...'Til We Meet Again

We lost my cousin Joey yesterday. Joey suffered from MPS, which causes the body's inability to break down and recycle materials in the cells, leading to progressive damage throughout the body. Joey lived to be 21 years old, significantly longer than expected of children with this disease, and yet not long enough for those of us who love him. Joey and his mother have provided me with a testimony of God's plan for each of us and an example of selfless sacrifice that I will never forget.

Because Joey lived on Cape Cod, I only saw him three times during his life. The second of these visits came in 2003. At the time, I hadn't seen Joey since I was 15 and Joey was three, before his MPS symptoms had begun to appear, before anyone knew that anything was wrong. I am embarrassed to admit that I was nervous to see him. I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't sure how to act. I was afraid that I would inadvertently say something stupid, which I tend to do.

I was feeding 15-month-old Haley lunch when Joey came home from his school that first day. I heard his bus pull into the driveway, and was feeling a bit apprehensive as I listened to my aunt bringing him onto the porch. But the most extraordinary thing happened. The second that Joey's wheelchair crossed the threshold of the home, I was hit by the strength of his spirit so forcefully that I stopped with Haley's spoon mid-air. I had never felt anything like it. I felt the immense love that Heavenly Father had for this special son and the strength of the love between Joey and his mom. I knew in that instance that I was in the presence of one of the great ones. I knew that Joey had so proven himself before this life that he came to earth not to be tested, but to teach. And I knew that I was privileged to be in his presence.
Joey's life has helped me understand that even our trials are gifts from a Heavenly Father who is aware of each one of us. My aunt Priscilla made her first and only trip to Utah under circumstances so random that I have to believe they were guided by a loving Heavenly Father. During her visit here, she was able to offer comfort to a grieving family who had lost a child to MPS and was unaware of the network of MPS support groups. I don't believe in coincidences. I believe that Heavenly Father cleared the path for Priscilla to come and offer that family support when they needed it most.

I am so grateful to have known Joey. I wish that we hadn't grown up so far apart. I am in awe of my Auntie, of her strength, of her selflessness, of her capacity to love. I can imagine that she must have often felt alone during her years of caring for Joey, but I want her to know that I watched, I knew, and I will never forget. And though my heart grieves today for the sweet family that Joey left behind, I rejoice in knowing that his spirit is free from the limits of his body, that he is right now with our Grandpa on the other side. I like to think that they are laughing together and having all of the conversations that they couldn't have on earth. I look forward to the day when I can join them and tell Joey all of these things, and thank him for blessing my life.