Thursday, July 16, 2015

Grief Has NO Timetable

One year ago today, my friends the Rocklin family lost their youngest son Max to a strange disease called Kawasaki disease. His was not diagnosed in time. It is not normally a deathly disease. Please take a minute to read about it: Kawasaki Disease Facts

Here is something from the site: With early recognition and treatment, full recovery can be expected. However, 2% of patients die from complications of coronary blood vessel inflammation.

Max was a part of that 2%. He was only 7 years old. He actually passed away just a few days before his 8th birthday.

Max was the youngest of 4 boys. He was a little red headed adventurer who loved life. He danced, cooked, and said silly things.


This past year, his mom has been on a roller coaster of emotions. I can only imagine how she feels. (I'm sure the rest of the family has too. I just know from her Facebook posts.)

What she has done, is give back. Max's school had a run/walk for awareness. She has talked with other parents who have children with this Kawasaki Disease. Children have been saved because of Max's story.

Instead of being bitter and angry, she has become an advocate to help people become aware of this disease. And I think that is amazing!  



This is a chart of symptoms:



Losing a loved one is hard no matter what. But I think there is a special pain for parents who lose children. That's like a piece of your heart gone. 

Everyone griefs differently too. No one will handle a death in the same way.

The best thing you can do is pray for them. And remember this: God promises to comfort those who mourn. There is no timetable on the grief or how long God will comfort someone. I believe He will comfort them until they are reunited in Heaven with their loved one.

I pray for Max's family every day. I know they miss him. He was a sweet, fun loving, super hero loving boy.

At his funeral, we all wore super hero shirts in his honor. When my children and I took some family pictures recently, we wore super hero shirts, partly in honor or Max. He has a story that needs to be heard. 

His family could use your prayers today if you will take a minute to pray for them. His mom calls it his "Angelversary". I think that's pretty cool.

Also, on the 16th of every month, MaryAnn would like people to do a random act of kindness in honor of Max. There is a Facebook page where you can post about what you did: Mighty Max's Pay it Forward

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