So Much To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving takes on a whole new meaning this year.

I've had many things to be thankful for in my short life, but now that a healthy life itself has become one of them, many other items come into focus. Here are just a few:

- I'm thankful for the fleet of doctors and nurses who helped me stay healthy through this crucial surgery - especially Drs. Morchower, Laird, and Mendeloff.

- I'm thankful for my loving family who stood by me, cared enough to find the best doctors to get me better, and helped nurse me back to health.

- I'm thankful for all of my friends who faithfully and frequently prayed for me before, during, and after my surgery. Without your love and support, this would have been a much more difficult process.

- I'm thankful that I'm learning at an early age to be happy that God doesn't always answer prayers the way I ask him to. I wanted Him to just make me better from the inside so that I wouldn't have to go through this, but He had other plans that I may never fully understand. Maybe a quick fix would have been too easy and I would have taken it for granted...Maybe He wanted me to get introduced to some of the best medical care providers in the country to inspire me to help others later in life...Maybe He wanted me to see firsthand how life's trials are always relative, which will end up making me pray just a little harder for the pediatric oncology and other longer-term patients I shared toys with for a few days, as I enjoy being able to go home "fixed" for good after my short stay. Whatever the reason, I'm looking forward to figuring it out someday...