Kevin Healey

First of all, we request prayers for Kevin's friend Dana Care, about whom I posted a few months ago. Dana will be having surgery to remove her necrotic Ewing's Sarcoma tumor from tissue in her leg, as well as the tiny new tumor in the same area. Her surgery is scheduled for this Friday, November 21st. Dana will have Kevin's surgeon and she is in excellent hands, but anxiety and pain are a surgical reality. Please keep Dana and her wonderful family in your prayers this Friday and over the weekend as she recovers.

Tom is on his way to ND today to bring Kevin home for a chemo tomorrow, Thursday, November 20th. Prior to chemo Kevin will have surgery to implant a new chemo port. Kevin's veins haven't cooperated lately, so Kevin will undergo a minor surgery (he will still be put under general anesthesia - never fun) and then have chemo later in the day. He will stay home to recover so he won't be going back to ND for about 2 weeks. Kevin is scheduled to have chemo again the day after Thanksgiving. No after-Thanksgiving shopping for this family!

We are all in this human condition together, and together, with the help of God's grace, we make each other's lives more bearable. We can all provide comfort to each other and to strangers. You have made our family more aware of what is and what isn't important and have taught us to love in an unselfish manner. Thank you for teaching us along the way. God bless --

Ann & Tom

The news is that Kevin will stay in chemo for several more rounds. A surgical date has not yet been established. We will be getting him from ND next Wednesday, November 19th for a chemo the following day. He will also have chemo the day after Thanksgiving. More chemo sessions will follow in December. We know you hold him close during chemos - thank you. For Kevin’s Cleveland friends…please call him over the Thanksgiving break. He is anxious to see all of you!

Although we didn’t know about Kevin’s tumor until the end of December 2006, he was already experiencing knee pain 2 years ago. He has been sick for a very long time. It’s so easy to think that prayers aren’t working and to “throw in the towel.” However, it is so apparent that prayers ARE working. For one thing, our family remains strongly intact despite adversity. That’s God’s grace at work, and everyone’s prayers have intensified the grace. Kevin is still fighting hard! Tom and I have every reason to believe that he will be an amazing attorney in just a few short years. This journey will help him become a great advocate for people who need his expertise. Mary Kate is still Irish dancing and doing well in school and is looking forward to making a choice as to which Catholic girls’ high school to attend. Our regular lives have continued (work, school, etc.), which doctors tell us is best for everyone. We could not have done that without prayers and the compassionate understanding of people in our lives. We are so grateful.

We have had so many blessings along the way. Not only have the people already in our lives been a source of strength, but also we have met so many new and wonderful people. Kevin’s story has touched people all over the world. We even traveled to Lourdes and Paris to ask for divine intervention. In moments when I dwell on the very rare instances when people haven’t been so compassionate to us, God graces me with memories of when I haven’t been at my best, either. That stops my negative thoughts in their tracks! Dwelling on the blessings gets us through, and all of you are blessings. I would be remiss if I failed to mention tangible means of support (meals, fundraisers, etc.) There are uncountable ways in which you have helped. We are a fortunate family indeed.

I guess these thoughts came to me because we are so rapidly approaching Thanksgiving. Although we wouldn’t wish this kind of suffering on anyone’s child, we are counting our blessings nonetheless. These past two years have been difficult beyond description, and yet filled with meaning and joy. At our Thanksgiving dinner table we will remember you. We will post again if/when anything new happens. Thank you for continuing to invoke upon the heavenly intervention of Pope John Paul II on behalf of Kevin. Have a great week. We continue to need you.

Ann & Tom

After a very anxious 24 hour wait the results of Kevin's scans are in and they are mixed. Several tumors have died; others are shrinking, but, sadly, 3 tumors are actually growing despite being blasted with chemo for the past 5 months. We are most likely going to keep Kevin in chemo for a few more rounds before his anticipated left lung/pleural cavity removal. This isn't the news we hoped for at what was supposed to be the end of chemo treatments, but, as always, we need to press forward in the most constructive manner.

I give Tom a lot of credit for being the person with Kevin during scans. I have been with Kevin for a few of the "bad news" days and find that I am not as strong as he is. Kevin is feeling kind of low physically and mentally but he always rallies. School, commuting (we never thought he'd be a "commuter" student at ND!) and chemo are taking their toll. Your prayers, as prolonged as they have been, will make or break Kevin's circumstances. We humbly ask (if you are able) to continue praying and keeping him and his imperfect family going.

