Emmett was asked to give a talk in
church about the challenges he's had in his life and how he's been able to
bring people closer to Christ. The stake president asked if Katy and I
would help him write those remarks. Preparing the talk gave us all a
chance to reflect on the last 7 years. We took the opportunity to share
with Emmett some of his early experiences that he was too young to
remember.
Emmett has been under the weather
lately with the lingering effects of radiation combined with a viral bug, but
this morning he felt well enough to stand up and give his talk, even if his
voice was a little weak. The meeting was a very emotional one for our
family as we watched Emmett share his life story and a few of the blessings of
heaven that have gotten us to where we are today. The spirit of the
meeting outpouring of love we felt from so many people was overwhelming.
We thought it appropriate to share
Emmett's talk here:
I’m Emmett
Lillrose; I’m almost 9 years old; I like to garden-this year I grew
red corn! I have a 4 year old brother, Clayton and a sister Charlotte
that’s almost 2. I was born in Albuquerque and I love Dion’s pizza,
swimming and playing tennis.
Today I’d like to talk
to you about how “the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he
hath chosen...to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”
Often the Lord’s tender mercies come through his angels.
Many years ago, when I
was 17 months old, I stopped walking and crawling suddenly one day. We went to
our pediatrician's office at around 5:00 pm and he said we should go to the ER
and pack a bag because we would probably be there a few days. We got there
around 7:00pm the same day. When we got there, it took all night and they
finally could do an MRI in the morning and they said that there was a tumor in
my spine and they were going to do a cat scan to get a clearer, better
image.
After that, we stayed in
a room and I hadn't gotten to eat breakfast or lunch and I was just starting to
have a little milk when the doctors came rushing in and said that I needed to
stop eating and go to surgery immediately because if they left the tumor in my
spine much longer it could do serious and permanent damage. They said that the
specilaized surgeon was going to leave on vacation but they had called him back
just in time.
So I went into surgery
and as an answer to many people’s prayer, they got all that part of the
tumor. As soon as I woke up after my surgery I tried to stand up right
away, even with all the tubes and wires connected to me, and I could! My
parents were so excited to see me stand again after the surgery and said it was
a miracle!
After I recovered from
the surgery we had to go to Boston for almost 2 years for more medicines and
proton radiation treatment. Our bishop told us right away “people want to
help get you to Boston!” and people did help and we were so thankful. The
doctors in Boston are the very best ones for me and are the smartest at
treating my type of tumor.
Many other parents try
to get advice from our doctor because she is so good, but she is very
busy. We feel VERY blessed that we have her and her team to take care of
me. My medicines made my hair fall out,
and my dad started shaving his head so he could match me. We never
expected it, but over the next few months, we received almost 50 pictures of
friends and family that were now also bald, or had donated braids. This
touched my parents’ hearts.
A lot of times I had too
many tubes or felt too sick to get up and play with real toys; and my
ward was so thoughtful to send an iPad that I still use for a distraction
during procedures and long waiting times. My parents were touched to see
that so many here at home remembered me even though I was so far away and it
helped us feel Heavenly Father’s love.
My mom and dad said it
would take a whole book to write about everyone’s kindnesses. Many feel
that what they have done is insignificant, but we feel that all these big or
small angelic services have each impacted our lives and woven together they are
strong enough to lift us up! Elder Holland talks about angels of all
types. He says:
“But when we speak
of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all
angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk
with—here, now, every day.
Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods...My beloved brothers and sisters,
I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am
testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the
challenges that we face.”
I will tell you about
some more of these angels….
While I lived in Boston, we went for a walk one
day and found a house that was being rebuilt, so there was always some sort of
construction truck there. We came often to watch the trucks and met the
construction boss, Sean, who gave me a small toy truck from his son. At Christmas time when I was 2, he stopped by
my house.
He wanted to make sure I had my own construction
gear so he gave me a toy truck to sit in and my own set of tools! One day
he even sent an ice cream truck to my house!
And another day I woke up to find two bobcat skid-steers on the front
lawn!
There was another man named Bob that lived
nearby. He was so nice and said I could come swim in his pool any
time. He worked for the trolley company in downtown Boston and for my
birthday, he drove a trolley up to my house and gave me and my friends all a
big ride around the town! He even let me drive it for a
minute.
