This week, Joni has been talking about families who are having a difficult time. Today you can write to Juddy and Lanette so they can feel a reminder of God’s love. Find all the details at joniradio.org.
SHAUNA: Joni, I’m so excited about our Heart for the Disabled campaign!
JONI: And, Shauna, you know it well. You’ve been joining me on this campaign for years. And Friend, January is when all of us at Joni and Friends invite you to bless five families who live with the hardships of disability, and they need a little extra encouragement – just in time for Valentine’s Day! So, if you have a pen and paper, let me tell you a few details about Juddy and his mother, Lanette. Now, Juddy is one of the most joy-filled young men you’ll ever meet! He simply oozes happiness and a kind of energy that makes you want to be part of his world.
However that was not the case when, in 2005, eight-year-old Juddy woke up one morning and had a hard time walking. His mystery limp did not improve. Maybe it was a bad sprain, a pulled muscle. His limp gradually worsened over the weeks until Lanette took him to be tested. Time and again, the test results proved ‘inconclusive’ and so, the doctors simply made an educated guess. They thought it was a progressive disease and that eventually he would die.
Even a brain biopsy turned out ‘inconclusive,’ resulting in devastating effects. Juddy lost his ability to move, and speak, or respond to any stimuli. Medical staff warned his mother that if he lived, he would remain in a nonresponsive state. But slowly, her child began to regain some slight movement. And although he still couldn’t walk, or speak, or properly use his hands, Lanette responded courageously. Rather than collapse in discouragement, she focused on the things that Juddy could do. But helping out with her son’s physical therapy and schooling, while working full-time and caring for the rest of the family, proved to be exhausting.
But then, God reminded Lanette that she had read my book – the Joni book – when she was a child. That prompted her to do a little research and she saw that Joni and Friends offered respite at our Family Retreats. She knew the family just had to go! So, just a year after their life-changing medical drama, they drove up to Family Retreat. Although nervous at first, the wild and crazy welcome they received was all it took for them to jump in and take part in everything. Lanette was thrilled to see Juddy go fishing, do the water slide, and much more. The family was simply relieved to be around people who understood them. And the friendships formed at the retreat quickly proved to be a life-changing support system.
Through the years, Juddy has grown into a vibrant young man with a heart that is as engaging as when he was a kid. And over the years, the love, prayers and support of their Joni and Friends network has sustained this family through financial hardships, a divorce, and Lanette’s battles with cancer. But she’s grateful now to be in remission. So I think you can see how Lanette, yes, and Juddy, too, could use a little encouragement. Send them a Valentine, a scripture, a poem, or words to a hymn! And Shauna, where should folks mail their cards?
SHAUNA: You can mail your cards to Juddy and Lanette, in care of Joni and Friends, P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376. And if you missed any details, we’ve posted everything at joniradio.org, including the stories about all our other Heart for the Disabled families. And you’ll be blessed by the heartwarming photo we’ve posted of Juddy and Lanette at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends