Friday, March 6, 2015

A Random Act of Kindness For A Young Mother With Cancer

This is Whitney...a young woman of amazing faith!

This is the last week of the Random Act of Kindness posts that I've been trying to do. And honey child, this one just fell in my lap. I'm linking up with Betsy of My Five Men for this adventure.

Wednesday, I got a phone call from the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I nearly flipped! It was actually a voice mail and when I heard it, I started shaking.

The young lady introduced herself in a chirpy, sweet young voice....she said, "Hi, this is Courtney from the Ellen DeGeneres Show and I'm looking for Whitney. Did I find her?". She went on to ask if I would return her call and gave me her number.

Well, naturally, I thought she was looking for my daughter, Whitney. So, I immediately called my daughter and asked if she had been in touch with the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I was thinking maybe she had entered some sort of contest. But she said, "No, and this girl, Courtney, just called me, too. She was looking for a Whitney that has been diagnosed with cancer". "Oh", I said, "I know her or at least I know of her". "I need to go call Courtney back and tell her that I know who she's looking for".

So, ding dong me calls Courtney and got her voice mail. I go about bumbling through a message to her. I told her that I knew the girl she was looking for and that if she would call me back that I would, in the meantime, try to find Whitney's phone number for her. I started to give her my cell phone number and nothing.....I couldn't remember it to save my life. So I paused and tried again. Still, nothing! So by this time, I'm guessing Courtney thinks I'm some sort of a whack job. So, I apologized and gave the excuse that I never call my cell phone and couldn't remember the number and asked that she just call my home phone, the one she called earlier.

This is where my random act of kindness comes in to play. I went about trying to help this girl locate Whitney. Now, I only just recently learned of Whitney, so I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to try to obtain a phone number for her. But first, let me tell you a little bit about Whitney.

Whitney is a young mother of two. She is only 27 years old and she was recently diagnosed with cancer. Her prognosis.....months to live without chemo and maybe 5 years with chemo. One of my friends on Facebook commented on a post that Whitney had written and that's how I came to know about her. Whitney has actually started a blog to document her journey with cancer and her amazing faith. So, I went to her blog and read all the posts. I was blown away by her faith and outlook on life and how she was dealing with this terrible news. She is determined to live for her children so that she can one day know her grandchildren. So of course, I had to comment. I told her that I was unsure at first who she was, but that there was no doubt. She had to be the daughter of a girl I knew in high school because she looked just like her mother. Sure enough, her mother was the same girl I knew back in school. I went on to tell her how inspired I was by her faith and gave her the name of a book to read about how another lady had discovered that by eating a vegan diet, she could stop her cancer from growing, which she indeed did. I became a follower of Whitney's blog. Just a couple of days later, Whitney's blog went viral. She was featured on our local news and Yahoo, I believe, picked it up from there. And then her blog really went crazy. She has already had over 140,000 views on her blog.  Whitney is an extraordinary young lady. Her faith is unshakeable. Please join me and countless others to lift her in prayer. She desperately wants to live for her children and her family. Whitney has found her calling, she believes, in witnessing to others asking them to also put their faith in God. If you would like to read more about Whitney, visit her blog here.

Now back to the hoops..... I called two of my sisters asking if they knew her number. One sister gave me her parents phone number and the other, texted a friend of hers who happened to be the sister of one of Whitney's aunts. I also contacted a friend from Facebook to ask if she knew the number. I wasn't getting anywhere, fast. So, I sent Whitney a message through Facebook messenger to call me, and that she wasn't going to believe this, but The Ellen Show was trying to reach her. She didn't respond right away. All the waiting for people to respond had me in a nervous tizzy. So, I decided to give Whitney's mom a call. Needless to say, she was surprised to hear that The Ellen Show was trying to find Whitney. She gave me Whitney's number and then I called Courtney back a second time. Got her voice mail and again, I apologized for sounding like a crazy woman. I asked her to please call me back that I had information and a phone number for her and that I really wanted to make sure the call was legit before passing Whitney's number along. I didn't want to give some kind of false claim to Whitney about the Ellen show trying to contact her, if this was a hoax. Courtney never did call back. I was concerned that she might just think I was crazy, but more importantly that Whitney might miss out on whatever opportunity that The Ellen Show would provide her, if it was legit. We all know that Ellen has a good heart and is a big giver. I could only imagine what they would do for Whitney.  Finally, a couple of hours later, Whitney called me. I told her what I knew and gave her Courtney's number. I wished her luck.

I've heard from Whitney and she has been in contact with the show. She got the feeling that they were looking for someone with a financial struggle with medical bills. And thank goodness, Whitney has good health insurance. This just speaks further of Whitney's character. She told them she was good in that area, which I'm sure freed them to offer financial help to someone else. So, the Ellen Show won't be featuring anything on Whitney. I sure do wish the best for this sweet girl. I pray she receives the miracle she is looking for. And I do believe God is working in Whitney's life. She is so happy to be able to witness on such a grand scale, but is feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, as you can imagine. I was somewhat hesitant about writing about her, so I asked her permission. She told me to feel free to share as much as I would like. We believe the more people that know about her, the more people she will have praying for her. And that is truly a huge blessing.

Jumping hoops Wednesday, trying to help this young girl get in touch with The Ellen Show, to me, is what Random Acts of Kindness is all about. Doing something nice to help someone takes little effort, but the results can be rewarding in more ways than one. Please take any opportunity you can find to do something kind today. You will be blessed. I feel like I have been and I really didn't do anything. Just made a few calls.

Again, please visit Whitney's blog. You won't regret it. And if you wouldn't mind, whisper a prayer for her and her family.

