Pray for the Trimper Family

When we see what other families can face, our problems seem so minor. Imagine having three children, and then finding out each of your children have been tested positive for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare, fatal, genetic disease that affects just one in 100,000 people. There is no known cure.

Meet the Trimper family - Jeff & Jane & their three children, Max, Maddie & Sam. They live in our area, and I was introduced to them from our doctor friend several years ago. In October 2002 they found out their son, Max, has MLD. Their daughter, Maddie (7) is the one struggling the most at this moment, with the Epstein-Barr virus, a side-effect of her battle. She was transferred from an area Michigan hospital she had been in since the end of September to New York on October 10th, where she remains. As I write this I keep checking their journal for an update and pray she is recovering successfully from surgery. She has a tumor and her intestines are blocked. It's been very wearing on this family for the last several years as they have gone out of state several times for medical help. Now they wait anixously on Maddie. I am amazed at Jane's words when on this past Sunday she wrote:

"The whole thing would be so much easier to deal with if we knew how it would end. If we knew for certain that Maddie would be okay in a few weeks, we could remain strong. If we knew for certain that God was going to take her, we could load her with pain medicine and keep her comfortable. The problem is that no one knows what His plan for her is. After all we have seen and all we have watched, we know that no one controls what will happen except God and Maddie. No matter how often you pray or even how you pray or what you believe, the control is His. We simply trust - not because we know we will get what we want but because we know we will get what is right. It isn't easy. And that may be the biggest understatement I have ever written."

I'd like to encourage our readers to pray for this family, and especiall Maddie at this time. I know the waiting for 10 weeks at the bedside of our daughter, Jessica after her open heart surgeries was long, and we did not know whether we'd take her home, or God would take her Home. But this was one child. Yes, I know the pain of burying two children, but I don't wait in anticipation if my other children are going to die too from the same disease, (though I pray a lot when my teenagers go out in the car!) I hope that you will pray for this family. Here are some links so you can keep up to date personally.

UPDATE: 4:25 p.m from their journal - Maddie made it through surgery! PTL!

Trimper Daily Journal

Newspaper Articles:
02-07-03 The Battle of their Life
08-22-03 'I Literally Cried'
12-23-03 2003 'a good Christmas' for the Trimper family
12-24-04 Beating the Odds
12-24-04 Area family receives a miracle for Christmas
10-13-05 ‘Trust and hope’ keep family going

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