Thursday, March 31, 2011

~The Unknown Disease~

I thought I would post a blog on this subject because we do get asked about Tobby's condition here and there and I thought maybe I can use our situation and put a positive spin on it. :)
(Before I go any further I did ask Tobby before I posted any of this and he was fine with it).
Lets go back to the year 2001..... (the year me and Tobby met). At this time the doctors had already diagnosed him with a disease called Friedreich's ataxia. (he was already wheelchair bound)-------- Friedreich's ataxia is a rare disease passed down through families (inherited) that affects the muscles, nerves and heart. It slowly gets worse and causes problems performing everyday activities. Most patients need to use a wheelchair within 15 years of the disease's start. The disease may lead to an early death. <------thats what the internet said


Now thats alot for a 15 year old  (me) to take all in. We were both pretty positive about the whole situation. I prayed and prayed for Tobby to not have that disease any more and to be healed and he did the same. 2003 we got married knowing he had the disease and knowing what might be our fate. Love is definately blind to all the imperfections we both had.


I'm not sure what year we found out ...but awhile after we were married.... Tobby's sister Diane (who had the same diagnosis) wanted to find out what condition they really had. So she went and had a really expensive blood test done. This really expensive blood test was to detect any known diseases in the world. Well when the results came back from her tests.....it detected NOTHING!! Therefore; they do not have a known disease or condition in the world! At first, when I heard this I was extremely excited... for probably years I suppose....just focusing on the fact that they don't have this horrible disease friedrich's ataxia. Then slowly the thought of how they have an unknown disease made me question everything. All the negative thoughts kept entering my head "what if their unknown disease is worse than friedrich's ataxia?!?" .....all the possible "what if's" entered my head and all the "why him?!?....why her?! ....why me?!?" ...kept resurfacing over and over and over. Satan loves to throw all the questions at any already difficult situation.


So today I started thinking about our whole situation and how "the norm" of people probably don't have to deal with the physicalities of this problem......but most people can relate to the spiritual side of the "unknown disease."


So many people (including myself) find comfort with the spiritual "known diseases" .....example: "well, I act a certain way because my family had alot of problems" OR "I was abused, thats why i do this particular thing" OR "well my parents raised me to be like this"    Everyone is always trying to find that one answer of why we are acting or not acting a certain way.  ..........all of these quoted statements could have some truth to them but what about the person with a list of 80 problems that came from a squeaky clean background?!?!? It's almost like we as people get more satisfaction when even the worst of  problems can be explained by something or someone else. But the "unknown" well it's just plain scary. 


Proverbs 16:1
 We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the RIGHT answer.


1 Peter 1:6-9  So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. 7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 Your reward for TRUSTING HIM will be the salvation of your souls. 


That means we have to trust his answers..... not ours. There are so many questions in the world about everything and everyone. It is not our job to answer them but trust the only one who gives the RIGHT answers about everything. Jesus Christ is the only answer to all the "known diseases" and all the "unknown diseases" in the world both physically and spiritually. 


                      ~Thanks 4 reading~
                            ~God Bless~
                  ~ Kimberly R. Hutchinson~