God Bless,
Laurie

28 comments:

  1. Whitney and her family will be on my prayer list, Laurie. You are so right... it is in the DOING of something with the INTENT and focus of making things a little or a lot better for someone else that kindness exists... Thank you for sharing Whitney's story. She is an amazing young woman. blessings ~ tanna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tanna! And thank you on Whitney's behalf for all the prayers.

      Delete
  2. OH- I hope I can swallow the lump in my throat long enough to read through her blog...Thank you for sending us her way, Laurie. God bless you! xoDiana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you and thank you for your prayers, Diana!

      Delete
  3. Laurie, this is such a heartfelt post. I feel for Whitney and her family - so young. How wonderful of you that you could make these calls - it's not that small as you think!
    A friend of mine is going through chemo at the moment, and it is hard. Such suffering. But I do hope that it will help and hopefully cure her, and the same I hope for Whitney. I will go to her blog.
    Thank you so much for sharing this, Laurie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Carola and I will be much in prayer for your friend, as well!

      Delete
  4. Best wishes and prayers to Whitney and her family. And thank you for your efforts in trying to connect people together! It's been a fun month of RAKs and I appreciate you joining in! Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Betsy and thank you for your forethought to bring random acts of kindness to our attention. It's such a simple thing that can change attitudes and lives. It can simply make one's day better or hopefully, in Whitney's case, cause many people to pray for her healing. You are such a sweet caring person and I pray that your acts of kindness bring you blessings. Talk to you soon!

      Delete
  5. A lovely act of kindness on your part.

    And a good reminder to me when my hand is hurting. My hand is not life threatening and I do not have young children. I pray that Whitney continues to thrive. I honestly believe that attitude is what kicks cancer. My next door neighbor was given a similar prognosis years ago. She had breast cancer and wanted to live for her youngest daughter's wedding. She has had 4 more episodes with cancer and is held together with "duct tape and prayers", but she and her husband are in Hawaii right now watching one of the grandsons play volleyball against the University of Hawaii team. She refuses to give in and it sounds like Whitney won't either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, what an awesome story of thriving and survival. I'm so happy for your friend and we are looking forward to the day that Whitney gets the all clear. Thank you for your prayers for her. Now back to your hand.....I pray you will get great results and are back to normal soon. Maybe we need a little bit of duct tape for you too.

      Delete
  6. We need to be reminded of people like Whitney. There are so many that need prayer and prayer is a might weapon. We all have a straight line to God anywhere and any place and time through prayer. I will be praying for her along with all the others that you have touch with your post. God bless :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Connie, I totally agree. My favorite scripture is James 5:16, which basically says that when a believing person prays, great things happen. I love that! Thank you so much for your prayers for Whitney and the others. God bless you, also! Thanks for visiting my blog today. Please come back soon. I just became your newest follower.

      Delete
  7. Thank you so much for sharing! Whitney and her family are in my prayers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Renee! Your prayers are much appreciated!

      Delete
  8. Wow - what a flurry of activity - and for such a great cause. I am glad you finally reached Whitney and that you have shared her with us. A beautiful RAK, indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow . . . I think you were meant to help to find Whitney. What efforts you made which was a wonderful RAK . . . :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I kind of felt that way, too, Eddie. It was sort of surreal how the lady found my number and that my daughter is also named, Whitney. I was just so glad to be able to help this sweet girl. Thanks for visiting. Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  10. Laurie, one of the reasons I started following your blog is because your big heart always shows through in the things you write in your posts. I am not surprised that you stepped right in to the middle of a situation that was presented to you and that you were led to try and help out in some way. You have acted as God's messenger by sharing Whitney's story and blog. I have already begun to pray for her situation and will continue to do so. Certainly, others will do the same because of you. That is so important! It is the thing that gets our family through each day as our son-in-law continues his battle with cancer. Have a beautiful weekend, sweet friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow, thank you Lynn! Thank you for your prayers for Whitney. I was all to happy to share her story. I knew my blogging friends would lift her in prayer. And she is so appreciative of them! I still pray for your son-in-law, and all of you. You have a great weekend, also.

      Delete
  11. I'm impressed! You certainly didn't "spare the horses" in your attempt to help Whitney. Living in the Mother Country (Britain) I don't know what or who the Ellen DeGeneres Show is in the Colonies (USA), but I guess it's very popular there. I think you should be given the "Betsy Gold Medal" for your efforts, well, at least some of her famous cookies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well thanks, but no gold medals needed here. I just like to help people, when I can. But, BUT.....I would definitely take some Betsy Cookies. Thanks for stopping in for a visit. Have a great weekend! Who knows, maybe you'll see your little lady at the grocer, again.

      Delete
  12. My goodness, Laurie. Now, that's a story of true serendipity. Absolutely amazing how you connected all the dots. I will certainly keep Whitney in my thoughts and whisper little prayers for her. I'm curious as to the book you recommended she read, Sending blessings your way, Tammy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tammy, for your prayers for Whitney. I know she appreciates each and every one. And we know that there is power in prayer, so the more whispered for her the better. The name of the book is "Crazy Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr. Amazon carries it. Reading her book is what caused me to become vegetarian.

      Delete
  13. Thank you for sharing this story, Laurie. It is amazing on so many levels, including your own little part to bring things together.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh Laurie...this is how I see it. God knows the big picture out there and he used the Ellen show to contact you to contact all these other people, including Whitney herself, Now you multiply that by how many people will now meet Whitney and offer up prayers and tell their friends and family to pray for Whitney. Each person is that ripple from your stone first dropped in that water to spill out and touch people you will never know or hear about and that will go on an on. Thank you for being so kind and introducing us all to Whitney.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, CatieAn! I feel honored to have been able to help Whitney, spreading the word and asking so many more people to pray for her. I agree.....the ripples are traveling on.

      Delete