TWITA #2

The second installment in the "That's what I'm talking about" series is focused on a friend of mine who is truly inspirational.  Actually, both he and his wife inspire me to be a better person, and to appreciate all of the varied blessings (and challenges) I face daily.

Let me go back to the beginning.

I met Joel and Sheryl in church, a number of years ago.  As a musician, I quickly plugged into the choir, where Joel was instrumental (pun intended) in making the group shine.  He sang tenor (wonderful sense of pitch) and also accompanied the choir on piano at various points.  He had an incredible ability to improvise for the offertory and communion, and I truly enjoyed what he presented musically.

Unfortunately, in 2002, Joel was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  I'll let Sheryl tell this part of the story:

In October of 2002, Joel was diagnosed with a malignant, inoperable brain tumor on the left side of his brain near the motor control and speech areas of his brain, and given 9-12 months to live. Shortly after the biopsy, he developed a staph infection at the surgery site. The infection put him back in the hospital (an hour away from our house) for a month and resulted in three more brain surgeries, the final one also resulting in the removal of a portion of his cranium. We nearly lost him several times.

Since then, he has had blood clots in both legs, siezures, radiation, several rounds of chemo, pneumonia, shingles, more chemo, and in 2007, a horrible fall. The seizures left his right side very weak and rendered his right arm and hand useless; he resembles a stroke victim. 

When he fell, he hit his head on a cement floor and was life-flighted to the hospital with substantial bleeding in his brain. We nearly lost him again. We were told that he would probably never walk again, and that his abilities would be severely diminished. He spent a month in the hospital and inpatient rehab units. He walked out of that unit using a cane.

Through all of this, Joel has assured me that everything would be okay. Today, he can barely speak, but he communicates very well. When asked how he is, his answer is always a smile and, "I'm fine". He has accompanied both of our sons on the piano, using only his left hand. If I hadn't been watching, I never would have guessed he was using one hand. He is the one who points out the rainbows when all the rest of us can see is the rain.

I witnessed Joel's physical decline first hand.  I saw him go from an incredibly gifted musician who had some tingling in his hand, to an individual who (as Sheryl puts it) resembles a severe stroke victim.

I was really sad.  Sad, and angry.  I couldn't understand how a wonderful person like this could be stricken in this way.

What Sheryl doesn't say in her Facebook note above, is that after his diagnosis and he began to have difficulty with motor coordination and speech, he volunteered his time at the elementary school down the road (literally) from his house.  He continued volunteering until his serious fall in 2007, proving to me that when life is challenging, the strong rise to the challenge.

The thing is, Sheryl is just as inspiring to me.  She would say (and has, trust me) that you just have to do what is necessary to continue on.  I get that, and I know that if faced with a similar situation, I would do whatever is necessary to make things work for my family.

However, she has not let any of this seeming tragedy affect her contribution to the community of which she is part.  She helps out with the marching band (after planting Joel in a seat in the stands), she is active (an officer, no less) in the music boosters, and can always be found when something needs to be done.

I have heard others, in similar situations, express anger at God for allowing this to happen.

Not Joel and Sheryl.  They realize that every day is a gift, so why waste time being angry all the time.

Thank you Joel and Sheryl for being an inspiration to me!