It is in such a trial that Lana has been gracious enough to tell me her story. To share pieces of her world, pieces of her family, and in turn, some of the deepest feelings of her heart and soul. The Weimer's story is one that needs to be shared; it needs to be heard. I myself had never heard of SMA prior to seeing the youtube video Lana posted. I never knew the impact it has on so many children throughout the world, nor could I have ever imagined what so many families endure when dealing with the disease. It has been said that ignorance is bliss. There is no bliss within this ignorance. There is no current cure for SMA. SMA needs to be better understood. The fight for a cure against cancer is nearing daily because everyone knows about it, and people are doing things to help.
SMA must follow suit.
No matter what I say, I am always left thinking.
I think about how we are different, how much I love my kids, how amazing they are, and how sad it is that they cannot do what most kids can."
"Many times, especially when I was pregnant, people would ask, how many kids do you have? That is another question I struggle with. How do I respond? Sometimes I say four. Sometimes I say two. I feel like I have four kids, I know I do, but I have two kids at home now. I had four, and knowing there are only two now is a feeling I don’t believe I will ever get used to."
-Lana Weimer
Lana, our first daughter was still-born at 20 weeks. I understand how hard it is to answer the "how many children do you have" question. If you don't count your angels, you feel untrue to them. But if you do, there is an explanation there that you don't necessarily want to share with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI heard an apostle answer this question..."We have 7 children, 5 living." Somedays this is my answer, but not always.
Sending love.