A couple of week’s ago, we wrote about our trip to Memphis, TN to visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. While there have been many celebrities, radio personalities and everyday people like you who are sharing in the fight against childhood cancer, we wanted to share the story of just one of the special families at St. Jude.
Meet the Lee family, a family of seven (four girls and one boy which includes a set of twins). It’s one thing to have a sick child. But to have three sick children, is way more than any parent should have to be faced with. Read on to see how this mom is helping her children battle cancer, as well as how she’s had to deal with her own cancer scare in the midst of it all.
BMWK: Can you please share with us, how you and your husband, and the rest of the family have been able to push through this time over the last few years?
Elnora Lee: One word, which is prayer. Praying consistently is the motivation that keeps me going, and just to see that my children are still alive is motivation enough for me to push through the tough days. There are days where you want to give up, but they’re still going so you have to keep going.
BMWK: Can you explain a little bit about the type of cancer the girls have?
Elnora: Yes, they have different types of brain tumors. One of my daughters, for example, has what they call plexiform on her back and on her hip, which causes her to walk uneven. She also has the brain tumors in the brain. One of them has brain tumors in the brain stem and on the optic nerve. One of my other daughters has the optic pathway glioma in the middle of the brain.
BMWK: Okay, so they’re all different types of tumors that they have?
Elnora: Yes, all different with different side effects, yes.
BMWK: What can you share with people who either have never donated to St. Jude or don’t really understand the magnitude of the donations?
Elnora: The word magnitude, I love that word because it’s–it’s exploring each and every aspect of the hospital… because I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to run the hospital. Each one of my daughters has had to have a different type of treatment. For instance, one walks with a cane, one has braces on their legs. Every aspect of childcare I’ve had to have under that building; from orthopedic doctors to neurologists and other specialists, it’s not a cheap thing. It’s nothing that I could afford out of my pocket. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have St. Jude because my children have to have different types of treatment done.
I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have St. Jude …
It’s very expensive so I’m grateful to St. Jude for what they’ve provided for my family, which I don’t think we would be able to get it anywhere else, the magnitude that they have just given us. I’m thankful and grateful for that. For donors or people that don’t know, come and experience it. St. Jude is a place, there’s no other place like it and I always express, just to come and see, just to go online and look. They’re actual stories, actual people, this is a real-life thing.
BMWK: So how are the girls doing now in terms of their health?
Elnora: They are doing really, really, really good. They’re receiving their chemo and radiation from time to time. They’re doing great. They’re doing awesome. They’re reading, doing things that they probably would have been doing. They’re able to function and I’m so grateful to St. Jude because before, it wasn’t a very optimistic experience. Now I’m looking forward to day-to-day things that they’ll be able to do or are able to do now.
BMWK: That’s really exciting, and I’m so glad to hear that. I know just a couple of months after Jayla and Felicia were cleared of cancer, you were then diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. What was your process like in terms of treatment and how are you doing right now?
Elnora: I’m doing great right now. I had a scare three months ago and I had another scare last week. I got out of the hospital on Friday, but I’m doing really well, really, really well. When you come from the experience that I have, to go into the experience of your own and your life flashing before your eyes, it brings a whole new revelation for life. I was given six months when I found out I was diagnosed.
BMWK: Wow. How long ago was that?
Elnora: Yes, ma’am. That was 2010. I’ve had a possible scare every year since 2010 all the way up to last week. That was–I would flash through my mind who’s going to be here for my children? My husband is great, but it’s just nothing like a mother to be there for her children. It brought on a whole new fight for me. It’s not about me, I’ve got to fight with everything I’ve got. I put in my mind that I’ve got to be here for them. I felt like I had to get a boost, if you will, just to make it. Yes I had some bad days, but I couldn’t let it overshadow the big picture, which was to be here for my children.
BMWK: That is really powerful. Thank goodness that you’re doing okay. What impact has it had on both you and your husband as well as, your other children?
Elnora: It has taken a toll on us quite a bit, but my motivation is that one day we’ll be able to function as “normal people.” When I go into St. Jude, I know that they’re there for us. I know that this won’t last always, but it’s comforting in my mind to know that I have somewhere to go. Not many people can say that. The effect and the toll that it takes is nothing compared to the motivation and the people that’s backing us and the support that we have from the hospital, from the nurses, from the doctors, from the people around us, form the ALSAC Team, from everybody. It’s worth the living… if that makes sense.
BMWK: Right, absolutely. Thank you for sharing. How important has your faith been through this journey for you guys.
Elnora: Yes, I can’t do it without my faith in God. I can’t do it–I wouldn’t be able to do it. My mind couldn’t even wrap around what was going on. We pray consistently. I find myself in the chapel at the hospital a lot because I have to have that strength to do it. Because I’m a firm believer that your children take on your attitude. If you’re down and feeling pitiful and screaming and hollering, just uncontrollable, then they will be also. If you keep calm and just don’t worry about what’s going on, they will too. You have to have the faith. If I have the faith God…has the power, that’s what keeps me. He has the power to do exceedingly and above everything I could ever ask of Him. That’s what keeps me going.
BMWK: Amen. Thank you so much. Is there anything else that you want to share about your story, about your family that you want people to know?
Elnora: One thing that I would like for them to know is that I don’t care what it is that you’re going through, whether it be life situations, whether it be a life or death situation, whether it be sickness, whether it be famine, whether it be job loss, whatever, if you put your faith and your trust in God, he can rectify any situation any time, any place if you just trust him. That’s what I would like them to know.
BMWK: That’s beautiful. Praying for you and your family. Really appreciate you sharing your story and we are definitely pushing for more people to support St. Jude and all the work that they’re doing for families like yours. Thank you so much again for sharing your story with us.
Elnora Lee: Thank you.
Check a video of Felicia’s and Jayla’s story here.
BMWK: Please be sure to leave some words of encouragement, hope and faith for the Lee Family in the comments section.