Author Archive: 'Carrow McClendon

Wow. Thank you guys all of your encouraging texts, comments, and messages. We have been overwhelmed with such an amazing response. I read through 550 comments this morning, and as I go to sleep tonight there are that many more. My inbox is over flowing. It will take me quite a little while to work my way through all of the messages but ut I will. The amazing support from all over the world is beyond description.

At every turn and in all situations the Lord has continued to bless us with peace. It is nearly impossible to explain just how much we have learned these past months. Seeing God be faithful through painful loss, watching Him carry us each day, experiencing Him directing the desires of my heart – those are things that change how you think, feel, and process things. Those are things that remind you to be thankful. Knowing that He has everything under control helps me keep my eyes on Him.

Isaiah 25:1
1 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

I liked this one.

Hello friends,

We’ve made it through another week! The first full week of work and school in the McClendon house was a great success. We’re tired, but that is ok.

Tonight I have a post that I have been waiting since before Christmas to write. It’s one that I need to write but I’m not really looking forward to. But, the time is finally right, and we need our prayer warriors.

One of the reasons this normal week was so wonderful is because I know next week will be anything but normal. If you have been following our story since the early days you will recall that we found a mass on Cole’s neck not long after Kayleigh’s diagnosis. It’s quite large, about the size of half a softball and sits at his shirt collar. We had him checked out during the summer and were told that it is a lipoma. They did an ultrasound of the mass to confirm that it is indeed just fatty tissue. Cole’s Doctor informed us that it needs to be removed but that it wasn’t urgent. At the time, we delayed surgery because we thought we might be going to England for Kayleigh’s treatment. Of course that trip did not come to fruition, but we were still glad we waited. We wanted to make sure we could give Cole our full attention.

As usual with my stories, that isn’t where this one stops. Grace has been battling allergies and sinus crud since the spring. She went to the doctor in early November and had sinus X-rays done. It showed a full sinus cavity so we began antibiotics to clear the infection. However, Dr. P noticed that her scan looked identical to her previous scan. We were told if the antibiotics didn’t velar it up we would need to see an ENT.

Grace did better on the antibiotics until the last day when everything flared up again. Dr. P started her on different antibiotics and made her an appointment for the ENT. On December 23 Grace for checked out. The X-rays raised enough concern to warrant a head CT scan. Thankfully, those could be done in office. She had the scan and her doctor was checking them out in less than 20 minutes.

And then those words you don’t want the hear… we found something. Somehow the Lord had prepared me to be ready for that. Grace was understandably concerned. Her doctor tells us that he is nearly positive that it is just a benign cyst. Unfortunately, it is quite large. It fills the front, left sinus cavity and seems to be what is causing so much pressure and pain. Grace was very much against surgery, but by New Years she was hurting enough for me to call and schedule the surgery to have it removed.

So – next week we will be having both of those things taken care of. Grace has surgery Monday morning and Cole has surgery Thursday morning. We would very much appreciate your prayers that everything the doctors have told us would be correct. That these are indeed benign masses that just need to be removed, that surgery will be fast and easy, and that recovery will be quick.

I can’t help but think back to a post I made near the beginning of Kayleigh’s journey. God will most certainly give you more than YOU can handle. But it will never be too much to handle if you are trusting Him to carry you through.

I could see where this kind of news could stress a person. Yet I sit here in complete peace. I know that God has a plan for my children. I know that He loves them more than I ever could. And I know that He will never leave me.

Next week is going to be a long week. Please be covering is in prayer.

2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Please be praying for these two birds, and us parents too!

Philippians 3:14
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

If you guys couldn’t tell by my post last night, I’m really excited about what we have planned this year to honor Kayleigh, increase awareness for DIPG, and raise funds to help find a cure. It’s possible I’m even more excited tonight because I’ve had all day for ideas to roll through my head. Plans, logistics, artwork, logos, sponsors… the list goes on and on.

I can see how easy it would be to get tangled up in WHAT we are doing and forget the WHY. Yes, everything that is in the works is amazing. But the reason we are doing these things is because the Lord blessed us with Kayleigh. He trusted us to be her parents for 7 years. He trusted us to trust Him. He is trusting us now to continue to point all the praise to Him for what He has done. And what amazing things He has done.

He has blessed us with friends and strangers alike, coming together for an amazing event. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this – but it is so very important to keep that perspective. Watching for what God is going to do. Not getting lost in all the big stuff – and never allowing it to be about us. Because we are not special. We are ordinary. We have short comings. We are broken. We certainly are nothing without Christ.

So as I continue to be excited, and wow – I really am, it is of the utmost importance that I remember to focus my excitement on that which matters most. Pressing on to the finish. Working for the heavenly prize, not focusing on what this world has to offer. Following God’s plan for my life. Encouraging other people with the love of Christ which knows no bounds.

My heart continues to overflow with thankfulness. I can say with confidence that my God is good, and that He has never left me, no matter how hard the road is. How beautiful it is to be allowed to talk to God Almighty. To praise Him, thank Him, and occasionally weep as His feet. That is news worthy to be shared!

2 Corinthians 1:3-5
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Some things are just SO worth it.

Today has been one of those whirlwind kind of days. Absolutely packed to the gills – thankfully, with good things. Much of today was our normal life and activities coming back online. Seeing a routine begin to form is more of a blessing than I can adequately describe. I’ve always been a spontaneous kind of girl, I never thought I would be so happy to see normal!

One thing that continues to bring me joy every day is watching Kayleigh’s legacy grow. Messages from people that let us know that her story has made a difference in their lives. People stopping to let us know they have been praying for us. Seeing purple KB stickers on cars around town and not even knowing who is in the car. Knowing that while Kayleigh isn’t with us right now, that no one has forgotten her. I think as her mother now, that is my worst fear – that people will forget her.

