My friend, Elaine, encouraged me to start a blog about the experiences I have had the past nine years. I pray that my experiences will give hope and encouragement to others. I also realize that others have gone through many terrible experiences, and I do not feel as if my experiences can compare. My goal is to not whine and complain, but to share how important it was for me to pray for help and understanding. I had many questions about faith and what it meant. I have a stronger testimony now of the love God has for us, even when we go through severe trials. I wondered many times why my daughter had to suffer so much, but I will never doubt that God is a God of love. I have a plaque in my kitchen that I see every day that says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him. -Proverbs 3:4-5". I learned that as I trust in the Lord, my life is filled with more peace.

My daughter was diagnosed with a tumor (neurofibroma) in her neck and chest when she was two years old. When I heard she would have to be cut from the top of her neck down to the middle of her chest, I was worried about the scar she would have. Little did I know that was the least we would have to worry about. After a 9 1/2 hour surgery to remove the tumor, Abby did not do well. She had 3 chest tubes and many different IV lines in her that she often got tangled in. Her fever spiked to 105 one night, and we did not know if she would survive. We have been very blessed that she did survive that night. Her complications did continue, however. After three weeks of complete torture and little sleep in the hospital, the doctors told me that Abby would need a tracheostomy and feeding tube. We started setting up a hospital in our home so Abby eventually could come home with a tracheostomy 2 1/2 months later.

The title of my blog is called "Taking One Minute at a Time" because for nine years, I had to remind myself of this. There were days where I thought I would absolutely lose my mind. I had little sleep, which can drive a person crazy. I literally had to take a minute at a time, and on the worst days, I needed to take a second at a time.