Story
On April 5, Amanda and Joe received a phone call that changed everything for their family: Their almost 1 1/2 year-old son, Owen, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer. Because he's considered high-risk, they will start chemo right away at Children's Hospital in Seattle. The family was told they should plan to live in Seattle for at least the next six months. Please be praying for Owen, for wisdom for his doctors as they make decisions about his treatment, and for his little body to respond well. Pray that the medical team, along with Amanda and Joe, will choose the right plan to move forward. Pray also for all the logistics involved with uprooting their family for this season, including housing in Seattle, Owen and Hazel's adjustment to a new (temporary) home, and for decisions about how Joe might be able to work from Seattle. And pray for Amanda and Joe as they navigate this heart-wrenching season with their son, while also supporting his big sister. Pray that they'd be able to get rest, as well as find ways to create special time with three-year-old Hazel. They really want to lean on the Lord and find their strength in Him—pray that they would know His nearness and care in a deep and tangible way. A GoFundMe page has been created to help Amanda and Joe with the many expenses they will be facing (medical costs, housing in Seattle and Ellensburg, lost wages, travel, etc.). While meal delivery won't be necessary, gift cards for food delivery (Door Dash or Uber Eats) or specific restaurants in Seattle are welcome. We will keep you posted here as other needs and prayer requests come up. Feel free to share this page so that others can be praying for the Sedy family, too. Thank you for supporting them during this time! GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/0f3fff8f
Special Notes
📱MESSAGES - Amanda and Joe really appreciate the loving text messages they've received from people, but due to the constraints on their time and energy, they won't always be able to respond to messages. Know that they appreciate your support, even if they aren’t able to reply! If you'd like to reach out, please text (instead of calling), as this allows Amanda and Joe to read messages when they have space and time. 🗓️ CARE CALENDAR - We're setting up an encouragement calendar to remind Joe and Amanda that we're continuing to support them as their journey continues over the next several months. Due to constraints on the page, the sign-up link says "In-Person Care," but please don't visit in person. :) Use this calendar to sign up for a specific day to do ANY of the following: -Text them a verse of encouraging Scripture that you're praying for them that day 📱 -Spend time praying for their family (and let them know how you are) 🙏 -Write them a card or send them pictures drawn by your family 💌 -Send them a gift (scroll down for ideas about what is & what is NOT helpful) 🎁 NOTE: One of the things they have found the most encouraging is reading the prayers and verses that come to mind for their family from people messaging them. The more prayers and scripture they can read and be saturated in the words of Scripture and of His people, the better! 🎁 SENDING GIFTS - Although supporting the Sedy's financial needs will be the highest priority (along with prayer!🙏), if you're looking for additional ways to bless them, you might think about how you can help sprinkle fun into this hard season. Materially, they don't want to fill their "borrowed" house too much, so they don't need any big toys or things for the kids. With that in mind, here are some more practical things they would love: - For the kids: craft kits, especially painting ones or mechanically inclined ones for Owen. - For kids: stuff for our sensory bin (clean sand; themed small toys like jungle, trucks, gardening, etc.) Both kids loooove their sensory bin and though they have some stuff there, changing it out on occasion will keep it fresh and exciting. - For kids: Bible study crafts or exercises (Amanda used to put these together more but has less time to research and find these sort of things she loves doing with Hazel, their 3 year old, and she loves them too). - To bless Janet (Joe's mom who is living with them and helping us in so many ways): gardening books, gardening tools or seeds, thank you cards - For adults: puzzles (they have gotten into doing puzzles in their free time, and definitely wouldn't mind either borrowing or seeing some new ones as they have at least 9 months more to go, if not longer on their journey) - Practical: Fred Meyer grocery cards for purchasing groceries or clothes, kids shoes, household items, etc.