Faith, Love, And Laughter

How do you stay in faith when the people you love the most are suffering and your life shatters before your eyes? How do you stay in faith when your family is hit with one crisis after the next with no end in sight? How do you stay in faith when you have a child afflicted with rare disease that the medical community cannot explain?

Meet the Jonases. We are NOT your average family.  My family and I endured sixteen surgeries over an eight-year period. My life and career changed forever. My husband, Doug, was diagnosed with a brain tumor ultimately requiring three brain surgeries. My oldest son, Jacob, had multiple rare disease diagnoses with a prognosis of a life of unending pain.  My younger son, Bobby, had a rare neurological condition affecting his optic nerve and his visual processing.  A legal battle ensued to get him a proper education.  I also experienced many medical issues.  How could so many problems plague one family? Just when we thought we were at the end of years of suffering, operations, and medications, we discovered a common denominator, and it wasn’t our water supply.

Our diagnoses may be unusual, but our story will resonate with those who struggle with faith when faced with devastating medical challenges. Life was impossible and traumatic all at once. Barriers were everywhere and bad days were unending. God held my hand, gave me peace when there should have been none, and ultimately restored health to our lives. Despite our problems, we recognized each day as a gift, and attacked our trials with faith, love, and laughter.