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by Cecelia Wilson Cancer seems to run in the family for Tommy Mitchell and his wife, Kelly Jenkins Mitchell. But, while that may be a fact, it was the furthest thing from their minds when Tommy and Kelly married on October 22, 1994. Kelly even envisioned having identical twin girls at some point in their future and, if that never happened, certainly hoped for more than one child. Tommy had always wanted a little girl as well, but little did either newlywed know that cancer and children would be an intertwined complication in their lives for years to come.  The Mitchell Family In January 1999, the couple was thrilled to learn they were pregnant with their first child, but that excitement was tempered when one month later doctors discovered Tommy had a mass on his thyroid. He was scheduled for surgery in March and subsequently was told that of the two types of thyroid cancer, he had the worst. Radiation ensued and while he made a full recovery, the physician relayed the downside to Tommy's exposure to repeated radiation: the Mitchells would probably never have more children. With the birth of their son Blake in August, the Mitchells counted their blessings. They had a healthy child and Tommy was recovering from his health scare. Kelly was content, "We were fine with knowing that God obviously intended on us having one child." But they had always hoped to have more than one child, and Blake would benefit from having a sibling. By the time Blake was six, that thought had grown into determination and, unable to conceive, the Mitchells knew the last option open to them was adoption. By December 2005, arrangements had been made and the Mitchells were set to adopt a baby due the following March. They were excited to be adding to their family and were thrilled to learn in early December that the child would be a girl. Nothing could have made Tommy or Kelly happier than to present their son with a sister. However, complications set in for the birth mother and rather than carrying the child full-term, the baby was born prematurely on December 28, 2005. To everyone's surprise, the preemie was not a girl, but a boy. Nevertheless, Kelly was, again, content. Her son would no longer be an only child - he would have a baby brother and boys were something the Mitchells were now very comfortable raising. Brayden Mitchell was underweight and had numerous health issues keeping him in the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital for several weeks, but the Mitchells finally had that complete family they had been waiting on for many years and knew with God's help they would work through Brayden's health concerns, just as they had Tommy's. Brayden was, and is, a handful! He has overcome all the health problems from his birth and has developed into a boisterous boy, filling the Mitchell house with laughter, noise and plenty of exercise. Having two boys under their roof, Tommy and Kelly both agreed that two children was plenty, particularly when they had never expected to have any more added to their family after Blake. Life settled into a comfortable routine with Blake progressing in elementary school and Kelly leaving her job and becoming a stay-at-home mom with Brayden. It was time in life to think inward and Kelly began to consider something just for her - a lap-band procedure. Tommy was not enthusiastic. Possibly thinking back on his own experience with surgery and thinking ahead to potential complications for his wife, he finally agreed to attend a seminar with Kelly to learn more about the weight-loss procedure. Kelly was convinced. She had attempted many different things in order lose weight and knew enough about the lap-band surgery to believe this would be a good option for her. Adding to her confidence, she had a friend who told her own success story - she had lost 120 pounds after having the surgery and had not encountered any significant problems. After sitting in on the seminar, Tommy also agreed that it would be a viable option for Kelly. On April 29, 2008, Kelly had the surgery and was happy to see the weight begin to come off each month. As expected, she lost weight quickly initially, but in the following months the losses began to taper off. Her food intake was minimal and she did have problems keeping her food down, but her friend had already warned her that might occur. With each month that passed, Kelly was looking great, but her body was not cooperating as well on the inside. Her stomach stubbornly shrunk less rapidly and she continued to be unable to keep much more than liquids down, but under monthly monitoring by the surgeon, she was reassured her results were normal. By January 2009, the family had given up on eating out since Kelly's food consumption was so erratic. While Kelly had lost 55 pounds, she was feeling discouraged. The weight loss was slowing and she didn't feel well. She decided to mention all of this to her regular physician during her annual physical. It was during this routine examination that Kelly's world would be turned upside down again, and this time she was the one facing the fear of cancer. Speaking with her doctor after the exam, he asked an alarming question, "Have I ever discussed fibroid tumors with you?" Her concerns were on even higher alert when he voiced his concern, "You have a fairly large mass that was not there a year ago." Could it be possible that first Tommy and now Kelly would have to face cancer? What would happen to their boys? How would she cope? She was hysterical and began crying as her doctor called the lab and scheduled her that same day for blood work and an ultrasound to examine her abdomen in greater detail. Kelly called Tommy and relayed the news to her husband, but she insisted he remain at work until she received the results from the tests. Blood was drawn, and for 20 minutes Kelly waited in breathless anticipation. The doctor finally came back to deliver the results and, in doing so, he simply held up the paper for her to read: "Positive." Despite the radiation, despite the medical certainties, despite the years of infertility, despite selling every piece of baby furniture in the house, Kelly was pregnant! Relieved she was not facing cancer, Kelly was as equally stunned that she had somehow conceived after years of being unable to do so. The mindset that she and her husband had moved past about having children was suddenly obliterated. They had resigned themselves to having two children; they had decided against adopting more children due to expense, lifestyle and completeness; and now all of that had changed with one single sheet of paper declaring otherwise. Tears set in again and Kelly was unsure how to feel about this almost miraculous development. It was, however, about to become even more amazing. When the ultrasound was conducted minutes later, Kelly learned two other even more amazing bits of information: 1) she was five months pregnant; and 2) the child she would be having in just a few months was a healthy baby girl! Tommy had twice told his wife prior to her doctor visit that she might be expecting, but Kelly had dismissed the concept since they had so many years of knowing it was impossible. So, he absorbed the news with wonder, but humor. On Tommy's next scheduled visit to the oncologist who had first declared their childless future, Tommy's doctor grinned, "I think you owe me a cigar!" Tommy's reply? "I think I owe you a bill!" After several attempts at making out what his tearful mother was trying to tell him, Blake was excited to learn he would be getting a little sister. Brayden, on the other hand, was still too young to fully understand that he would no longer be the youngest in the family. Despite the surprise, despite the short time to get ready for their newest addition, on June 2, 2009, Brooklyn Tate Mitchell was born, coming in at a healthy weight of 6 lbs., 9 oz. and a respectable 19 1/2 inches long. Both brothers have been more than happy to make room for the little bundle clad in pink. As for Tommy and Kelly, they are amazed at the timing and the set of circumstances that has taken them from battling cancer and never having more children to adopting a new son and, now, the birth of their long-awaited daughter. It is a testament to their reliance on God's protection and His ability to lead their lives in directions they believed impossible. Fifteen years after dreaming of a daughter and then traversing through some of the highest and lowest points in their lives, the Mitchells can now bask in the arrival of God's most recent blessing. Go Back to Contents Go to SearcyLiving.com |
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