dear Joanna

The fact that I was given five brothers tormented me as a child.  Being the motherly type their incessant rough housing, games of cops and robbers, and desire to demolish everything left me lonely at play time.  To remedy this my mother would often join forces with my aunt and send me to stay with my cousins.  There were three girls in their family of five children and it just so happened that the middle daughter was two days shy of two months older than me.  This sparked the life-long friendship I treasure with dear Rachel.

We are both second children.  Rachel has an older sister Joanna and I have Jason.  We both have brothers less than two years younger than us.  She has Stephen and I have Samuel; they are four months apart.  Next came Julie and Josiah, followed by John and Lewis.  And then Zachary.

With so many little ones in such similar ages we spent a lot of time together.

 Myself, Rachel, Joanna, and Jason in their little red wagon during the summer Rachel and I turned one.

Rachel, Jason, Joanna and myself at Grandma's house during the holidays.

 Joanna, myself (being bossy), Rachel, and Jason during our terrible twos.

At my cousin's house I got the gamut of sisters of which my own house was short supply.  I had Joanna as my older sister.  She was a cute as a button, smart as all get out, and a wiz at everything.  She took top ribbons in her swim meets, 4-H projects, and practiced for hours at her violin.  Julie was my younger sister.  She was a show stealer with her golden ringlets, would sing any song she knew in full, and loved her older sisters.

And we grew.  My brothers are the lights of my life and I now know the fun of having so many of them.  But I've also been privileged enough to share all the joyous moments with my "sisters".  One such moments was Joanna's white coating ceremony when she started medical school.  It was on the same weekend as my twenty-first birthday and she bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

We shared the joy as Rachel and Josh married.  We had fun joining forces for her bridal shower and bachelorette party.

Julie and Joanna on the day Rachel wed Joshua.

We have also got to share oh so many wonderful everyday ones in between.  That's the stuff of life.  Sometimes it is just sitting around the kitchen in the midst of chaos or calm making something together.  The sisters all moved to different cities.  

I was lucky enough to move to the same city as Rachel and get to share in the beauty of these ladies as aunties.

Joanna with Eury during her visit in October.

I have also had the heart-wrenching privilege of being there in the most wretched of days.  Sunday was on of those.

Last April, Joanna wasn't feeling well.  She had just been to Peru.  There she hiked the Incan trail and was not surprised to feel winded - there is higher elevation and she hadn't trained for the adventure.  But it was few weeks after her trip and she still felt out of sorts.  Test confirmed that she was sick.  She started treatment within days.  First the rounds of chemotherapy.

Her strength, dignity and beauty only grew.  She took it boldly, head on.  

Joanna in June at our cousin Joel's wedding sporting that mega-watt smile.

Shortly after her visit to meet her niece for the first time in October, she began radiation treatments.

Things were looking great until Christmas time.  Joanna was tired and out of breath - which she thought was due to her treatments.   December 30th she began the drive back to her home in Cincinnati and  had to turn around.  Something was terribly wrong with her lungs.  She has been in intensive care since then.  Much of that time she has been heavily sedated to try to keep her as relaxed as possible.  That incredible mind of hers was just going, going, going none stop.  

Sunday, things took a turn and her doctors said it was grim.  At that point they said she had one more day.  Rachel flew that day to join her siblings and parents at Joanna's side.  Joshua, Eury and I took the next nonstop flight.  It was Monday evening when I saw her and she was still there.  It's Thursday morning as I write this and she is still here.  

Our hearts have been full of love and prayer for Joanna.  She is fighting so very hard.  Her doctors and nurses are helping her fight.  Family rallies around and her strength is shattering all of our hearts.  It is overwhelming all the love sent for my incredible cousin.  

My dear cousin turned twenty-nine this past August.  In her twenty-nine years she has graduated three times, traveled throughout five continents, bought a home, adopted and rehabilitated two rescue dogs, become a physician, raised many chickens, played the violin magnificently, and helped so many people.  Now, in her medically-induced coma, she fights.  Every good stat we celebrate.  She day by day regains her strength and unites us all in our love.  Her bedside is a place of communion with our Creator and hope.  

Joanna is ever that over-achieving older sister.  I want to see her once again push the envelope...and she still has those two continents to see.