Let me tell you about my cousin Jordan's ten year old daughter, Macy. She had been on the waiting list to receive a new heart. One week ago Macy finally received her heart transplant and has been released from the Hospital after just one week!Since arriving in St. Louis to await her new heart Macy has met other young children waiting for hearts of their own. Some have passed on and one child has even passed after successfully receiving a new heart. On one occasion Macy and her family were alerted that a heart was ready for her, after many hours and upon further inspection the heart was deemed unsuitable. That's a lot of fear, stress, and disappointment for a 10 year old to deal with, not to mention her parents.
Now, with a new heart Macy must endure the physical pain from the surgery and incision, the huge amounts of daily meds, the fear of rejection and worse. The strength it must take Macy as a child to endure each day and the strength it demands of her parents Jordan and Karen are incomprehensible to me. Of course it's not the fear that gives them strength. Their strength comes from their love of life and looking forward to each new day and each moment here on out as a gift.
As a Kettlebell instructor I strive to continually improve my strength and fitness level. When all is said and done, any physical strength I achieve will always be insignificant compared to the inner-strength of Macy and her parents Karen & Jordan. They are proof of what the Human Spirit is capable of when faced with a challenge. I'm sure each one of them has been confronted with their breaking points. Yet, each has picked themselves to face a new day and new challenge when they were sure they had no more strength in them. As they continue fight each day and face the uncertain road ahead they will become even stronger than they are now.
Macy has reminded me that:
Life is precious.
Each moment is a gift.
We are capable of anything.
A human being can discover unthinkable inner strength when faced with a challenge.
and most importantly...
The strongest person you know could very well be a ten year old girl.
To read more about Macy Stevens' journey to recovery and donate to her cause visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/macystevens
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