MORE THAN FRIENDS

We have been so incredibly touched by the care and love of our family and friends. When something like this happens, you kind of expect your family to step up and be there for you, and our family definitely has. My brother has come to sit with us almost every night in the hospital without fail, our family has changed work schedules to be here early in the morning and late at night, and, no matter what, they have been here for us every time that we needed them.

This experience has also shown us the quality of our friends. We have friends who spent many hours sitting with Lauren in the ICU, friends who drove across town to bring us food, and friends who have prayed for Lauren like she was their own. Our friends have embraced our little family in such a way that my view of who is in my family has expanded exponentially.

One of my most beloved friends lives in Switzerland and she left her little boy at home with her husband and flew to the other side of the world to spend the week with us and help to support us in any way possible. On our nights in the hospital, she sat in semi-darkness waiting for Lauren to stir so that she could try to get her back to sleep so that I could get some much needed sleep. What an amazing sacrifice she has made to try to help relieve some of our stress. It has been such a blessing to have her here.

The sacrifices of so many people are mind-boggling to me and it makes me so grateful for all of the people who love us.  I have found that the actions of others are enabling me to be more generous as well. People have been so generous to us with their love, time, money, and service - how can I not pass on that blessing to others?