Please allow me to share a personal story, which I hope will be an inspiration to the wonderful Alexander family and also any fellow WS commenters who are going through a difficult time.
My best friend (and former wife) Karen had a horrendous summer and fall in 2010.
First she survived an amputation of her right leg due to a diabetes related infection of her foot and ankle that she delayed treatment for. Somehow the doctors were able to save her lower leg. It was truly a miracle of epic proportions.
As she was learning to walk again and getting over this life threatening experience, while in a rehab hospital, the doctors discovered both uterine cancer and breast cancer. Oh my. How much can one patient endure?
So next up is a D&C and a hysterectomy followed by a mastectomy. When will it end we all thought including our 40-year-old son who slept in a chair beside her for many nights while she was in intensive care.
This of course required weeks of radiation which didn't end until February. This was the 7th month of one health crisis after another including -- if you can believe it -- kidney failure which she ultimately recovered from. But not before some very anxiety ridden scary days.
I forgot to mention that in the middle of all this her younger brother lost his two-year battle with Stage IV colorectal cancer. Jeez.
NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS
Today her spirits are high, her diabetes symptoms are much better and she has lost 40 pounds using Weight Watchers. She still sees three oncologists regularly. But so far so good.
I am overwhelmed by the indomitable spirit and perseverance of the human condition. When I reflect on what Karen overcame and the horrific event that WS poster Katiecoolady overcame with the loss of her sister it takes my breath away.
It also reassures me that the Travis Alexander family will one day be okay and flying high just like Karen, who is following this trial just like we are.
This storm shall pass and they will return to the joyful life they once had, having made many new friends along the way. They deserve nothing less.
I can only imagine how terrible it is for the Alexander family to endure this trial..it seems that they are trying to return to the joyful life they once had. Tanisha's husband, Harold, has a YouTube acct. It is a "public" account. Looks are not everything, and I do not know them, but it appears as if they are having fun with their family and making the best of a horrible situation.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5orV-NJ4FR4"]Colorado River, Tanisha and The children. - YouTube[/ame]