Brenda's Wish , livre ebook

Bookpress Publishing - Jackie Haley

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120 pages

English

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BRENDA'S WISH: A True Story of Faith, Family and the Testament of Love, is a unique story of Brenda Schmitz, a cancer-stricken wife and mother who, in the few precious months left, wrote a letter to a local radio station and asked a friend to deliver it when the time was right: when her husband David found a new wife to help raise their four boys. Two years later after Brenda passes away, David hears the words of his late wife for the first time and receives an incredible wish from the radio station. It's an incredible display of love, loss, faith and hope, and shows one remarkable woman's selfless acts to help her family grieve and move on after her passing. Keep tissue near as you journey through the dramatic stage 4 cancer diagnosis, a mother's determined fight for her family, a community united, a husband's paralyzing grief turned resilience, and inexplicable reaffirmations of love, guardianship and wonder from the afterlife. After the emotional Christmas wish interview was picked up by the evening local news, it went viral. Days later, David had 42,000 friend requests, along with 440 media contacts from Good Morning America, The Today Show, Ellen DeGeneres, The View, countless writers, and other major networks. The radio station received 13 full-size mailbags with letters addressed to David Schmitz.

Informations

Publié par	Bookpress Publishing
Date de parution	01 octobre 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781947305175
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0400€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

