Meet Taylor

This has been on my mind quite a bit lately, so we're going to navigate away from Jonah today and meet my friend Taylor Poor. Taylor is an amazing young lady who fights an uphill battle...daily. She has a constant reminder to turn to Jesus! You see, Taylor has a condition called RSD, and is constantly in terrible pain. The thing that amazes me about Taylor is her incredible heart! She sings her heart out in worship and plays her tail off on the softball field. She gives her all to the things she does and I really admire her tough-yet-sweet spirit!

I have copied her story from another blog.  In March of 2007, Taylor began feeling pain in her leg while she was running track. She spent weeks going through test after test, finding no answer to the pain in her leg. As time went on, her pain moved around and was now in both legs. Finally, she was diagnosed with a Popliteal Artery Entrapment in both legs which is very rare in general, but more common in athletes. Taylor was scheduled to have surgery on April 19th, and when she went in for surgery, her doctor performed surgery on the wrong leg. She HAD to have the other one done, so he did it back to back with the first. The doubled surgery and trauma that both legs faced caused a disease called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.) A chronic nerve condition that has placed her in 24/7 excruciating pain.
Taylor and her family have tried everything in the US to find some way to give her relief; everything from nerve blocks and morphine shots, to major surgery, but all things have ceased to work. It's a matter of God's divine healing now. Her constant pain doesn't stop her from living a vibrant life for her Creator, but there are times that the pain consumes her life.

Taylor pictured with Jimmy & Dawn at a recent fundraiser they had for her at Coldstone!

And now, a word from Taylor. This is taken from the Facebook page some friends have designated to her awareness:

Three years ago today, I woke up from a surgery that I had been told would fix everything. I had been told that I would never have to deal with this pain again, and that life would soon again be normal. However, I was told wrong. Little did I know, that April 19, 2007 was a day that would change my life forever, because this was the day that I began life with an extreme case of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.

It took a long time after my diagnosis in July of 2007 to come to terms with the word "chronic." I was still waiting for the perfect doctor with the magic cure to come along and make it all stop. It took quite some time before it sunk in that I may be dealing with this awful pain for the rest of my life.

I kept going back to Psalm 118:24, which says: "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." I have used this so many times before, however, I realized last night that this is to apply to every day of our lives. It doesn't say, "This is the day that the Lord has made, but something hard happened a few years ago that is a huge part of my life today, so I don't have to be positive." No, not at all! It says, "Let us REJOICE and BE GLAD in it." This is the pure joy that is uncircumstancial that I believe we are supposed to have in our lives every day that can only come from God.

Not only did I realize that I needed to face today with a positive attitude and rejoice in what God has given me, but I realized how much RSD has done for me that is POSITIVE. I was talking to a friend earlier about how much RSD has really played such a huge role in the person I am today. The past three years of my life have really been defining years that have molded me into the person that I am. I have realized that this life is not about me and my thoughts, but about what God has planned, and that I cannot survive this life without Him. I always thought that I had all of the answers, but in reality, I have no clue. He has His perfect plan for my life, and all I am supposed to do is walk humbly with Him and live in His will. 

Taylor is currently preparing for another procedure that is scheduled for December. She will travel to Florida where she will receive a drug called Ketamine for 3 days, which is designed to reset her central nervous system. This is serious stuff, people! We would love any support you can offer. (her family is selling some really cool t-shirts...contact me if you want one!!) Prayers are the most important influence. Just managing the constant pain is a major thing for Taylor! She is in high school...which if you ask me, is hard enough on its own! We'd love more followers on her Facebook page; Praying for Taylor. You can also check her out at http://prayingfortaylor.blogspot.com/! Thank you for reading!