Fueled by Faith, Family and Community Pray for Daisy
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/101109_fueled_by_faith_family_and_community_pray_for_daisy/
By Lara Cooper, Noozhawk Staff Writer
5-year-old's kidney cancer sparks an outpouring of support for Reality Carpinteria pastor Britt Merrick and his family
Humbled.
It’s a word Britt Merrick uses a lot these days.
Its usage is especially frequent when he talks about the support he and his family have received from his own church and others, as well as the community at large.
It all started three weeks ago when doctors informed Merrick and his wife, Kate, that their 5-year-old daughter, Daisy, had a tumor the size of a grapefruit in her body.
They were on their way out surfing that fateful Monday morning, on what Merrick calls their “surf dates” they take on his day off from serving as pastor of Reality Carpinteria church, 5251 Sixth St. Their outing was interrupted when they got a call from Daisy’s school that something was wrong.
By the time they arrived at school she was slipping in and out of consciousness, and she was rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
“There was so little time,” Merrick said.
Things began happening very quickly when they got to the emergency room.
“There were so many doctors coming in,” he told Noozhawk. “All of the sudden, we knew this was really serious.”
Daisy was diagnosed incorrectly several times. “They finally said, ‘Hey, this is a giant tumor,” he said. When they found out several hours later that the tumor was cancerous, Merrick said that moment was life-changing.
“It’s a weird moment in your life,” he said. “It’s like your whole existence changes in an instant.”
There wasn’t a lot of time for decision making, but Merrick said that after meeting Daisy’s surgeon, he and his wife had a lot of peace. Doctors said Daisy’s tumor was a Wilms tumor, a highly curable type of childhood cancer that begins in the kidneys.
“It’s got a high cure rate,” said Merrick, who added that doctors have been very optimistic about how the cancer would respond to treatment. Daisy’s cancer had reached stage three, and had only spread to the lymph nodes in the kidney area, he said.
Merrick said Daisy started radiation Wednesday, and will continue the treatment for 14 days. On Thursday, she started chemotherapy, which she’ll be undergoing at the same time as the radiation treatment. It’s an outpatient treatment, Merrick said, so Daisy will be able to relax at home in between clinic visits.
“There are some pretty serious side effects,” he said. The doctors have told the Merricks that Daisy will be one to two inches shorter because the treatment can stunt growth. There’s also a chance that she could suffer from cancer later in life because of the radiation.
“We’re praying that the Lord will minimize that possibility,” he said, and added that Daisy had felt great after the first day of chemo.
Merrick’s own church, as well as many churches throughout the area, quickly mobilized their prayer chains after learning the news, praying for the little girl’s health. To keep the community updated with Daisy’s day-to-day situation, the family relies on a blog, Pray for Daisy Love, with photos and prayer requests. Dozens of comments of support inevitably accompany each entry, many from all over the globe.
“We’re so humbled by the comments,” Merrick said. “There’s been support from all over the world.”
Merrick said he’s been able to use the comments as a teaching moment for Daisy. She had been afraid before going in for her first day of radiation, Merrick said, and was frightened to go back to the hospital.
“I started to tell her about all the different places that people are praying for her ... Germany, Denmark, Israel, and her face started lighting up,” he said. Together, they searched for all the locations on a globe.
“She asked, ‘What about Hawaii?’ and I was able to tell her that people were supporting her there, too,” he said. “She was really happy. That’s huge, even for a 5-year-old.”
Merrick preached his own sermon on the topic, “When My Heart Is Overwhelmed,” on Sept. 27, six days after his daughter’s diagnosis. The video of the emotional but joyful sermon has been viewed nearly 19,000 times since it was posted online.
When My Heart Is Overwhelmed from Reality on Vimeo.
When Merrick was asked what the family’s greatest needs are, he was quick to turn around the question and encouraged people to help other families who may need support. While in the waiting rooms at the hospital, Merrick said he and his wife saw many families without anyone to wait with them.
“We’re so humbled and were thinking ‘What about the single moms with no support?’” he said. “That really weighs on us a lot to somehow raise awareness to the needs all around. Let’s start to identify other people who really need help.”
Merrick was also thankful for those in the community who have stood behind them thus far. “We’ve had so much support and such an outpouring of love,” he said.
Going forward, it’s not only the prayers of support that are keeping the Merricks grounded during Daisy’s chemotherapy, but their faith in God.
“We’re able to rely on Him and He’s given us a lot peace,” he said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/101109_fueled_by_faith_family_and_community_pray_for_daisy/