Tuesday, November 8, 2011

When It Happened to Us...

Jakob's been diagnosed with JIA, formerly known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

He's been suffering the symptoms, I believe, since he was in fourth grade, seven years ago.  There's no doubt he has it; the markers are in his blood.

And so we grieve a little for the pain-free life we all deserve to have.

Jakob's going to beat his JIA.  He's learning now about what he can eat to feel better, and what he can eat that makes him feel bad.  He's learning about what kind of physical activity he needs.  He's learning to manage the depression that strikes when the pain won't go away.

He's so, SO heroic.  He knows what it means to "Live True."

He will beat this because he wants to play baseball.  He wants to play baseball more than anyone else I know wants to do anything.  And he's a baseball player to his soul.

Baseball players are a breed apart.  Watch how they move and how they stand when they talk and how they touch other people.  Then watch them on the field.  All the indolent motion, the generous patience, and the attention to detail they exhibit while waiting for that rare moment they will need to fire their engines and make the play is a key to how they live their lives.  Those things define Jakob - the indolence, generosity, patience, and focus on detail.  He's a ball player by blood. 

And he will apply every skill and talent he's learned and earned on a field to beating his pain.  He will. 

And it will be even sweeter to watch him make the next amazing play.

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