A family's faith helps them find the best gift of all.
Kara's story in the Knoxville Sentinel
Please let everyone know that we (the family) appreciate all the comments in the guestbook, it's nice. And the prayers too, we know God can move for her and this is what we need right now. Who ever visits the web site, just let them know that we appreciate them helping to make this prayer chain bigger and getting the word out.
A note from Megan's Mom - I'm amazed at all the people who are signing the guest book, Megan is checking a couple times a day and she said it's really encouraging to them. Just knowing the concern and prayers that are being said for Kara's benefit is uplifting. I'm sure we have the good Lord's attention!
All of updates are provided by either Megan Lee or her mother, Mary Isaacs.
30 August 2010, 12:42pm EST
December 22, 2003-August 19, 2010.....My dear, sweet, baby is free from this world of pain, suffering, heart-ache, and trouble. God gave her a gift that we couldn't give her - Heaven. She is safe now.
There is so much that reminds me of her...."Kara would've liked that" is a common thought that crosses my mind. I cherish the voice recordings and videos that I have on our phones. They are priceless treasures that I hang on to. I am left with memories. I fear of losing the memory of her, her personality, her actions, what made Kara, Kara. I struggled one night trying to grasp the memory of just Kara being Kara in a daily motion. I prayed that night for help with this, and woke to find that God answered my prayer.
I honestly thought that this journey Kara was on, was going to end differently. I trusted, believed, and hoped in Divine healing - even that an earthly miracle was going to take place. I know many people are probably wondering why it ended like this.
I have reminisced a lot over the past couple of years of a God-given message that helped me on a Friday night (8-28-08), during a revival at our church. We made it into the service, as we traveled home from St. Jude's, after receiving disappointing news about Kara's scan results. I struggled with my emotions that day. I was disappointed at the results - I expected better. At the same time, I wasn't comfortable at the disappointment I felt towards God - I knew what He was capable of doing, yet it didn't happen like I expected. I was human, and couldn't help how I felt, and so I struggled in my mind.
I will share parts of the Preacher's message that night. He titled it, "Why the weary are left waiting." It wasn't coincidence that God used an anointed visiting preacher to speak to my heart, and help me understand. I received so much help that night. The Lord knew my heart, and exactly what I needed, and was faithful to help me - just when I needed Him. The message was taken from John 11: 5 & 6:
"Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
When he (Jesus) had heard therefore that he (Lazarus) was sick, he abode 2 days still in the same place where he was."
We are to have faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. But, during this trial, I didn't know that God's will was not to give Kara an earthly healing, but a heavenly healing. So, my will for Kara's earthly healing did not coincide with God's will, purpose, and plan. I was made aware that night, there are times that sometimes our faith makes us stumble. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God can move, so why hasn't He moved like we thought He should?" That explained the battle that raged in my mind.
He made mention that, "A love that fails to trust in the dark, fails to glorify God." and also, "Blessed is he, who is not offended in Me (Jesus)." There's a God worth serving, and loving when our world falls apart. He is able to hold us and love us securely. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Do I have a faith that trusts God regardless of what I feel like, and regardless of the circumstance? If I keep my eyes on the circumstance, and the trial, it only makes it easy to get my eyes off of the Lord, and His goodness, and His love for me.
He also mentioned the verse, "Jesus wept." The Preacher wondered, as I often had, "Why the weeping? Why the tears?" ...He believed the tears Jesus shed were because the ones whose confidence he sought the most, and whose love delighted Him more than any He loved, suspected Him of deserting them in their hour of trial. He believed Jesus was grieved because their will ran contrary to His own...Possibly the Lord was thinking, "How could you have thought that I would abandon you when you needed Me the most?" Oh, how my eyes were opened through this preaching message! God, had not in fact, deserted me!
I have found when you're are going through the hard times of life, often that's when you can feel the Lord so sweet, close, and real to you. I trust Him, He is a faithful Father, worthy of our trust. We can't see the big picture as He can. There is a reason, and I trust God is working all that has recently happened in our lives for our good. (Romans 8:28.) I still trust, and believe in the One who has carried and walked with us in the darkest hours of our lives. He is the One who will be with us in the night. He is our lily in the valley.
