Because I’m Anni’s Aunt Betsy, I have spent many hours on the phone or FaceTime with her chatting about school, friends, church camp, the Sunday school lessons she was teaching, boyfriends and family.

 

   Then, a year ago, the subjects of conversation changed. There have been tearful calls about her kidney failure, friends who have not quite known how to handle her sickness, sadness in knowing her parents are sad sometimes, falling behind in school when the hearing loss from antibiotics took its toll and praying to understand it all.

 

   But, through everything, Anni has been incredibly brave. Like the time she was headed back into surgery for the third or fourth procedure. The attendants transferred Anni onto the gurney while she sang the lyrics to “On the Road Again”. Or when she found out that her eye-sight was not being damaged like her hearing had been. She laughed and said, “Well, everything else has been falling apart so, I’m glad my eyes are doing alright.”

 

   She has had her moments, her breakdowns, her times of anger toward a disease that has stolen so much from her at a young age. To be honest, we have all had our moments, but God has been ever faithful to remind us that He has a plan for Anni. I have watched her go through the difficult work of dialysis, trying to do homework when she could not hear the teacher or attend class, not driving because of dizziness the week she got her very first driver’s license, not getting to jump in the lake with her friends at camp. But, I am convinced that she will be a more compassionate, more understanding person, a more empathetic doctor or teacher or whatever this brilliant girl decides her career path will be. She will overcome all of this and be more successful because of it.

 

Anni and her family will not forget the help you have given them through COTA in honor of Team Anni.

 

Love,

Betsy Hernandez (Aunt Betsy)