I literally can't wait to share stories of minor miracles that have happened along this journey. I can't wait until the big miracle to share God's mysterious and beautiful ways. Hang in there with us and we will post when Kevin will have his next chemo - probably in about 10 days. Thank you to the thousands of people in our lives who share compassion and understanding when we aren't at our best. Your kindness will be rewarded. God bless --

Ann & Tom

Kevin Healey will be at the Cleveland Clinic for his (projected) last chemo treatment on Monday, November 3rd. He will be back at the Clinic the next day, Tuesday, November 4th, for post-treatment scans. The results of these scans will be used to determine a future course of action (i.e. surgery, more chemo, a combination, etc.). Let’s please continue to keep the family in our prayers. Especially these next few days.

Recently, a few of us had the opportunity to spend some time with Ann, and she shared with us the story of Padre Pio (St. Pio of Pietrelcina). God blessed Padre Pio, a humble Capuchin priest from San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy , in many wonderful and mysterious ways. The most dramatic blessing was the stigmata. Padre Pio bore the wounds of Christ for fifty years! Among his other gifts were perfume (the odor of sanctity), bilocation, prophecy, conversion, reading of souls and miraculous cures. She also explained to us that Padre Pio had a relationship with Pope John Paul II while both men were still alive. In fact, Padre Pio predicted greatness for Pope John Paul II while he was still a young priest in Poland.

Ann said that the Healey family has a special friendship with Padre Pio. She also shared that during separate (prayer) incidents both Tom and Ann have experienced Padre’s odor of sanctity. What an incredible gift!

It was through prayer that the Healey family has been guided by Padre Pio and the Holy Spirit to ask for the intercession of Pope John Paul II on Kevin’s behalf during his nearly 2-year battle with bone and lung cancer. It was after we all prayed through the intercession of Pope John Paul II before Kevin’s January 2007 first lung surgery, doctors, who found 5 spots on Kevin’s lungs through scans, were amazed to discover 5 scars in his lungs during surgery. Although God hasn’t spared Kevin a long course of cancer and its consequent treatments and surgeries, the Healey family is filled with faith and hope that Pope John Paul II will intercede again on Kevin’s behalf.

Here is the intercessory prayer the Healey family would like us to say:

O Holy Trinity,
we thank you for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II,
and for having made him shine with your fatherly tenderness,
the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendor of the Spirit of love
He, trusting completely in your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself
in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd
and has pointed out to us holiness
as the path to reach eternal communion with You.
Grant us, through his intercession,
according to your will, the grace that we implore,
in the hope that he will soon be numbered among your saints,

Amen.


Please share this prayer. We would like to ask as many people as possible to pray this prayer, especially on Monday and Tuesday! It has been very important to the Healey family that the intercession of Pope John II is sought. Let us be witness to the miracle!

Friends of the Healey Family

Kevin did go to Florida for a few days last week and had a wonderful getaway. He had chemo yesterday (Mon., Oct. 27th) and will return to ND on Weds., Oct. 29th. He will come home again a few days later for a Mon., Nov. 3rd chemo. The next day, Tues., Nov. 4th is a big day in more ways than the obvious. Kevin will have his post-treatment scans, which will determine the future course of action.

Because we are now coming to the end of treatments and some major decision-making, we ask for intensified prayers if you are able. We return the favor every day. We can't thank you enough for helping us in this, the most important way.

We will update frequently over the next few weeks. Thank you, as always.

Ann & Tom

People have been asking about Kevin. After a big scare last week things have settled a bit and we got Kevin on a plane to spend a few days in Florida with his ND roommates. He needs the sunshine/vitamin D and the R & R. He will be home by the weekend and plans to attend the St. Ignatius/St. Ed's football game. He can't wait to see people. Last year he spent that game night in the hospital post-surgery, so he is very much looking forward to attending this year. Tom, Mary Kate and I are looking forward to the game, too, as our lives have been a bit upside down these past two years. God willing, the evening will provide us with a little bit of normalcy!

His next chemo is this coming Monday, October 27th. If all goes well he will be going back to ND (a couple of days after school resumes) on Wednesday, October 29th.