I would love to encourage someone who is hurting, and doesn't understand, to seek the Lord to heal your hurt, and broken heart. He is a Healer. He gives joy in the hardest trials of life. He fills our hearts and minds with peace when at times that you may think it's impossible to have peace. It's my desire that through these dark days we have faced, that not one person be offended in the Lord from what has happened. It is God's will to give us the Kingdom of Heaven, and Kara and my Dad just got there before I did. If anything, I would hope someone could understand all of this a little better, and draw closer to the One who loves us like no other. Tony told Kara, "Run to Jesus. He can love you like I can't."
God gives us a strength to cope that is not of ourselves, but of our precious Savior's. He is a faithful, heavenly Father with a love for us that sustains us. Without Him & His grace, we are nothing. But, what is so special about God's unconditional love, is that it is not only for me, but He has shed it abroad to all...God is no respector of persons, and gave His ONLY Son who was without sin, as a sacrifice which paid the price for our sins. It is through Him, that we can be forgiven from our sins, and born-again. Then, through our salvation that He has given to us, do we have a hope that continues on.
Someone made mention of the fact that there is no night in Heaven. So, when we get there, to Kara, it will just be "a little later in the day." Oh, how I loved that! Until the day when we are reunited again with our sunshine, Kara Grace, we will continue to press on....................
God bless!
Megan
I'm planning on doing one more update to Kara's website, and then, that will more than likely be the end of the updates. It was opened with the intent to keep everyone informed on Kara. I believe that purpose has been fufilled, and so much appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for every prayer, every kind word-EVERYTHING!
21 August 2010, 2:54pm EST
Following are the finalized arrangements.
Viewing for Kara will be on Monday, 23 Aug 2010 from 5:00-8:00pm at the Blue Springs Church of God, 3265 Blue Springs Rd, Strawberry Plains, TN 37871. The funeral will be held at the church on Tuesday at 11:00am.
The church has secured lodging discounts through the Quality Inn Interstate - in Kodak (I-40, exit 407) Sunday night through Tuesday, room rates are $42.00, let the attendant know you are coming in for Kara's funeral to receive this rate.
Quality Inn Interstate, 155 Dumplin Valley Road, Kodak, TN 37764, Phone (865) 933-1719
20 August 2010, 4:33pm EST
Following are the arrangements that we currently have. Viewing for Kara will be on Monday, 23 Aug 2010 at the Blue Springs Church of God, 3265 Blue Springs Rd, Strawberry Plains, TN 37871. The time of the viewing is not yet firm, but will probably be in the 5:00-8:00pm time frame, I will post the exact time tomorrow. The funeral will be held at the church on Tuesday at 11:00am.
19 August 2010, 3:00pm EST
This afternoon Kara left her pain and suffering and sped away to Heaven. Her journey through sickness now being over, she is able to run and play with those that enjoy the beauty that is over there. She will be greatly missed by those that love her here, but they are determined to meet her again some day. Please keep the family in your prayers.
We'll provide more information as it becomes available.
18 August 2010, 11:09pm EST
The kids didn't arrive at St. Jude's until just a short time ago, there was a lot of traffic backups and accidents, thankfully they . Please pray for the kids.
They are keeping Kara pretty much sedated, otherwise her pain is really extreme. . Kara woke up earlier in the day and said that she saw people standing in a line. The family was comforted by this.
They have stopped giving her anything other than pain medication, the doctors have said it's just a matter of time. As difficult as it may sound, the families prayer now is that if the Lord isn't going to heal her that he'll come softly and take her. Watching her suffer is just too difficult.
Please continue to pray for all of them, they will need to feel the strength of your prayers in the upcoming days.
18 August 2010, 5:48pm EST
I just spoke with Judy and Gary. Things aren't looking very good at this point. . They have tried to keep her sedated as much as possible but when she wakes up she complains of the pain. Please pray for her. Her struggle with this awful disease is nearly over. The other children should be arriving in Memphis at anytime. Please pray for Tony and Megan and their other children, also Mary, Butch and Vonda as they are all there with her.