JACKIE HALEY
Copyright © 2020 by Jackie Lee Haley. All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means––electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other––except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without prior written permission of the publisher. Requests to the publisher for permission or information should be submitted via email at info@bookpresspublishing.com .
Any requests or questions for the author should be submitted to her directly at jackieleehaley@yahoo.com .
Published in Des Moines, Iowa, by:
Bookpress Publishing
P.O. Box 71532
Des Moines, IA 50325
www.BookpressPublishing.com
For Brenda, an amazing woman who I never had the pleasure of meeting, however I will always remember her and the inspiration she gave to so many around the world.
Conents
____________________
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Afterword
Acknowledgments
____________________
A very special thanks to the Schmitz family for asking me to write this incredible story about their life. I also want to thank my own family, my husband (Christian), and our two sons, along with my extended family and many friends who have supported me in this journey. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.
There were many individuals who helped me complete this project including doctors, nurses, family, and friends of the Schmitz family. Thank you to everyone for your time and willingness to give your perspective.
Thank you also to Patrick Price, my editor who played a major role in getting my manuscript to a polished story.
Last but not least, thanks to Bookpress Publishing for helping me share Brenda’s inspiring story.
“Our mission at MercyOne is to serve with fidelity to the Gospel as a compassionate, healing ministry of Jesus Christ to transform the health of our communities. We welcome patients every day with personalized, compassionate and excellent health care. It was an honor to care for Brenda Schmitz at MercyOne Des Moines Cancer Center and help her family as they faced one of the most difficult struggles in life. Her dedication to her family, unwavering faith in God and love for everyone, including our own staff, became an inspiration to us all. BRENDA’S WISH is a great story and message that reminds us of what one person can do to make a difference in the world. She will never be forgotten here at MercyOne.”
–– BOB RITZ, MERCYONE PRESIDENT AND CEO
“BRENDA’S WISH is a unique story that will leave an imprint on your heart. Jackie Haley delivers this compelling and true story about a cancer-stricken woman that gives her family one final act of love to help them move on, long after she leaves this world. At Story County Medical Center, we care for amazing women like Brenda every day and support efforts to help tell this story and raise awareness for ovarian cancer.”
–– NATE THOMPSON, STORY MEDICAL CENTER CEO
1
Chapter
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
—Psalm 46:1
____________________
Brenda Schmitz counted to ten, then took a deep breath, tapping her clear-coated nails on the #1 MOM coffee mug she had gotten for Christmas last year. The kitchen was quiet for one solitary minute and she was taking in every second. It was early enough that the winter sun had not made its appearance yet. Upstairs, she began to hear Cameron, Josh, and Justin stir, making their beds and getting ready for the day. They were old enough to get ready on their own, unlike Max. He had just turned one and she didn’t want to move until she heard his cry and had to get him.
The kitchen was Brenda’s favorite room of their four-bedroom townhome in Ankeny, Iowa. It was contemporary in style with beige walls, medium dark wood cupboard doors, and simple brushed-nickel hardware. The beloved granite countertops shimmered with flecks of browns, black, and the same beige color as the walls. A red plate with YOU’RE SPECIAL written around its edge sat on a decorative stand. It was the family’s celebration plate used for birthday breakfasts. Brenda loved to make a birthday breakfast to start off someone’s special day. In her eyes, it was one of the best of their many family traditions.
Additional counter space stretched out from the wall with two black wooden bar stools to add seating. This added plenty of extra space that Brenda often used. If it wasn’t for making dinner, it hosted the boys’ latest science or art project. She loved to help them with it and made sure they took pride in their work. It felt good to use her design degree every once in a while. Her career as a project manager at the printing company didn’t offer many opportunities to use her creative side and she missed it. Fortunately, her stepsons Josh and Justin both shared her passion for art and the three often worked on things together.
Four boys created a crazy, cluttered mess that was an ongoing challenge to keep clean. She glanced at a sign by the sink that read: “Thank GOD for dirty dishes, they have a story to tell. While others may go hungry, we’re eating very well.” Its message helped to calm her whenever she got stressed from all of the disorder. But, today brought a different type of uneasiness.
She sucked in more air. One, two, three…Why won’t this pain go away? It’s been over two weeks. She was out of ideas. The doctor said she was constipated and needed to get her system cleaned out. Coffee would help along with the instructed two enemas a day she was to give herself. She took another sip from her mug and as the hot liquid went down, another sharp, stabbing pain came with fury. She winced and started counting again.
“Mom, I can’t find my socks!” Cameron, her eldest, yelled from the top of the stairs.
“They’re in the laundry basket, honey. I’ll get them,” Brenda said. Mustering her strength, she prepared herself for the painful lift from the kitchen chair just as a gentle hand set on her shoulder.
“I’ll get them,” her husband David said.
She looked up at him. “Thank you.”
She felt another stab in her abdomen but forcibly held her calm expression until he left the room. This one was bad. She whimpered a little, then took another sip of coffee while she counted. One more minute alone in the kitchen for her to rest. There has to be an answer for this.
David returned shortly with little Max. His beautiful blue eyes shined when he saw her. She felt so blessed in that moment as David looked down, grinning at Max’s excitement for his mommy. Then the painful stab came again. Her eyes closed as she turned her head.
“Brenda, you can’t keep going on like this.” He sat down next to her. “Why don’t you see a new doctor?”
Brenda counted again in her head. She knew he was right. For this much frequent pain, there was something more going on with her.
“Why don’t you see your gynecologist or something?” David continued. “The pain is so low, maybe she’ll know something.” Brenda could see the worry in his eyes, but she couldn’t speak for fear of screaming. She nodded.
***
Two more days passed before Brenda could get an appointment with her gynecologist. Maybe the doctor could explain why she had to go to the bathroom more often. Sometimes Brenda couldn’t even hold it. It was something she had never experienced before. She also wasn’t eating as much because she felt full much faster, yet she had a weight gain she couldn’t explain.
Thankfully it was Christmas break and the boys didn’t have to go to school. They had just celebrated Christmas with both her mom and David’s parents earlier that week. On days outside of break, Cameron would drive himself to Ankeny High School. He was a senior this year. David usually took Max to daycare in Ankeny, then Josh to Dowling Catholic High School and Justin to Holy Trinity Middle School, both in Des Moines, a fifteen-minute drive from their home. Sometimes their extended family would help out, which was a blessing, but today the boys could stay home and take care of Max while David went with Brenda.
On the drive over, the air was crisp and Brenda admired the fresh fallen snow and frost that had formed around the passenger side window overnight. She thought about the prior night’s dinner and the boys’ latest debate over their rival schools. Dowling Catholic High School often played Ankeny High School, so the family was now a house divided on sporting events. Brenda would often defend Cameron’s Ankeny Hawks, which was often challenged by Josh and David, pledging their loyalty to the Dowling Maroons. Brenda had won the last comeback that left everyone laughing. The reward was the last giant cookie on the plate. Of course, she claimed she was full and split it among the boys. The memory made her smile, but then the familiar stabbing pain erased it. She looked down, hoping to hide her pain from David.
Okay, Brenda, you’re going to get to the bottom of this, she said to herself. You’re going to find out what’s wrong, fix it, and get back to life. She ran through her checklist of things she needed to do that day, which was an endless list as most mothers have. It occupied the remainder of time it took to get to the doctor’s office and into the examination room.
I’ve got to catch up on work, get laundry done, pick up milk, and figure out supper; maybe pork chops tonight, she thought, as she slipped on the flimsy, white gown that seemed to match the walls and everything else in the sterile room. There was no color present except for pamphlets in the display case regarding women’s anatomy and birth control information. David seemed to ignore all of that as he took a seat in the corner of the examination room. They quietly waited for the doctor to come in while Brenda co