Losing Kayleigh to cancer was horrible. But seeing how that one little light caught the world on fire – that is dumbfounding. I never could have imagined the impact her life would have. Now, Tim and I want to keep her legacy growing. Yes, I am writing her book. I also am doing some devotion writing and guest blog posts in the future. I’m looking forward to sharing just how good God has been to us through all of this. His mercy, grace and peace are sufficient and so much more.

We are also in the process of setting up the Prayers For Kayleigh Foundation. The goal of the PFK Foundation will be to help raise funds and awareness for cancer research – specifically DIPG. This is the most direct way for us to make sure the money raised goes directly to research. We need to find a way to stop this vicious disease. These babies and their families deserve long, full lives. Not 6-9 months and a 0% survival rate.

Not long after Tim and I started tossing the foundation idea around we heard from a good friend that they were planning a Kayleigh 5k fundraiser here in Hartselle. To make the event little more special it will be held on May 13th. That will be the one year anniversary of her DIPG diagnosis. Not only that, but it would have been her 8th birthday. What a great way to celebrate.

But in true Kayleigh fashion, the idea continued to grow. Since it’s her birthday it seemed only appropriate to have a shindig to celebrate. So, Saturday morning we are going to have the Prayers For Kayleigh 5k and Fun Run, then Saturday night we are going to have a concert! I can’t help but smile. My little diva would be seriously pumped. I hope she has time to look down through the floor boards in heaven and get at least a glimpse.

Stay tuned for more details in the coming days. I really didn’t intend to let the cat out of the bag yet but I’m too excited not to tell. Besides, who better to share good news with than the people who have stood with us through all the hard times? If any of you or someone you know might be interested in helping us sponsor Kayleigh’s special day, please send us a private message here on the page or to our prayersforkayleigh@gmail.com address.

It is going to be an awesome celebration. A time to remember our baby, and work towards saving other families babies. As I think about the future these verses are a perfect fit…

1 Samuel 12:24
24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.

God certainly has been wonderful to us. We want to continue to faithfully serve Him, telling everyone we come in contact with just how amazingly He has blessed us when you would think it is impossible to feel blessed.

And as we get excited about the future we must remember to keep our eyes on what is most important. Our relationship with Christ. This PFK Foundation has the potential to help make a difference. But our first priority is to the Lord.

Romans 12:11
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

I’m quite certain if Kayleigh was here she would be riding around like this. My favorite part is what isn’t pictured. The person that had been pulling her wagon before this pic was none other than Dr. Vic Wilson, our Hartselle City schools Superintendent. Pretty awesome superintendent don’t you think?. Talk about riding in style – but then again, that’s just SO Kayleigh.

God’s timing is always perfect, in every detail. I love writing every night. It helps me process the day and everything that is going on inside me. I often times have people tell me “it’s ok if you don’t want to write every day.” And yes, there are some days it’s hard to figure out where to start. But, I have discovered that it is often those nights that I don’t feel like making a post that I need it most. The Lord always meets me when I write. Sometimes writing is what reveals to me what God has been doing. Not to mention, in the beginning God made it clear to me that we were on this journey to help other people, and I promised that as long as He would give me words I would write.

So, all of that being said, I am going to share the blog with another writer tonight, my mom. I’m tired and the Lord knew I would need a little break. Not to mention I’ve spent most of my night reading all of the wonderful posts and comments from last night. Thank you all for your kind words.

Thoughts from my mom – Beth Rabb

It’s hard to believe it has only been two months since Kayleigh died. Oh, how we miss her! I find myself counting grandchildren and realizing one is missing. I find a random Kayleigh sock or see a purple sky. I have an empty seat in the “Bess Bus” and there is no Kayleigh to separate the boys. She was Will and Miller’s best buddy, advocate, protector and mediator.

In the midst of our great loss, not only has God been sufficient, He has been gracious. We have seen the body of Christ on their knees, the town of Hartselle and surrounding communities rally around us, strangers come to know Jesus, while Muslims and Buddhists heard the gospel. We have experience Philippians 4:7, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding… and been given the hope that we will be reunited with Kayleigh in heaven.

‘Carrow’s faith and determination keeps me on track and holds me accountable in my daily walk. I want to be so tuned in with Christ that I take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5b. As I child my mom tucked me in at night and we said prayers — the perfect ending to the day. As I grew in my faith, I realized that waiting until bedtime to confess my sins and make request was not very effective. Why not confess the sin once it is recognized and keep walking?

When our children were small and needed disciplining — maybe timeout or a spanking — afterwards, they would have to apologize and then pray and ask for forgiveness. The idea was to teach them how to breath spiritually by exhaling and confessing the sin and inhaling God’s love and forgiveness. It was not only a good lesson for them, but for me as well. Prayer is my direct line to the Father and I am so thankful he is always available and hears my cry. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Ps 34:17

My real purpose in writing this post is to ask you to pray specifically for a hedge of protection around Tim and ‘Carrow. We know Satan doesn’t care about us if we are just letting life happen. It’s when we are out front, making a difference, that’s when he aims his fiery darts at us. It would be easy for Tim and ‘Carrow to be his target. They have a lot of decisions to make, there are some health issues in the family, plans for a big fundraiser for St. Jude’s DIPG research and the everyday stresses of life. Please pray they stay focused on Christ and finish the race strong.

I am grateful for the thousands of people praying for us. The old saying, walking on the prayers of saints, is very appropriate. Thank you for continuing to pray. Your prayers are powerful; we feel and see the results everyday!

Beth

My mom is pretty fantastic. She even sent me pictures to post as well.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

First day of school August 2015

Everyone loaded up in the Bess Bus!