Elias Recer is a 17 year old Junior at Rossview High School. About three weeks ago, on his way to bed, he mentions to his father and I that he has a bump on his chest near his collar bone. The next day we made him an appointment with his primary care physician Dr. Darke (we love Dr. Darke). After and ultrasound we were referred to Vanderbilt Oncology. After a week of blood tests and a CT scan and later a PET scan, the doctors determined he has stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma. Obviously, we were floored by this news. Among all our six kids Elias is the healthiest. Not only does he eat very healthy, naturally avoiding sugar and junk food but he is also someone that enjoys regular visits to the gym.These healthy habits will support him through the next weeks and months of treatments. For now the plan is 2 initial cycles of chemotherapy. If the cancer responds well, there will be no radiation. His treatment cycle begins with a three day stay in the hospital and the following two weeks would be only a day stay in the hospital to receive treatments. He had his first treatment the last weekend in April. He responded well with minimal side effects. Elias and our family as a whole are strong believers in Christ and KNOW that he is protected and guided through this journey by Jesus' love. We have been confident in the healing power of Christ and know the physical discomforts he will experience through treatment are just temporary. We are all actively looking for ways to show God's love through this experience. Elias lives with his father and I, however his mother moved back to the area last Fall. We are all working to support Elias through this journey. One of Elias' concerns through this was actually missing his social activities and a possible decline in his studies. Elias is a 4.0 student and actually recently won a state finance competition. He is hoping to be healthy enough to represent the entire state of Tennessee this summer at the regional finance competition in Chicago. Elias also plays bass guitar in a band called Animarium (insta: @_animarium_). They have had successful local shows. Many have reached out and asked how they can help and support our family. First and foremost, pray. Prayers are powerful and we are already seeing the power of these prayers thus far. We have received some meals and gift cards for meals from close friends. We are so thankful for those meals and really did't understand the value in that previously.They are so helpful on the days following his treatments where our primary focus is on keeping Elias comfortable and distracted. Some have tentatively reached out via phone calls and texts. I want to encourage anyone who feels inspired to please reach out. As I have pondered this experience I have realized when I was on the other side of a friend going through something this big, I wouldn't reach out for fear of bothering them or saying the wrong thing. I realize now through my experience how that is the opposite of what we prefer. Please text, please reach out with encouraging words (to all of us). Obviously we are up to our ears with information related to this from the doctors alone but sending a text saying you are thinking/praying for our family or a verse that is encouraging is absolutely welcomed. Financially we don't know where we will land. God has blessed our family in recent years and because of that we have good Insurance. We are in the beginning stages of receiving information on how much we will have to pay out of pocket. So far, it looks like his treatments, medicines and visits are all covered but there will be large copays with a yearly cap. Of course, many of you know how catastrophic medical experiences work or rather don't work. I'm keeping a binder to help keep all the paperwork traffic in order. I hope to regularly update here to help everyone stay informed on this journey.