Lindsey’s Little Miracles

My name is Quaker Grubbs. My husband, Wes, and I are a Myrtle Beach family who have founded a non-profit organization in honor of our daughter, Lindsey. She is the youngest of our 3 children. This is her story.

God gave us Lindsey Claire on February 13, 2005. Nine days after her first birthday she was diagnosed with stage IV Hepatoblastoma, a very rare form of pediatric liver cancer affecting only 0.7% out of a million children. The primary tumor in her liver was roughly the size of a softball and she had 5 lung metastasis. She was given a 30% chance of surviving the next year. After her diagnosis she underwent 18 weeks of intense chemotherapy and a liver resection/gall bladder removal surgery to eliminate the primary tumor. Her treatments could have had many negative side effects. Some of the more common effects of the type of chemotherapy used were: decrease in the number of red and white blood cells and platelets made in the bone marrow, reduced function of the immune system, damage to kidney tissue, loss of deep tendon reflexes resulting in walking problems, hearing loss in the normal range, permanent ringing in the ears, severe nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, mouth sores, hair loss, constipation and aches and pains inside the bones. Her successful treatments and surgeries were performed at Duke Children's Hospital in Durham, North Carolina.

At 12 months of age and weighing only 15 pounds Lindsey would forever change our family and us. Knowing that the struggle we faced would be long and painful we began to pray to God asking for "one little miracle…to help us get through one day at a time…to restore our hope in the face of devastation and suffering…and to allow us to keep the gift of Lindsey". We witnessed those miracles. Lindsey was declared NED (no evidence of disease) the following year. She suffered no permanent side effects from her chemotherapy. God's mercy tenderly carried our family through.

It's been 3 years since Lindsey's cancer diagnosis and even in the face of a 75% recurrence rate she is still considered NED. She continues to have testing every 4 months at Duke to check for new growth. If she remains NED for the next 2 years then she will be considered cured from this cancer diagnosis. If she were to relapse there would be treatment available but she would once again be considered terminal.

The day that changed our lives is slowly moving into the past. The memories of that time are filled with shock, horror and suffering. But we emerged with a new understanding of what HOPE really means, and where we truly find HOPE in our times of need. We continue to pray for little miracles in her life and for protection from new cancerous growths. We continue to HOPE that she will be in our lives for a long time to come.

It is with this sense of continually renewed HOPE and the belief that God wants us to use our blessings to in turn bless others that we announce the 4th Annual Lindsey's Miracle Run. Please join us as we extend "little miracles" to other families in our community.

Thank You, Wes & Quaker Grubbs

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people." Galations 6:10