Lessons from MP

As a nurse, i think it's safe to say that there are just some patients that really get to you for one reason or another. Lately, for me that patient is MP. MP is a beautiful girl who has Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) - a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by benign tumors of the nerves that transmit sound impulses from the inner ears to the brain. She can no longer hear, and the tumors have spread and are growing along her spinal cord in places that make surgery not an option.

Last week I sat in during a meeting with her parents and the oncologist as he explained this to her (her reading his lips), and that her treatment options now were basically limited to experimental therapies and protocols.

Did I mention she's my age? She's my age.

She hasn't gotten to get married or have children. She should be thinking about what to do this weekend or who she's going out with. Not trying to decide to enroll in a experimental protocol that may or may not save her life. Throughout all this, she is one of the sweetest, most positive people I've ever met. Always smiling.

Every time I catch myself feeling down because things aren't going my way or how I'd planned, I think of MP and her beautiful spirit and heartbreaking story, and how she continues to praise God through all this, not doubting His faithfulness or goodness for her.

Please pray for MP and her family, and spend a little time to remember what's important.