Hello Everyone,First, we’d like to thank each one of you for always remembering Maria and for your unceasing prayers. It is because of your faith, hope and love, and in such great numbers, that we are deeply encouraged and blessed.
It is with GREAT caution but increased hope that we write to you today. Our trip to St. Jude proved to be very inspiring for us.
After viewing Maria’s MRI scans yesterday, Dr. Gajjar, Maria’s oncologist, came into the room to tell us that there has been some AMAZING progress. Maria’s tumor that was once the size of a racquetball has shrunk to about the size of the tip of Ed’s finger! It is almost gone! At first we couldn’t quite grasp what he was saying because it was just so unbelievable (and, yes, you ARE reading this right too!). He then took Ed and I each separately to look at the scans in another room. What we saw was the impossible. I asked Dr. Gajjar if this was because of the Tarceva chemo that Maria is taking. Dr. Gajjar laughed and told me that he would love to be able to take credit for what has happened here but he can not. It’s all of our prayers I told him. Ed asked Dr. Gajjar if he had ever seen shrinkage in a tumor like this before and he said never. We have posted before and after MRI pictures of Maria’s images. If you enlarge them you will see that we have outlined the tumor in red. It truly takes your breath away.
After viewing the scans with Dr. Gajjar I went back to the exam room where Maria was and she asked me for her miraculous medal back. She doesn’t like to be without it and had to remove it for the MRI. I received the medal from Mother Teresa when I was in India working at her homes in Calcutta. I told Maria that we will help her to become a Saint just yet.
Many tears of joy and thanksgiving were shed yesterday. Please keep in mind that the battle ISN’T over. We must rally now, more than ever, to pray for full eradication.
Ed and I cannot thank all of you enough. Thank you for believing. Thank you for your continued prayers. God is with us.
Love,
Ed and Megan
34 comments:
Oh My Stars! I am trying to type through the tears, the news and pictures are a true miracle! The power of Prayer is strong, and this just proves it!!!! God Bless you Maria!
Dear McNamara Family,
You do not know me and my family, but we have been praying quite a lot for your family, and for maria in general. we have been impatiently awaiting for the update as to the results of the MRI. PRAISE THE LORD. we just cannot get over how wonderful this is. tears of joy have been shed, and we do not even know you. We serve a GREAT God. We are so happy for you and your family, and we will continue to pray for the total eradication of the tumor. and that it will never come back.
my sister and i are also participating in the walk for maria and your family. even though we dont even know you, we would like to do everything we can to help you and your daughter.
I cannot say it enough, PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
with love and many prayers,
mary grace umerley and family.
This is so amazing! Like many of the other well-wishers, we do not personally know your family, but we live in Avon and we were asked to pray for Maria. When I heard about the MRI, I contacted all of my neighbors via email and asked them to pray for a miracle at the time of the procedure. We have all been touched by your family's courage and strength. You are all truly an inspiration to all of us. We will continue to pray for Maria, and we will see you at the run! Thanks for sharing the wonderful news with us!
Megan and Ed-
This is truly the most wonderful news...the tears just won't stop. Faith can certainly move mountains...and heal a loving child. What encouragement for us all to continue the prayers UNCEASINGLY. Nothing is impossible with our loving God.
Much Love,
Lori, Garon, Ellie and Maddie Gentzel
I am like others that do not know Maria, but have been praying for a miracle. I will continue praying for Maria and your entire family and the doctors.
Jennifer/Westlake
Dear McNamara Family,
You have all been in my family's prayers. We will say a special prayer of thanks for you great news and pray that the Lord will complete the Miracle. Thank you for sharing this wonderful news!
Becky Button
Dear McNamara family,
We just returned from vacation tonight, and I couldn't wait to check Maria's website! What OUTSTANDING news!! I called my husband and 2 daughters to the computer to see the 2 scans! God bless you all! Keep the good thoughts. The prayers will continue to pour in for her full and permanent recovery!! Please tell Maria that Mrs. Pallotta said, Hello, and give her a big hug for me!!
Best Wishes!
The Pallotta family
Wendy, Tony, Caroline and Allison
Honestly, this is the best news I've had in weeks.