17 August 2010, 12:10pm EST
I spoke with Mary around 12:10pm, they are now at St. Jude's. She told me that Kara is still very uncomfortable, they are going to switch out some of her pain medication to try to alleviate the pain. They have not done the radiation treatment yet, but they are planning on doing it later this afternoon. They aren't sure that the radiation will have an effect on the liver though. The swelling is still pushing against her organs and lungs. Her regular doctor isn't very optimistic that the radiation will work, but the radiologist believes he can reduce the swelling, his goal is to get it reduced enough so that Kara can go home. Another very important thing is that Kara's body is no longer producing Red Blood cells. This remains a very, very critical point in Kara's journey. Please join us in prayer for her and her family. As you can imagine this is extremely difficult for all of them.
16 August 2010, 10:25pm EST
Kara was taken back to Memphis yesterday because of the pain she was experiencing. Her liver is extremely swollen and pushing against her other organs. I just spoke with Tony's brother, Gary. He told me that she was resting some now, but they are having a hard time of being able to relieve the pain. They are planning on shooting her liver with radiation tomorrow morning in an attempt to bring the swelling down and provide relief. This is a very critical time for little Kara. Our God is able to move, he's able to heal even yet. We ask that everyone please be prayerful, not only for Kara but for her family. They have all been through so very much in the last few weeks. Several members of the family are pulling out of Dandridge tomorrow morning around 4:00am, please be prayerful that they will have a safe trip, I'm sure sleep isn't coming to them very easily at this time. I'll update the site as soon as I hear anything new.
Jeff
12 August 2010, 4:21pm EST
Well, it is now Thursday, and Kara has not been herself since this bug hit her Saturday. She is content to lay down and rest wherever she's at. She didn't even want to play with toys in the clinic on Tuesday. Even at home, she doesn't play. She just lays around. She is over the vomitting, and is still having some loose bowels. But, the cough and tiredness is lingering. She did START to perk up a little last night, and has eaten better today, but she's NOT herself yet.
In clinic, we found out that her bloodwork seems to be trending upward, and she appears (according to her labs) to be fighting off with her own immune system, this bug she caught. Her platelets were still critical. (The virus could have caused these to be low.) So, she received another transfusion. The Doctor seems to think last week's low counts were from radiation, and now the counts are recovering. She was a little dehydrated, so she received i.v. fluids. One other thing that we found out, is that her liver enzymes are really elevated. They were also this way in the E.R., and we didn't find this out until Tuesday in clinic. The Doctor did not think this is caused from the medicines that she is on, or from the radiation (it was to her brain). She wanted to feel Kara's stomach area, and we also found out her liver is enlarged. The Doctor reached over for my hand, and had me feel it. We should not be able to feel her liver. I felt Kara again today, and it's still enlarged. They will recheck her labs on Tuesday. Please help us pray for her healing and miracle. I am concerned, of course, and I really want her to be healed....
9 August 2010, 1:30am EST
Okay, so with Kara's increased vomitting & diarrhea, and not being able to hold down all of her medicines, I called the On-call doctor tonight. He said it sounds like an upper GI bug, especially since Tony has the symptoms too. That explains the fever, and he hadn't received any news yet that her cultures were growing any type of bacteria. It's a virus that needs to run it's course, and the main issue is to keep her hydrated. So, he said the minimum amount of fluids she needs to keep her hydrated are 2 ozs./hr. He said it's tricky with the vomitting and irritated stomach to keep her hydrated, so I am starting out slow, and increasing in amount, and lengthening the time span between drinks as I go, throughout the night. She doesn't seem to be dehydrated, and the vomitting and diarrhea have slowed down since I talked with him. I think maybe the worst is past us now. Please pray no one else gets this. Kara's stomach was really hurting her tonight. Thanks!
8 August 2010, 9:16pm EST
Well, last night Kara spiked a fever. So, we did the usual routine in the E.R. She is now on an antibiotic for 10 days. She also received an i.v. antibiotic to cover her central line in case a bacteria in her blood was brewing, but the doctor said she didn't appear toxic. They will call if something grows in her blood cultures. So far, no word from them.
