Rebecca: Living with Lyme disease

Rebecca was thirteen when she contracted Lyme disease. She is now sixteen and her life has been turned upside down. Rebecca is the daughter of my friend Priscilla. She has a sister Mary who is fourteen. I met Priscilla and her daughters when they attended my church at Summit Baptist Bible church. Rebecca was healthy then. Rebecca is a sweet, young girl and has never become bitter over her illness. I often wonder how she faces everyday in such agony? Her mother says it is the Lord who gives Rebecca grace and strength to face whatever is coming her way that day. I myself have suffered a lot of physical illnesses and have had surgery in the last year. I am not as strong as Rebecca and I admire her very much.

Lyme disease is a terrible illness that effects a lot of people young and old. It effects each person differently. Rebecca has been sick the last four summers. She can't go outside because the air and the sounds make her dizzy and nausea. She is on a very strict diet. She has lost a tremendous amount of weight. Luckily for her, her mother home schools her and her sister Mary. Many days she hasn't been able to do school work which has put her behind in her studies.

So how does a young girl who has lost her childhood and has suffered so much still manage to stay so positive even in life's most darkest hour? It is her love and faith in God who has kept her going. It's not that Rebecca doesn't have down days or times when she gets discouraged because after all she is only human. But when those times come she prays and know God will carry her through. This young lady has a heart of gold. Last winter I had to have surgery and I was going through a difficult time and had a lot of pain. Rebecca made me a picture of roses in colored pencils. Her sister Mary also made me a drawing. I was really touched by that. Her mother told me later that afternoon that Rebecca had a very bad morning. I was even more amazed that in spite of the fact she was suffering so badly that she still made time to make a drawing for me to show me she was thinking about me.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own pain that we forget there are others out in the world suffering a whole lot more then we are. Sometimes the best way we can get through our own problems and suffering is to reach out to someone who is suffering more then we are and needs an encouraging word.  Kathryn