Hello blog world.
This has been a short and eventful summer.
We have traveled and I have been away from church for the most part.
It was nothing different for me, since we never went to church on a regular basis when I was growing up. We went on holidays and special occasions and sometimes on a normal Sunday, but never regularly.
I made the choice to go to church just last year and really get to know God.
Still, I sometimes forgot to pray and sometimes I slept in instead of going to church.
My life wasn't at all hard.
The things I considered major were things like my hair not looking right or something along those lines.
I had prayed a lot when my papa was sick, but I obviously didn't have a wonderful relationship with God, since I was angry at Him for taking papa.
This summer my eyes were really opened.
I learned to trust God and give Him everything and to know He has a plan and everyone has a time.
I have enjoyed this blog and my new love, twitter.
And I have gone from walking to God to running to Him.
And I have a lot of children and twitter accounts and new friends to thank for it.
Even if I have to wait and thank some of them in heaven.
On my personal twitter account (@TheSunnyStormy), I came across the accounts of two beautiful little girls:
Layla Grace Marsh and Ellie Shoal Potvin. The accounts were in support of these girls, to raise awareness about them and their battles with cancer.
Through pictures, videos, and the many many updates, I fell in love.
I felt like I knew these girls.
I prayed every night that God would save them, and rid their bodies of cancer.
I started following both of their accounts in February of 2010.
On March 9, 2010, Layla Grace passed away at just 2 years old.
I was devastated. I cried and cried. It felt like I had lost a loved one, and in all honesty, I had.
I still had hope for Ellie, though, and by that time I had began to follow other kids and their stories.
I read updates and grew to love countless children over twitter- a simple site that I never once thought would have this kind of impact on me and in my life.
I watched as some kids kicked cancer and went into remission, and I watched as some kids relapsed and had to start the fight again, and I joined in prayer to help all the kids kick cancer, and I watched some kids' lives on earth come to an end.
By June 2010 I was a full on supporter of kids with cancer, and an advocate to find the cure.
The sweet girl I had become the most attached to was still fighting and I continued to pray for Ellie endlessly.
On June 22, 2010, Ellie went downhill fast. I stayed up all night reading updates and crying and praying. I asked God to please give her a miracle. Please don't take Ellie away from us.
One update from Amy Potvin, Ellie's mom, asked that we no longer pray for Ellie's earthly life to be saved. Amy said for us to pray that her suffering end. To pray that God would call, and Ellie would go to Him.
Ellie fought all night and all the next morning for her life.
On June 23, 2010, Ellie Shoal Potvin passed away at 11:35am at 8 years old.
She left behind her mom and dad, her twin sister, and over 7,000 supporters who loved her.
After Ellie flew to heaven, I knew I really had to do something serious.
I didn't want to see another child die from cancer.
I created the twitter account, @CancerKickers.
I tweet words of support, love, and encouragement to kids and their families.
I pray for those who need it.
Though I loved Ellie and Layla, and I was aware of their disease, I will admit that I never thought it would happen to someone I knew personally, face to face.
On July 6, 2010, my 17th birthday, I got a text message that said Olivia Haveri was in the hospital.... and it was cancer.
My heart sunk and memories of Olivia and her family and church and her singing and laughter and thoughts of her mother's amazing faith and the tremendous faith of her older brother and sister and her father and how on earth her little sister would understand filled my mind.
I immediately needed more information, and I knew I was going to help in any way I could.
I started texting Olivia's mom, Mrs. Emmy, and I started a twitter for her: @PrayForOlivia.
Through following these kids and their journeys and through Olivia's diagnosis and fight, I have witnessed AMAZING faith.
I have prayed more than ever before and I have become so much closer to God.
I went from simply walking at my own pace towards Him, to running full speed.
I trust that He, the Greatest, has a plan. And I trust that someday, we on earth, will find a cure for cancer, one of the worst.
This is my story of how cancer became such a major part of my life and how it taught me to give everything to God. I now run to Him and trust Him and pray to Him like never before.
This is my story.
Next I will share with you the stories of two of my close friends that I met on twitter.
The first is Lindsay. She knew Ellie personally, and ran her twitter.
The next is Melly. She was deeply inspired by Layla.
Please read their stories and help us by joining the fight.
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