All week we have been sharing such incredible stories of amazing teens. We have decided to wait until Monday to announce the winner of the Teen Fotostory on Monday. We would love to hear from all our readers by commenting below. Also we would love for you to tell us on our Facebook page Which Story has touched your heart the most this week??
Molly Nominee #5
Cancer Survivor striving everyday to live it to the fullest
Today we have the story of Molly. Molly’s mom nominated her and shared her incredible story below. Molly has been through so much in her young years but she has remained positive and has had a great attitude through everything! Read Molly’s inspiring story below and visit her caring bridge website here…
caringbridge.org/tx/mollyjohnson
Please describe the story of the nominee in full detail:
When Molly was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. She spent 5 months at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas undergoing very strong chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and fighting life-threatening infections. Only about 150 children in the U.S. have this type of leukemia each year and the survival rate is only about 50-60%. We were blessed to find out that her brother, Matthew, was a perfect match for her bone marrow and he was able to give her his healthy bone marrow stem cells in a bone marrow transplant. Molly missed half of her 4th grade school year, but with the help of her teacher bringing work to the hospital, she was able to stay with her class and start 5th grade on schedule. Her father and I were amazed at the tremendous amount of love and support in so many ways from friends and family. As hard as this was to see our little girl in the hospital with this horrible disease, we knew that God was in control. We are so thankful to God that she has been healed and the leukemia continues to be in remission.
Unfortunately, because of the very strong chemotherapy drugs needed to kill the leukemia cells in her body, Molly has several late effects. She has been on growth hormones and female hormone replacement due to irreversible damage to her ovaries. Her heart has also been damaged from one of the chemotherapy drugs and she has developed dilated cardiomyopathy. She continues to see many doctors and have testing done on a regular basis.
Molly is a senior in high school this year and while we are very thankful that she is alive, we see that she has never fully caught up with her peers socially and academically. We are praying for God’s will for her life and her future as she prepares for the next several years. Because of her caner experiences and love for children she would love to go to college and pursue either a nursing degree or teaching certificate.
Please describe how this nominee is inspiring you and loved ones :
Everything for Molly is more difficult than her healthy peers, but she continues to have a good attitude about the tests, prescription drugs and deficiencies in her body. Even though she is only 17, her body is similar to a post menopausal woman. Molly continues to have a positive attitude and strives to be a “normal” teenager. From the time she spent in the hospital until now she relies on her favorite Bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you,declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
What life lessons have you learned from this story? :
God is faithful and will be with us through any situations that we face. He loves us more than we will ever know and He has a very special plan for Molly!
Why do you want to nominate this story? :
I want others to see the miracle that God performed in Molly’s life and the blessings that He has poured out on our family.
Please feel free to leave any comments to encourage this teen!