Another time I was out playing in my yard and a
firetruck was driving by and they just stopped and let me get in and see the
firetruck! These strangers became special to us when they went out of their
way to make me smile any way they could think of and they didn’t have to do
that. I think that’s how Jesus would treat strangers.
In 2017, I needed treatment again so we used to
go to Denver Colorado a lot-every other week for over a year! I had a lot
of new doctors there who were all really friendly. I had to take a new trial medicine twice a
day that tasted disgusting - like they had added much much too much sugar. It tasted like cough syrup. (I even
think it tastes like rotten eggs and rotten waffles that got run over by a
trash truck 15 times.)
In Denver we worked with Dr. Hoffman who has a
big heart. When it came time for the first MRI, we were all a little nervous
because this medicine had to work because we had very few options. For
the first time ever, a doctor came out to the waiting area to look for us after
my MRI! She couldn’t hold in the good
news and told us it had worked! Dr.
Hoffman was holding back tears when she said, “this has restored my
faith!” I think it would be a hard job to try to help kids with
cancer and we were glad she appreciated this miracle with us.
I’ve been to radiation a few times now, so we
have gotten to know my doctor and nurse there really well. This year we
had a new PA, Julia, that we love, too.
Julia told us she already heard all about me and every time my name
comes up in the Board Meetings, no one can believe how well I am doing and they
aren’t sure how that is! Even though I need more treatment, they don’t
expect me to be so healthy and happy looking and Julia says it makes the team
so happy to hear about me doing so well.
I think the doctors see so many prayers being answered.
My parents have a blog
that tells all the miracles and blessings we have seen since I was diagnosed
with a brain tumor. With every new challenge, we try our best to focus on
the blessings from heaven that are lifting me up. In this way we share our testimonies of Jesus
Christ. We’ve heard from people who started praying again after hearing
my story, or who started coming to church again.
We have also heard from
many people who are members of other faiths who pray for me in prayer groups
with their own churches. Some of these people we have never met. Sometimes when we’re in a store, or in the park,
people come up and ask for my name so they can pray for me. It makes me
happy to see people draw closer to Jesus Christ.
Once I was asked to pray
before the dinner at a big, fancy, charity fundraising event because they know
I believe in Christ. I think 2-300 people come. I was only 6 years old, but I wasn’t nervous
and I wore my suit. I was happy they
knew I would be proud to pray.
My parents say I was blessed to have a positive
attitude. I always find fun things to do at the hospital. We have spent afternoons watching the awesome
robot meal carts come out of the hospital kitchen and get on the elevators
themselves! Some days I loved just riding the elevators.
Even though recently we spent tons of hours in
the car to go to Denver for over a year, we loved to roadtrip because it meant
we could play on the iPad from my ward, eat pizza for dinner and swim at the
hotel. When my hair fell out again this year, I was really sad, but I
thought of how nice it is to be bald because I won’t have to spend as much time
in the shower and that means I’ll have more time to play!
And without hair, I mentioned how it will be
easier for the doctors to do the medicine in my head. I have had to do a
lot of radiation this year and you have to sit completely still for 15-60 mins
every day for weeks, but I don’t mind because I made an awesome playlist of
songs that I really like. It seems like even if I have a lot of
appointments or procedures, there’s usually something good about
it.
In the Old Testament account talks of Israel
being surrounded by the enemy and the prophet Elisha’s servant panics and asks
what they should do.
Elisha “answered,
Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
...And the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of
horses and bchariots
of fire round about Elisha.”
Likewise, the mountains
surrounding my family today are also full of angels. We are never left to
overcome anything alone in this life because the Lord sends us tender mercies
through his angels. We are very grateful and feel that so strongly with
all our hearts! If any of you are feeling down or discouraged, look for
the Lord’s tender mercies he sends you through his angels and it will lift you
up and bless you.
I am forever grateful to
many of you especially for your prayers and your small and big acts of
service. They are all tender mercies that help me ‘feel my Savior’s love,
in all the world around me’
I’d like to bear my
testimony that I know the church is true, and that Jesus Christ is always there
for us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
