A Layne Post
I’d like to introduce you to Carlotta.
Carlotta is a friend of mine, an albino woman in the Oncology ward. I’ve visited with her for months, giving her a special place in my heart. She currently has a tumor coming out of her eye, which causes a lot of pain all day, every day. She is a young mom to a precious little girl, Bernacia, her pride and joy. Because Carlotta comes from the north, the time she spends in the hospital is time away from her quickly growing daughter.
Last month she was able to make a quick trip home between treatments, which was such a blessing. She didn’t have a cell phone, so it was her first contact with Bernacia in months. Being so young, Bernacia didn’t understand the large bandage on her mommy’s eye and continued to ask her to remove it. Now Carlotta has a phone, so she may get to check on her daughter every once and a while.
I always wonder if mommies will come back to finish their treatment after returning home. How hard it must be to leave, not only once, but twice, this time knowing how horrific the hospital is.
Carlotta returned last week.
She seems weaker. Thinner. Oh, she is so thin. Her pain seems stronger now… like it is spreading into the left side of her brain. Her body twitches from the knife like pain every few minutes. All I know to do is sit next to her and pray.
Carlotta had some money to buy juice, but she explained that she cannot walk to the store to get it. That was something I could do. I could walk just fine. Marcelino, a dear boy from Oncology, who was currently not on treatment, walked with me and showed me where I could get the juice. (I would have been so lost without him!)
Arriving back at the hospital, Carlotta was so grateful and quickly wanted to sip on her cold orange juice. I think I would have chugged it, but she drank a little and had to stop. A few minutes later I helped her as she vomited in her hospital alloted bucket.
If you can remember, pray for Carlotta this week; she seems to be struggling more.
Jesus I pray for your compassion this week on Carlotta. Your compassion through Layne.
Oh Father through the powerof your Spirit bring healing to Carlotta – from the pain, the loneliness, the very cancer that is causing this tumor – we ask in Jesus name – as your dear servant Layne ministers Your love to her may her touch on Carlotta be Your touch of healing.
Oh, those memories are so close to home…
I remember Jeremiah’s dad saying, “Go get me some orange juice (or another type of juice) and a cheeseburger”. LOL! The sad part is, we all knew as well as he did, it couldnt stay down but for maybe just a couple minutes from all the chemo/radiation he had. He couldnt even keep water down. Tomorrow it will have been one year since J’s dad died. :( I pray peace and comfort over Carlotta during this time. i cant imagine being away from my child.
oh my heart is breaking for her. praying for comfort for her body and her heart as well as she is away from her little gril <3
Sad that I actually let a few weeks or posts go by because I feel like I can’t take this aching in my heart when I read your stories. I sit with tears welling up and my throat straining trying not to sob aloud. But I need to be more faithful. I need to pray and pray and pray. I need to see and read these because it makes me stop looking at me me me and see them. It’s all about HIM and THEM. I can’t even tell others about your stories because I wouldn’t be able to talk through the whole thing. But I will tell them your blog site. I think I can make it through that without crying. I will pray for Carlotta and for Little Tome. I will pray God would be so near them and they would feel His presence and have peace. Jon said in one post we ask a lot of times “Why me?” and I feel like he said it’s not why me it’s why not me? Why not me? Lord help us get out of ourselves and have CRAZY LOVE for others :)
Dear Carlotta. We love you, our sister. We pray for you. We want you to know the comfort of Jesus in your pain and loneliness. We want you to have the assurance that God knows where your little girl is, … that He sees her and loves her as you do — even more than you do! And we want to hear happy news from Layne someday — maybe tomorrow? — that God has healed you :-)
This is our sincere desire, our prayer, Carlotta. And because we love you, we have sent you a gift: our friend/sister/daughter, Layne! She is the best gift we can send you, because she can give you Jesus. So, just know that we love you, we are praying for you, and we are doing our best to keep Layne close to you. Be well, dear sister!
I’m praying for Carlotta as well and for her small child. For peace and for the presence of God. For the doctors and staff and friends who are by her side.
Jesus, thank you, thank you for knowing every breath Carlotta breathes, every thought she has, every pain she bears in her body, every ache in her heart. Thank you Jesus for your plan to have Layne there to cross Carlotta’s path on this journey and experience your love. Thank you Jesus for your plan to have Carlotta cross Layne’s path to experience your presence.
Jesus, thank you, thank you for knowing every breath Carlotta breathes, every thought she has, every pain she bears in her body, every ache in her heart. Thank you Jesus for your plan to have Layne there to cross Carlotta’s path on this journey and experience your love. Thank you Jesus for your plan to have Carlotta cross Layne’s path to experience your presence. I ask Jesus for your peace for both of your children.
I just can’t express how two young and beautiful children of God are doing such a great job out in another country.. You truly bring out the JESUS in ya’ll. You two are such an honor and great joy to those people with illnesses.. and I am so lucky to have you two as my friends. I can just picture that when you two enter into any room or building visiting those people and children they are glowing with joy b/c of the two children of God that are there for them when no one else is there, not even their family.. But you are a Blessing of Angels from the Heaven’s above, you two are their hope, faith and a reason to fight to live..God Bless you two Angels..Lots of love!!!!