Posted by Frank Lunn & the Kahuna Power Team at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

“Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow: The same God who cares for you today will take care of you and yours tomorrow and everyday. Either God will shield you from suffering or God will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” St Francis Desales

Most of us are playing hurt. In one way or another. One day or another.

Last year, I played “excruciatingly hurt” when our oldest son, Nick, was diagnosed with leukemia. The news came as it almost always does: out of nowhere. A strapping seventeen-year-old starter on the varsity soccer team at his high school, he complained of a sore throat and general feelings of fatigue. Just a couple months before, he was surfing and working on a mission trip in Costa Rica. His year of intense chemo treatments was unlike anything we had imagined could hit our perfect family. Leukemia? Childhood cancer? The Make-A-Wish Foundation? Those were phrases used by other families. Not by ours. We were different. Immune.

Hardly. Personal tragedy, pain and suffering are all part of the human equation. They do not discriminate. Your accomplishment in the world’s eyes, your power, your status, your wealth, your educational level…and your spiritual maturity…do not isolate you from pain and it’s inherent suffering. It will come out of nowhere, catch you completely by surprise and inevitably find the stuff of which you are made.

All of us will play hurt. It's not the playing hurt that separates us from the rest; it's how we choose to play when we play hurt.

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Posted by Frank Lunn & the Kahuna Power Team at 5:13 PM | Permalink

Whenever I would read or hear of a young child or teenager dying, I would look at my two boys and think to myself how lucky I was to have healthy children and that losing a child would be the worst thing that could happen to any parent. I was right.

My name is Christy Rudolph. I am the mother of Nick Rudolph, who Frank Lunn so lovingly dedicated his St. Jude campaign to my son, along with Maya Pettit.

I will never forget May 23, 2002. About a week before, Nick told me that his throat was a little sore. He did not have a fever, he just seemed to be a little tired. After a couple of days his throat was still sore so I decided to take him to the doctor. He had a strep culture which came back negative. The next step was to draw blood for a CBC and to look for infections. That night came the call. “Your son is very sick, please bring him to the hospital right away!” I remember being sick to my stomach and thinking this can’t be happening, he just had a sore throat.

From that point on, our lives were changed forever. We live in Peoria, IL, which has a St. Jude affiliate. After more testing of Nick’s blood we were told he had cancer, he was 15 years old. He had a form of leukemia called AML, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and that we would be going to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis for his treatment.

Continue reading "St. Jude Mom Thankful & Grateful" »

Posted by Frank Lunn & the Kahuna Power Team at 3:21 PM | Permalink