Thank you for keeping us going. All of Kevin's supporters are the best. We all send our love --

Ann & Tom

Kevin's nurse practitioner saw him this morning and his counts were very low and his body is exhausted, but no transfusions were needed for now. He has had a persistent allergy/cold for weeks and he will start medication to help prevent pneumonia and to make him more comfortable. Right now he needs a lot of sleep. The combination of school and chemo has taken its toll.

This coming week is his fall break and we want him to relax and take his mind off his illness and the pressures of college. Last fall he spent his break in the hospital for emergency surgery/recovery; he developed a staph infection in his leg incision. This year we are planning on letting him get away for a little vacation in a few days and will pray that his counts allow him some respite from his daily life.

Thank you for your care and concern. There are so many of you who have been inconvenienced by Kevin's illness, and you have not only chosen to continue helping, but you have embraced your inconveniences - thanking us for providing you the opportunity for grace. You have taught this family a lot. God bless and we hope NOT to have to update for awhile!

Ann & Tom

Thank you to everyone who made the Novena for Kevin; we are so grateful.

Today (Thursday) my cell phone rang in my classroom and it was Kevin asking me to come get him right away. He knew that his blood counts were extremely low and that he needed to get to the Clinic for platelets and possibly a blood transfusion. He had other symptoms that worried the daylights out of me but we are hoping that tomorrow (Friday) the transfusions will help the problems. I am blessed to have a great administration and co-faculty -- I was able to leave right away for ND and get him. Nine hours later we got home safely and will be at the Clinic first thing Friday morning.

Tom and I are always grateful to our employers for their understanding. We also thank Kevin's professors, especially one who had to accommodate his absence for his mid-term on Friday.

All will be well. All is grace. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. Without them we couldn't take care of our children. With them - we move forward in a positive direction. We'll update soon. God bless."

Ann

I felt compelled to write about the importance of prayer in each of our lives and how it can bring about great physical and spiritual changes in the world. As I was lighting candles at the Grotto at Notre Dame this weekend for all of your intentions it struck me how powerful prayers can be. I was reminded of the many times that people have written to us to tell us that they had stopped to light a candle for us and what strength it gave me to know that a light was shining for us in that cave. Those candles remind me to both thank you for your prayers and to ask that you continue praying with and for us on this very lengthy journey.

Along the way we have found others to pray for and I ask that you continue to pray for them. I am including below a link to the Novena of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. October 16th is the Feast of St. Margaret Mary, the saint who was most responsible for popularizing the Sacred Heart devotion. The novena is a 9 day prayer which if begun on October 8th will conclude on October 16th, which is not only St. Margaret Mary's feast but is also the 30th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II -- to whom Kevin has a special devotion. Novenas are prayed for specific intentions, and so I am asking that you pray not just for Kevin but for anyone you know who is struggling to overcome a serious illness: physical, mental or spiritual.

Prayer is a very powerful instrument in helping to bring about the fulfillment of God's will, and when we pray together we participate in the life of God in a most intimate and special way. Thank you again for all that you have done, and know that we pray daily not just for Kevin but for the intentions of every one of you. God bless.

In Our Lady,

Tom

Sacred Heart Novena: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/heart/sh_novena.htm

Yet another chemo is finished. If all goes according to schedule, Kevin will have 1 more chemo in October (next Wednesday, 10-8) and 2 more in early November.

This weekend Tom is planning to take Mary Kate to ND for the weekend and for the football game. I will be staying home with Kevin. We think we will literally pass each other on the turnpike Sunday when they return from ND and when I am driving Kevin back. I've heard the expression "two ships passing in the night," but we are "two cars passing on the highway." (Groan). Sleep deprivation humor. Anyway, because we have heard from so many people how important it is that we light candles and pray for their intentions, Tom and MK's first stop at ND will be at the Grotto to light a candle for your intentions. Whether we know of your intentions or not, you are covered in prayer.

It's great to hear a compliment, even if it's a bit unusual. This week I was grading papers at my desk while my Kindergarten students were having their morning snack. A boy came up to my desk and asked me to open his yogurt tube. I opened my desk and took out my scissors. He looked at me with adoring eyes, as if I was the most important and impressive person in the world, and said, "Wow. You have really sharp scissors." Remember that someone in your life thinks you are really important too -- count us in that group. Have a great weekend.

Ann