It started out with a sore throat, and now she's had body aches, fever, stuffy & runny nose, cough, diarrhea, and vomitting. Tony has also been sick with some of the same symptoms. Kara has been laying around a lot, and not eating much at all. Please pray she makes a complete turn-around soon, and it's nothing more than a virus, and that no one else gets this. This is not the week for us all to be sick....too much going on...Thanks again for all the prayers....
7 August 2010, 8:03pm EST
I love to listen to music. It's something I've always connected with. So, with the events of this past week, I have really been comforted listening to certain songs over, and over, and over again. Although this one I'm going to share isn't one of those I used a lot this week, I found it appropriate, and thought the words might help many of you guys, too.
WHY SHOULD I WORRY
He's been a shelter in the storm
When everything went wrong
A beckoning hand that led me back home
A still, small voice saying, "It's gonna be alright."
My song of hope in the darkest night.
So, why should I worry?
Why should I fear?
When I know that He is always near.
Even when the weight of the world is closing in on me,
His eyes are always watching over me.
So, why should I worry?
He's the sunrise in the morning
after a night of tears.
The Spirit moving to calm all my fears.
A soft gentle touch just to help me be strong.
The wind in my sail to keep me going on.
The sun has never refused to shine.
The ocean has never run dry.
In His word He said I was worth more than all the world,
so why should I worry?
6 August 2010, 11:19pm EST
Tony & I have decided at this time not to go ahead with the oral chemotherapy for Kara. We still need to call St. Jude to tell them this. The call will probably be made on Monday.
We had to take Kara to the clinic today. She was showing signs of critical platelet levels. Sure enough, they were, so she was transfused. She is also anemic, although I didn't think her count would be as low as it was. She is not at transfusion level for red blood cells yet. Her counts will be checked again next Tuesday. Her weight is up to 52 1/2 lbs. now! Her appetite is still good. She is also still swollen in the face, and has finished being weaned from the steroids. I was told it could take anywhere from 2 weeks - a month from ending the steroids before the swelling is completely gone. She is also being weaned from her extended morphine, and zantac.
The end of May was the last of her chemotherapy, and her total brain radiation ended on July 13th. Her counts were quite a bit lower today than what they were on her last CBC on July 15th. Radiation, accumulative treatment, and disease can lower these counts. The Doctor that saw her today thinks that the reason for her low blood counts probably is from the radiation, unless she has disease all over in her bone marrow. Her words were, "Time would tell." I like to think that she will receive a miracle soon. Then, the reason "why" won't even matter at that point. She would have restored bone marrow, be disease free, and made whole again. God is able - Help us trust & believe!
Good-night & God bless.....
6 August 2010, 11:03pm EST
Well, I figured it's time now that I set myself down to do this update.....
Many of you already know that my Dad passed away last Thursday, July 29th. Although it seemed so untimely and shocking, I am at peace with this, realizing and knowing that this WAS indeed God's perfect timing, and will. I am not cold or hurt at the Lord for calling him home. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my precious loving Dad is in a Heavenly home for eternity. He is there, in safety and eternal rest. I don't believe it will be very long at all before I will get to see him again. Knowing he had prepared himself to meet Jesus and was ready to leave this world, (even though it was so sudden and unexpected) allows something like this to be bearable. Another reason why I can deal with this is, that I have a Comforter that walks this road with me. Oh, what would I do if I didn't have Him? I would be helpless, hopeless, & a total wreck. The Lord is our Lily in the Valley, our Flower in the Desert, and THE BEST friend I have ever had. He still allows me to have joy in my heart, even though I miss my Dad. He has been, and is our strength during the dark nights that we've had to face over the past few years. I love Him so much for His faithfulness to us, and His unending love. I didn't get a chance to say good-bye to my Dad, but that was something my Dad never liked to say. It was too final. He would say, "So-long," or "See ya". I have a hope that this is not "Good-bye" for us, but just a short separation.
Thank you for all the many messages, prayers, cards, gifts, and for everyone who was here for our family during this time. I realize what a special person my Dad was to people. I'm glad the Lord saw fit to loan him to us for what time we had. We have all greatly appreciated the outpouring of support and love that has been shown to our family. Thank you so VERY much.
Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Obituary for Mike Isaacs
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