One Loss May Save Another
By Kimberly Jensen
I'm not sure how to name my feelings today. I want to call my feelings "relief" or "comfort" or "joy" but I can't put those words out there yet. I can't because those feelings come at a cost of a dear friend who couldn't use those words. You see, Patti's husband died of Melanoma (Skin Cancer) just last month and the doctor's didn't catch it soon enough to save him. But knowing Patti and Rob Epperson may have saved my husband's life. The Epperson's were in our ward while we were living in Battle Ground, Washington. I remember her smile and her beautiful children who looked as if they could have stepped out of magazine. This family was not only beautiful on the outside but beautiful on the inside. We've been gone from Battle Ground nearly three years now but we keep in touch with our friends there and hear the good news and the bad news of the place we called home for nearly five years. So when I heard the tragic news, I cried at Patti's loss and her four young children. It wasn't a week later that my husband stepped out of the shower and I noticed a brown splotch on his stomach. I don't know if I would have been so alarmed if I hadn't just heard about Rob, but we made an appointment the next day and one week later we got the call that the spot was Melanoma. The doctor removed more of the cancer today and said the prognosis was very positive. We'll know more in a week. Today I love a little deeper and stronger and hold a little tighter. To my husband Mark, my rock and soul, I have always thanked the Lord for you each night and day...but now, I thank Him for each moment. So it is with gratitude, humbleness and prayers that I thank the Lord that I was blessed to know the Epperson family and that their loss may save another, and another and another.
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4 comments:
What a challenging time for you. I hope everything will be fine with your husband. I imagine you will forever be grateful to your friends.
So sorry to hear about your friend.
I hope all will be well with your husband.
I'm so sorry. Losing loved ones involves a lot of pain.
Some tears are good for the soul.
Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die
(Doctrine and Covenants 42:45)
I have just recently learned of Robbie's death from an old mission companion of mine. Robbie and I were companions in the MTC and then later in the field (Barcelona, Spain). We were close friends throughout the mission and I now regret not trying to keep in touch with him more often after we returned home and went our separate ways. If you know how to contact Patti, I would like to pay my respects and share some stories of her wonderful husband with her. Please contact me if you know how I can get in touch with the Epperson family. My email is: medalby@gmail.com - and I wish you and your family the best as well.
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