"My Inspiration"

Xander Moore is a young man that lives in Oklahoma City that has been an inspiration to me. His aunt Rachel is our great friend and our childrens pastor's wife. He was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at the age of 2 and he is now 10 years old. He's been on this journey for the last 8 years and I can't imagine how many times he has been in and out of the hospital in his young life. He continues to fight and trust God for his daily source of strength. I knew his parents before they were married. They were both interns at our church back in 1998. Back in February when I was diagnosed, Rachel gave me a picture of Xander and I keep it in my Bible and I pray for him everyday.

Me and Xander at Rachel's surprise birthday party.

Rachel called me on Wednesday during our youth service to tell me the family did not receive good news. Below is the email our church received from Ricki Lee, Xander's mom:

Xander and I had barely been home 30 minutes today when the dr. called with the results from his MIBG scan that had just taken place at 1pm today. There are a few new spots on Xander’s body. There is also some enhancement of the old cancerous spots. I just kept telling the dr. that God knew this before I even answered the phone. So, here we are again. Progression of disease and in need of healing. This is not the first time we have been here, yet it hurts to the very core of our soul. We serve a powerful God who has a plan for our lives, a plan for Xander, and although we cannot see the big picture, He does.

Xander was a little shocked, but we quickly prayed and asked God to take away all our fears. We had a church swim party to go to tonight and that was a huge distraction for him and Carter. When we got home Xander came to me after his shower and said “mom, with Him (pointing to Heaven) we can’t lose.” I hugged him and said “you are exactly right” then he smiled and said “plus, now I get to go to PE on Monday”.

We ask again for your prayers. Prayers for healing, prayers for guidance, prayers for peace, prayers to take away all our fears. Prayers for Carter, a 9 year old boy who loves his big brother more than anything in the world. We are thankful for you and your presence in our lives, even though it may be from a distance, we know you are with us.

Thankful that this young man is a fighter and knows were his Hope comes from. There have been a few times that I have been a little uneasy about my treatments, then I think about all Xander has been through and continues to go through and my heart is encouraged that if he can fight, why can't I. Thank you Xander for who you are in Christ and that your hope remains in Him.

"Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."