Ryan has been sick off and on for months with what appeared to be a cold, or possibly the flu, that he just couldn't seem to shake off. I've talked to him several times since Christmas - he was here and sick then, too - and he's been hoarse sounding on multiple occasions. He's often tired and sleeps a lot. He's thin because he can't ever seem to gain any weight even though he eats like a horse. Ryan is my son; he's 19 years old and going to college at the University of North Texas. He's so young and like all young men in college and away from home for the first time, he stays up too late hanging out with his friends, drinking and smoking; he's too young to have to worry about his health. Ryan was recently diagnosed with Generalized Lymphadenopathy, which is swollen lymph nodes in two or more areas. It sounds ominous and it can be extremely bad but it doesn't have to be fatal. Various causes range from Hodgkin's Disease to leukemia to lymphoma and TB to Mono to Hyperthyroidism. Ryan is going to have a biopsy Monday afternoon. I'm not sure how long it will take the results to come back but I believe they will find the cause to be Mono, or possibly hyperthyroidism. I have faith that Ryan will have something benign and treatable.
We've prayed for him and his Grandpa George has claimed a healing on Ryan's behalf. If I hadn't spent years growing up around my Cherokee grandmother, the claiming of a healing might seem like hocus pocus but I've seen her do some wondrous things that just can't be explained. So, to me, claiming a healing doesn't sound any more unusual or different than asking a friend to lend a hand with a task; and I suppose, in a sense, it isn't any different.
My son claims to be an atheist according to his religion preference on his MySpace page. I wonder if that will change and if it does, will it be a lasting change. I don't preach religion to my kids, in case you're wondering. They've made their own choices, based on what they've learned, for themselves. My daughter, Erin, is a believer and has gone to church regularly in the past. I think Ryan's choice has more to do with his father than anything else. His dad was agnostic when we were married but he's gone completely atheist since that time. I could be wrong, too. We've never really discussed it but I have a feeling we will in the near future.
Please pray for Ryan and for me. Pray that his test results are clean and pray for me to have the courage to face whatever happens next. Thank you.
