It Happened to Us
Our 5-year-old son, Joey, provided us with a lifetime of memories that will make us smile, cry, laugh and draw great inspiration from. His 11-month battle with cancer gave us all a chance to see the characteristics that truly made him special.
The journey over the last 11 months has been a real roller coaster ride for us. It took us places that we never thought we would go and gave us moments of terrific happiness and devastating sadness. Yet through it all we grew together as a family and took courage and inspiration from Joey, as well as family and friends. The kindness and generosity people extended to us let us know that we were not alone in this fight. People we know well and people we never met before performed deeds, gave us kind words or said prayers that went a long way in helping us cope. We are eternally grateful.
We prayed for a miracle to help our son. Although that never happened, there were small miracles that happened along the way that let us know God was taking care of Joey, his family and friends, and that things would be all right. Our faith never wavered, and if anything, it grew stronger.
The pain we feel will last for a long time, yet we can take comfort in the fact that God will be there for Joey and will be there for us as well.
Kelly and Chip Lopez, Elmhurst
