't imagine life without her.  We share books, plan the holidays together, love to gossip, both like to shop and we love to spend time at the lake together....we do all the things that big sisters do without the fighting.  It is wonderful.

Now my big sister is fighting for her life, hanging on by a thread and there is nothing I can do about it.  It is awful, unfair and seeing her today was very hard.  My bright, energetic, loveable K was lying there helpless and withdrawn......words can not describe the pain I feel as I think about her and everything that K's husband, my in-laws, S and his sister A are going through right now. 
For the past three and a half years K has led everyone to believe that she was in remission.  She decided to suffer quietly with her husband while the rest of the world thought she was cancer free.  She made this decision because she was tired of being pitied and did not want the cancer to run her life...she wanted to be herself, not a person with a disease.  Starting in January, her health took a horrible turn.  Still not wanting people to know what was going on, she hid away and only her close family knew the pain and suffering that she was dealing with.  It wasn't until the beginning of May that she finally allowed us to share with people what she was going through and allowed us to start fundraising for her.

Over the last month I have had the honor of leading the fundraising effort.  It has been amazing to see all of the love and support that has been given to K.  We have even had perfect strangers come forward and donate money, it has been a beautiful but difficult experience for me.  People have shared pictures, letters, stories, notes, poems, paintings, songs and so much more....I have placed all of these on a website and have been able to share them with the family and K.  I have been given a great gift through this fundraising effort, I have been able to see how many lives K has touched and how special she is to so many people.  I am proud to say that in four short weeks we have raised almost $10,000 (still a ways away from the $100,000 of out of pocket medical expenses they have had over the last four years....but still very helpful). 
So tonight I sit her crying, praying and hoping for a miracle.  I would be so appreciative and grateful if you could also add K to your prayers.  Right now she needs as many people praying for her as possible.

Thank you and good night!