Sometimes location, location, location isn’t the key to defining the value of a home. Often times its God’s providence.
When I relocated home to Dallas last July, my brother and his family decided to put their home on the market – they wanted to take advantage of a soft market and ideally get a deal on a property not far from their current location. They had two offers but neither stuck. It just seemed like they weren’t destined to move.
Their existing place was fine but rather than sell, they decided to stay put. An extensive renovation was in order, however, there was one feature of their home that simply couldn’t be changed – their home’s best feature transcended any physical characteristic, it was a metaphysical connection – or rather a spiritual one. A bond they shared with their neighbors – Dave, Carol and their daughters Patrice and Anna Basso. The Bassos aren’t really just neighbors, they’re more like family.
I believe there was a far greater reason why my brother’s house didn’t sell.
Just a day before Thanksgiving, 2009, Anna, Dave and Carol’s youngest, was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a very rare and terribly aggressive form of cancer that typically strikes children to young adults between the ages of 10 to 20. So rare that only a handful of cases are diagnosed in a year. Anna’s cancer was diagnosed at Stage 4. The tumors were identified on her pelvis and the cancer had spread to her bone marrow.
While the news was devastating to Dave and Carol, the impact was almost as severe to my brother and sister-in-law – they’ve seen Anna grow up. She was simply part of the family. There is perhaps no stronger or more overwhelming sense of helplessness felt by a parent or loved one when the there appears to be no hope for a child.
But again, this is God’s providence. Where there is faith, there is always hope.
My brother Mark knew he had to do something for Anna. While Anna’s health was in the hands of the medical professionals, her emotional and spiritual well-being – as well as her family – were in the hands of there collective friends and family. For those who have faith, prayer is always a powerful means to hopefully bring about God’s plan.
We all began to pray for Anna. But my brother felt we needed more prayers – he felt he needed to do more. You see – this is why I feel that God has a plan. It may sound strange, but God made sure Mark and Sue stayed put. Their relationship with their neighbors was far greater than any additional square footage gained by moving to bigger, maybe even better house – it would have simply been a new house – it takes years and so much more to make it a home.
My brother Mark owns his own ad agency in Dallas with a deep pool of creative minds – in order to do more for Anna, he unleashed his team t0 help spread the word to others that Anna needed spiritual support. Anna needs at least 1 million prayers to give her the strength and hope to overcome her devastating illness. While 1 million is a large number, the number’s meaning is more symbolic than actual reality, but it sure wouldn’t hurt.
Hence, 1 million prayers 4 Anna was born. If you want to understand how social media can transform a cause, I suggest you give the website a visit. However, this isn’t a story about the power of social media. This is a story about how God’s providence and the collective power of prayer can redefine hope.
I am asking you to pray for Anna.
From late November to mid February, Anna was battered by a very difficult campaign of chemo and radiation treatments. Her follow up in mid February showed miraculous results. The tumors on her pelvic bone had disappeared. Her prognosis was in the 5% range yet she seemed to defy the odds. She is far from out of the woods, however, and she still continues her treatments.
Lets live out Romans 12:12 for Anna and “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
While I think my brother has proven that his home is worth at least a million – I personally think its priceless.
Robert Worthington says:
The Anna Bosso story is simply amazing. I’ve prayed for her and I’m in Wisconsin. I do believe she will have well over a million prayers.
May 9, 2010 — 6:32 am
Tom Hall says:
@Robert I can tell you that your prayers are so appreciated!
May 9, 2010 — 12:02 pm
Michelle DeRepentigny says:
I’m #17239 – and look forward to spreading the word along with sending up my prayers!
May 9, 2010 — 6:36 pm
jeff Brown says:
Mom’s prayer tree alone will move up the count big time. Thanks for the heads up.
May 10, 2010 — 10:42 am
Don Reedy says:
Add three more daily prayers for Anna’s fight from our family.
Thomas, this from the Book of James speaks to me of what faith is truly about, and why praying for Anna IS at the heart of that faith.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
May 10, 2010 — 7:19 pm
Marian Brown says:
I’ll add Anna to my prayer list & her parents & friends that they experience hope & find peace, whatever the outcome.
May 12, 2010 — 1:31 pm
Thomas Johnson says:
I added Anna to my prayers. While we are at it, we can pray for Joseph Ferrara (Sellsius) and his family.
May 12, 2010 — 4:39 pm
Andrew in Toronto says:
I don’t know if any of your neighbours are Roman Catholic, Mr. Hall, but if any are, they may wish to say the following prayer for Anna and your families as I’ve just done:
Novena Prayer
Father, through your son, Jesus, you have
revealed yourself as a God of healing and peace, and through your Holy Spirit you continue to move our hearts to concern for all those who suffer. We, your children, gather in union with St. Michael of the Saints, patron of all who suffer from cancer, asking that you extend your loving help to all who suffer from this illness, especially:
[Mention in silence all for whom you wish to pray]
Bring them both healing and consolation and,
in your mercy, make loving hands of all who care for them. Guide the efforts of all who seek a cure that their work may know success. Trusting in your providence and in the intercession of St. Michael of the Saints, we entrust all of these people into your hands knowing that you are merciful and that you will answer through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
[Saint Michael of the Saints; Trinitarian Mystic & Cancer Patron; Feast celebrated on June 8th]
May 13, 2010 — 8:37 am
Andrew in Toronto says:
[Oops. Sorry for the two ‘hard’ line breaks–the text of all of the lines should run-on together as full sentences if you copy it for your R.C. friends to pray.]
May 13, 2010 — 8:41 am