Many people have asked the question about how Kris found out about the tumor that planted itself deep inside her head and continued to grow without her knowledge for many years. So today I decided to share the story because it’s impact can teach many people about recognizing miracles or putting your faith and hope in God’s hands when you become afraid or when you want answers and can’t seem to find them.
Kris had many challenges in her life, first as a child, then as a young single mother, working hard to raise her three boys. One of the beautiful things about Kris is her ability to make others laugh with her jovial sense of humor, and her compassion for others.
She believed she had found love, and a life that brought her peace and security. She worked hard to get there, and it was fast becoming evident when she and her husband were able to open their own business, a restaurant in eastern Oregon, and she went in and added her creative touches to the place , so much so that when customers walked through the door, they could feel her warmth and see her passion in the décor and food.
Preparing for her first Mother’s Day as a new owner last year, she decided to give her patron’s a beautiful Mother’s Day brunch. I was going to help her, since I had owned a restaurant before and had done some catering, so we met the week before for breakfast at a restaurant in town to go over the final menu and plan out the shopping list.
First miracle: I usually sat next to her, so we could go over our list together but for some reason, I took the seat across the table. I can’t explain why I did, only that I did. I sat there for a minute and looked into her eyes. Now, I knew she was tired, and she also shared with me that she was suffering from allergies that the sage brush was stirring up over there. But, when I noticed that her left eye was drooping, I became concerned. I was no stranger to brain injury symptoms since I had experienced them with my other children, so I called her attention to the droopy eye, and said I was afraid she might have had a stroke.
She was young, so she wasn’t too concerned, and blamed in on her allergies. However, I did ask her to so see a doctor. “When I have time,” was her reply. I was concerned she would go back to work, get too involved and that time would never come.
A week later on the eve of Mother’s Day, she called me early in the morning and was crying in pain and asked if I could come and take her to the emergency room. Second Miracle: Apparently she had been walking out of the restaurant and without warning she fell; she was sure she had broken a rib.
I remember driving over there thinking that this would also be a good opportunity to have a doctor look at her head. I was still worried about the droopy eye. Third Miracle: That little voice in me kept nagging to make sure we didn’t leave without checking it out.
The doctor confirmed she had broken a rib, but there wasn’t a whole lot they could do about it and she would just have to take it easy. Kris looked at me in panic and asked how she was supposed to do that with the Mother’s Day brunch only hours away.
“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll handle it,” then I turned to the doctor and said I wanted a CT scan of her head.
“We don’t just do CT scans, unless we have a reason,” was her quick reply.
I knew we had a reason, a droopy eye and falling for no reason and I didn’t hesitate to tell the doctor. That small voice kept whispering, “don’t leave here without one.”
The CT scan was done, and the doctor came back into the room, scooted her chair next to Kris and stated, “We have bigger problems that your broken ribs! My dear you have a very large tumor inside your head, and it is not in a good place.”
Kris and I cried together and then we started to grasp the magnitude of how that news was going to change her life. Soon after, the hospital arranged for her to be taken over to OHSU for more tests and a plan to deal with the devastating news. Her husband came over to accompany her to the hospital and together they started to plan their strategy. Everyone, her children, her husband , her family and many friends were devastated with the news. We offered many prayers on her behalf.
I soon began to realize that God had intervened on her behalf, because her tumor was so close to cutting off the main blood supply to her brain, that before long, she would not have just fallen and broke a rib, she would have fallen and died, and no one until an autopsy was performed would have had a clue.
“If God knocked you off your feet to get your attention,” I told her, “then it is my guess, He still wants you to live.” I knew fighting the battle would not be easy, but I also knew that her life was not supposed to be over. I believe in miracles, and I believe God talks to us. But then again, I do believe in God. I also know that many times, before we know that for sure, we find ourselves on our knees.
Kris’s journey is far from over, she has had her first surgery, and must undergo more treatments and therapy, but she is alive and she hasn’t lost that inner light that many have learned to love about her.
More challenges have hit her, and she is learning the difficult lessons of reaching out, but I am sure in that area, she will also learn the valuable things we are taught when we let others in.
You can read more about her story by scrolling down to Kristy’s Journey, and also checking out her GoFundMe page at: http://www.gofundme.com/warriorsforkris
A Legitimate Journey 