Thank you, everyone, for an overwhelming response of love and support for our family. We were blown away by so many aspects of the Ride for Ely journey.
First, Rockey deciding to bike over 1,000 miles just to support Ely… wow. (And then he ACTUALLY DID IT!)
Second, the amount of money raised from people we know, people we have some loose connections to through mutual friends and then from complete strangers. God showed up in His compassionate, loving way through all of you. He confirmed through your actions that He truly means it when He says He will not leave us alone on this journey.
Third, we loved seeing the pictures, videos, and warm welcomes throughout Rockey’s journey.
Finally, the timing of it all is just jaw-dropping. We knew we had a big shot at getting Ely an experimental treatment that could possibly save his life. But the obstacles in the way were going to take us down fast. Just the amount of flying alone was going to rack up the $$ signs. And emotionally, to lose Titus in the midst of all this while being handed hope for Ely… it all seemed just too much to bare. But we watched God work through all of you as each obstacle was taken out. Flights? No problem. A place to stay in Ohio? No problem. Warm hugs when the pain gets too hard or the love is bubbling out? No problem. Prayer partners along the journey? No problem! And as Rockey biked into Darby, MT finishing the Ride For Ely, we were in Columbus, OH where Ely was just coming out of recovery from the surgery he needed to start the treatment. What a God-thing all of this and all of you are to us.
We feel the weight of the generosity… its heavy. We do not take lightly what has been done for our family. Time and time again throughout this Batten journey, you all confirmed with us that you were indeed still there even if life got foggy and we couldn’t even see our hands in front of our faces. You all have been exactly the kind of community Jesus always intended for us all to be. And to be the recipients of such love, such generosity… it is a heavy, heavy blessing. To receive and not be able give back equal value (in man’s eyes), we’ve had to learn the lesson of accepting those gifts even when we did nothing to earn them. And what comes along with that is a deep gratitude, thankfulness. And a very hands on lesson about what Jesus has done for all of us. He gave everything, right down to giving up his life for us even though we did nothing to earn that kind of love, advocacy, and deep relationship with him.
And so, we find ourselves in a place where our hands are open and ready to receive, ready to give. We have been forever changed. We will whisper this truth and love in dark places and will shout it from rooftops. We take a step forward into this new chapter, our hearts broken and shattered but love shining through the destruction and mutilation, creating beauty and strength among the broken. We look to each side and see all of you, also fellow comrades of broken hearts. We all grasp hands because this becomes strength and we take that step together. This strength and love is tangible, palpable. The Holy Spirit is among, and in and intertwined throughout us. The power to transform and change is ours through the Holy Spirit. This is the journey we are on. This is what the Ride for Ely was all about. Thank you. Just… thank you.
To continue to follow our story (and we’d be honored and humbled if you did) find us on Facebook @team4TitusEly and Instagram @cantstealmyjoy2.
We also invite anyone who’d like to attend to join us for Titus’s life celebration on October 28th @ 7 pm at Mariners church MV in Mission Viejo, CA.
With all our love and gratitude,
Danny, Bekah, Titus and Ely
[…] moving through FDA approval, but Ely was graciously granted access to an early access program. The Ride for Ely campaign made it possible to accept the offer for his spot and not have the travel expenses swallow […]