When I look back on my life, I see so clearly how Jesus was woven in all my story, even though back then, I didn't know it. Growing up, I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. I remember going to church for special occasions, Easter or Christmas services, but the gospel was never shared in a way that was understandable to me as a child. I have always had an idea that there was a higher being, a God, who created the Earth and a heaven that we go to, but never really understood much more. In my early twenties, my husband and I were engaged to be married but our life choices were starting to weigh heavily. I loved my fiancé deeply but something was missing.  Coming from divorced families, I knew the writing was on the wall that we were heading down the same path, even before we began our marriage. It was the first time I remember feeling a nudge that God or church would be the answer to fix what was happening. I placed my ring on the counter of our one bedroom apartment and told my fiancé that we were just going to be a statistic of our families. The path we were walking wasn’t going to produce the kind of life we had talked and dreamed of having. In his eyes, breaking up wasn’t an option. i suggested we find God. Whatever that meant, I didn't know but I did know we need something bigger than ourselves. I remember that moment so vividly and that moment changed the entire trajectory of our story. The next day we received a postcard mailer in the mailbox with an image of an empty cage, like that of what MMA fighters would enter.  It caught Adam's attention enough to suggest  we check it out. I couldn’t wrap my head around a church that would use an MMA cage to connect to God, but desperate for change, I agreed. He suggested that we just drive by to check it out. My only knowledge of what “religion or church” should be was beautiful cathedral churches. When we drove by, it was far from that. It was an office building. I remember saying, “God doesn’t show up in an office building.” We went anyway. That Sunday morning, I heard the gospel so clearly, and I gave my life to the Lord. Looking back now, he was always pursuing me, but it wasn't until that moment, it became real to me. We submerged ourselves in all things within the church. People became an intricate part of our story. It was the first time that we were shown the love of Jesus through friendships. The next several months, we learned God’s word and applied it our lives. We made our first promise to the Lord and turned from the sin we were living in. It was that promise that the Lord used to cleanse me from all my shame that came from the choices I made as a teenager and young adult. He wiped away my shame. He made me new and I am so thankful I followed him and trusted that if I followed His word, God would bless us. We were strengthen and renewed and as a married couple, we began walking together in a new life with Christ.

After only a few months of marriage, we found out we were having a baby! What we were not expecting was the life change we were about to embark on. On March 11th, 2011, we welcomed our sweet baby boy, Mason. The first day was similar to any welcoming of a new baby. We were on cloud nine, as most new parents are. So grateful for the little bundle that was right in front of us, After about 24 hours, much of that changed. Mason had lost a whole pound. and I noticed the nursing staff starting to get a little anxious. They asked to keep Mason in the nursery overnight to supplement his feedings and keep him on a strict feeding schedule. They hooked Mason up to a heart monitor and a couple of other machines and that’s when my mommy heart knew something might be wrong. Ultimately, we were transferred by ambulance to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to the NICU. Upon arrival, I just remember a swarm of doctors and machines and wires, and so many things that were so unfamiliar to me. It was all a whirlwind and if I am being honest, the most out of body feeling I have ever had. But God. Somehow, in all of the craziness and chaos that was that day, I just remember being so sure that God did not give us this little boy to take him away that quickly.

After nine days in the NICU, Mason was continuing to thrive, and eat on his own. We were going home! It all started to look promising that this would indeed just be something Mason grew out of and we’d be home free. I’ll never forget looking up at the Children’s Hospital as I sat down in the car to drive away, thinking to myself, “I’m so grateful I’ll never have to come back to this place.” It’s a bittersweet feeling because today, I can tell you every corner and turn without looking at a map. I’m grateful for that hospital and all it has done for our family but I also want to hug the naïve mom I was, thinking I’d never have to go back.

In the next coming weeks, we learned that Mason was born with cataracts and glaucoma. Upon that knowledge, we soon figured out that Mason may in fact have Lowe Syndrome. We went to a geneticist for more testing. On July 25, around noon, I got the call. I remember Mason sitting on my lap, giggling and happy as he always was, just feeling so grateful for the moment that I was in, I answered my phone without looking to see who it was. Mason‘s geneticist. All I remember her saying was, “I know you have waited a long time for these results and so I didn’t want you waiting any longer. Mason has a confirmed case of Lowe Syndrome. I’m so sorry.” That phone call changed our lives forever. Diagnosis confirmed. We spent the next 24 hours questioning God and grieving. We just couldn’t understand. After 24 hours, God settled our hearts, and we put on the armor that would equip us for the battle. We knew that God had given us this special boy for a purpose and we trusted that. If God calls us, he will he equip us. I can't sit here and say that I don’t have hard days but I know that this isn’t our final home. I know that his body will be fully restored in heaven one day, and for that, I rejoice and remain hopeful. I know now, without a shadow of a doubt, God gave us Mason as a gift. He has used Mason to strengthen our faith in him, to change the legacy of our family, and to be a bright light in this dark world. His heart is on fire for Jesus and I am just so grateful he gave him to us.