Sullivan family

Today has just been one of those days. I know everyone has them. One of those days where you just want to go home and get in the bed, but you can't. You have to work, talk to friends, do things you don't want to do..all while your mind is somewhere else. Yesterday Brad, Jill, Hannah and Bethany Sullivan received devastating news..news that we have all been fearful would come. Through email updates on our prayer chain we've been kept updated on Hannah's condition as she has battled a glioblastoma, an agressive brain tumor, for about a year. Marty and Brad knew each other from college at OBU and so when we became aware of Hannah's brain tumor through our church's prayer requests we were burdened for their family. During the past year, our church has been blessed tremendously by the testimony of the Sullivan family. They have been a true demonstration of faith in the face of every parents worst nightmare. During this time every email update has always ended with "God is good." No matter if they were giving positive test results or a good day for Hannah or as in this last email on Monday where they shared the devastating news that without miraculous intervention that the doctor told them that Hannah's time on earth would likely be very short..they still continued to give glory to God and end with "God is good!" It seems so unfair that such tragedy would happen to such a Godly family, but we don't know the reason for these things and we can only trust that God will be and has been glorified through the testimony and life of Hannah Sullivan this far. No matter if she has years, months, weeks or days to come...she and her family have most definitely glorified God through their lives. They are a true testimony of faith that I aspire to have in the face of adversity. Brad spoke at church when their family came and gave their testimony and he shared that he wanted to use his experience to reach out to others that might be experiencing Cancer or other tragedies in their life. I spoke to him on the phone in November for about an hour when we had just found out that our friend's daughter, Brittany, had been diagnosed with Leukemia and I had emailed Brad and asked if he might talk to Tommy, Brittany's dad...through whatever means he had time or felt like he could do. Brad called me that night to get all the details and we spent a good while talking about his and Jill's experience with Hannah's diagnosis and I will never forget that conversation. Their desire to use their heartache to reach out to someone else was so heartfelt and unselfish. I can truly say that I believe that Brad, Jill, Hannah and Bethany have allowed us to see God through them. I know that if, as Jill has said, that God chooses to take Hannah home to live with Him that Brad and Jill will be okay. It won't be easy and they will spend the rest of their lives loving Hannah and I can't imagine how a parent survives it myself, but after seeing God use them this year I know that God is good and he is and will continue to hold the Sullivan family close in his arms. In the meantime, I'm still praying for that miraculous intervention!

Have a blessed night,
Sherri