Life is a Struggle...but let's make it a BEAUTIFUL
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Saturday, July 27, 2013

My SMAS Fight Through Photography...



These are post-op pictures. They were taken once I was transported to my room after the nearly 5 hour surgery. My prayer was that God would guide my surgeon's hands as he performed the operation...and of course, God did!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

My Defeat of SMAS...the SURGERY.

Prayer Warriors,
I just want to thank all of y'all for your support and love throughout my entire SMAS battle. I feel so blessed to have each of you in my life and y'all all have a special place in my heart. These past 2 1/2 years have been a real struggle but God is still on His throne and His grace will see me through. I had an Upper Endoscopy and an Upper G.I. done last week on Tuesday, July 16th and they both proved that my SMAS obstruction was indeed still there and in control of my life. Please keep sending those powerful prayers up as I had surgery in Louisiana a week ago, Thursday morning at 12(July 18th). Although estimated to last no longer than 1 1/2 hours, the surgery lasted nearly 5.
---I had an NG tube/stomach pump in my stomach up until the beginning of this week to drain the abdominal bleeding and stomach acid. I was discharged yesterday and I am very thankful to be home as of today.
 
Recovery will indeed be a rocky road. This is not a sprint though, this is a MARATHON and I am not looking back. I may run, walk, crawl, or sometimes even stumble but SMAS has been officially kicked to the curb! Every moment, whether painful or happy, will all just be additions to my DANCE. The dance of healing. My prayer is that Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome is defeated, once and for all, in my life and in my fellow SMAS brothers and sisters lives!
 
I will be posting pre- and post-op pictures in the near future so be on the look out! <3

Thursday, July 11, 2013

E. M. E. R. G. E. C. Y. R. O. O. M.

It's been an action-packed and long day! I got choked on my feeding tube and it coiled up on my tongue! There was no way I could push it back down to the right position so I had to pull it completely out. Story short: a day spent at Children's Hospital emergency room. Please keep me and my family in y'alls prayers as we head out Monday for a second opinion for treatment of SMAS. I love y'all and thank God for you every day!

You are...

Who are you really?

You are not a name,
or a height,
or a weight, or a gender
You are not an age
and you are not where you
are from

You are your favorite books
and the songs stuck in your head
You are your thoughts
and what you eat for breakfast
on Saturday mornings

You are a thousand things
but everyone choose
to see the million things
you are not

You are not
where you are from
You are
where you're going
and I'd like
to go there
too

                                       m.k.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Falling Into Place...

Simply Be-You-tiful followers, please pray that as God as opening doors regarding my health, that everything will fall into place perfectly and that my illness, Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome, will be defeated once and for all!
 
I am currently on my 6th feeding tube, my first one was in March of 2011, and SMAS is yet to be done with me. Surgery is an option that God has given us light about lately. Thank you for being such wonderful prayer warriors! Please join with me as I conquer this mountain in my life. With God, this Everest of mine, is nothing but a pile of sand.

My Mountain, My Everest

Just wanted to share part of my devotion for today: A letter from God- "My children make a pastime of judging one another--and themselves. But I am the only capable Judge, and I have acquitted you through My own blood. Your acquittal came at the price of My unparalleled sacrifice. That is why I am highly offended when I hear My children judge one another or indulge in self-hatred."

God promises t...
hat if we live close to Him and absorb His Word, then the Holy Spirit will guide and correct us as needed. There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ. (Romans 8:1)
A lot is going on around us, in America, the south, Alabama, and even our little town that we call home. My prayer today is that everyone has an amazing 4th of July and that love fills your heart, both towards yourself and others. I love you all and hope that you don't let the opinions of others get you down. Remember that what others think does not matter and that with God you can move mountains.
 
Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome is my mountain, my Everest. What is yours?

Saturday, April 20, 2013

 
It is going to take everything you've got to overcome this love, but in the end it will be so incredibly worth it.

Romans 5:3-5

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

That's what faith can do.

Before you arise from your bed in the mornings, God has already planned your entire day. He knows every little thing about you and loves you unconditionally. Each day we are provided with so many opportunities to grow closer to Him and learn His ways. The presence of our Lord and Savior brightens even the dullest of days. I am so thankful for God's mercy and grace in my life. Tomorrow will be my first Easter without my feeding tube in two years! My God is not dead, He is surely alive! ...And I'm living proof that He never leaves are sides. At rock bottom, He is the Rock on which I rebuilt my life<3

Monday, March 25, 2013

2 Year Tube Anniversary

Today, March 25th, is the marking of exactly two years since the placement of my first feeding tube. Let me just say...GOD IS AMAZING. As I have mentioned several times, my battle of illnesses began on March 24, 2011 with my diagnosis of Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome, which has made several appearances in my life these past couple of years. I have been in hospitals, clinics, and other facilities, even across the country, in the recent past and I am living proof that no matter how hard you hit rock bottom, with God as your Rock, your life can be rebuilt.
Yes, I still struggle. No, I am not going to give up. I have so many dreams and God has plans for both me and you! We don't have time to throw in the towel. I refuse to sink! I can honestly say that because of what I've been through, I will never be the same. I am stronger now than I've ever been and this strength comes from my Lord and Savior. He deserves all the glory for my survival story. I am living the testimony that God is still on His throne and loves each and everyone of us with unending love!

Please continue to pray for me as I fight other challenges in my life and I will keep each of you in my prayers also. God bless!

Monday, February 18, 2013

God is involved in each and every moment of our lives. He has carefully mapped out our own personal journeys and even though at times we feel as if we are in a free fall, His hands grasp us with unfailing love. Even in the midst of our messy imperfections, God's ways are perfect. His grace is sufficient for us one day at a time so we have no reason to worry about the future.

Prayer of the day:
Heavenly Father, thank you for supplying my needs and promising to uplift me with Your righteous right hand. Your sufficient grace overwhelms me and I thank you for the perfection found only in You. Please guide my heart, soul, and mind as I tend to worry about the future. I know that you divided day from night for a reason and I will trust and have peace knowing that You have my entire life mapped out according to Your will.
In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Hey everyone!
Monday, January 28th is the 4TH ANNUAL SMAS AWARENESS DAY AKA "PURPLE DAY"! 
Please wear purple in support of people like me who have struggled or are struggling with this illness. More than anything though, wear this color as a way to shout to the world that even in the worst days of doubt and sickness, God is always there holding His child's hand.

WHY? Because 1 in 3 cases isn't properly diagnosed... until autopsy. SMAS is recognized by the Canadian Rare Disease Foundation but not by the US National Organization of Rare Disorders. SMAS is one of the rarest disorders in the world, but 0.013% is NOT too few to save! "When Jesus heard it he said, 'This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it'" (John 11:4).

With God...we will beat the odds!