Also--just a note to pass along word, friends and co-workers of mine have got dozens and dozens of well-wishes and prayers coming your way, and most feel funny posting here, though they've seen the site and read it regularly. A lot of them have asked me to pass it all along, so here it is, coming right at you. :)
Praying with a smile,
Michelle
I am bursting with joy! Thank you, Jesus and Mary! Thank you, Mother Teresa for interceding. Let us all continue to pray for Maria, so that ALL the tumor is gone and she and her whole family can experience the total joy of healing.
I am so HAPPY right now that I am crying. GOD IS GOOD. I will continue praying for more good news to come. I know why you were at 7pm mass last night. I wish I had known then. My love and prayers continue to come,
LuAnn
McNamara Family,
We are so happy to hear the wonderful news! God is listening to all of us. We are so glad Maria is enjoying her summer.
We will keep the faith--always.
"For God all things are possible." -Mark 10:27
Love and Prayers,
The Pochatek's
What wonderful, wonderful news!! Friends of mine, the Gillettes here in NJ, lost their daughter to this type of tumor in April. I am so, so happy for you and Maria. No question - prayers work and miracles happen!! I'll keep 'em coming. ;o)
Hello. I heard of you & your daughter through my friend Betsy... I read your story & am so happy with the latest scan results. The power of prayer is amazing. I wish you many sunny days and continued good news. sincerely, K. Kelso from Florida.
I know we're not out of the woods by any stretch, but maybe, just maybe, the new "normal" turns out to be annual trips to Memphis for check-ups for the next 50 years or so.
Lots of good rib places in Memphis, Eddy.
Dear Ed and Megan,
Praise be to God for this wonderful news.We will continue to pray with you until Maria is completely healed.God is always faithful to his people.May the prayers of all the saints and angels in heaven be with us.
Allen
Sabah
Malaysia.
Praise the Lord, Maria has been in our prayers. We say a decade of the Rosary every night and Maria is always in our mind as we say it. My boys all go to Saint R's and feel a special bond with their special schoolmate. The scans are truly a miracle in progress! We continue in prayer for her!--The Wilhelm's
We continue to pray for Maria everyday. We were so glad to hear the GREAT news.
Love,
Rosaleen, Brian & Johnny
"Now that's what I expected!" when I read your post, followed by "Thank you God!"
"This is the day which the Lord hath made,
We will rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24
This is certainly wonderful news in our hope for Maria's recovery. Honestly, I would have been more shocked if you had reported very little or no change in the tumor from the April MRI. It is apparent that God is with Maria and carrying her through this journey. I maintain the feeling that Maria is here to show us something greater than all of us.
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you."
John 15:7
I'm going to continue to ask for a miracle-
love, Betsy
Maria is in my thoughts and prayers daily, but they were especially strong last Thursday. I truly believe Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary are taking care of Maria. The prayers will continue to come strong from my house throughout the summer. You are a remarkable family. You have so much love, faith and strength. You are admired by so many!
Please tell Maria I said hello, to have a FUN summer, and to keep smiling and laughing!!!
Oh, and of course, read lots of good books!
Love,
Mrs. Ritzler
McNamara family, I am just one of hundreds, make that thousands, who pray for all of you, and right now am praising God!!! THANK-YOU for sharing the MRIs with us!!!! With love and continued prayers, a fellow parishioner, Melissa Pillari
You do not know us, but we have been praying for Maria and your family every day. At this time, we give thanks for the wonderful news, and will continue to keep you all in our prayers.
--Friends in Boston
Dear McNamara Family,
This news is AWESOME!! You don't know us, however my family, friends, colleagues and community have been praying for Maria and the family. I just shared the MRI news with them and have already received feedback about this miracle. This is soooo awesome!! We will all continue to keep praying, this is a great display of how prayer truly works! You have done very well throughout this whole process, keep it up!!!
In prayers,
The Hite Family
Ed's cousin, Judy Winters shared your story with us in Rochester, NY and we have been following Maria's progress since the beginning. Now we're catching up with her amazing progress while on vacation in my home town of Fremont, OH. On Wednesday we'll travel to see friends in Rocky River and we'll be thinking of you the whole time we're there.
Thank you for continuing to share your inspiring story with the world. We all pray for Maria and your family and believe that Mother Teresa is watching over all of you. Julie Leary and family
I am thanking God for this wonderful healing! He is so good. I know the relief you must feel with this huge amount of tumor gone. God has blessed us too. We pray for Maria's complete healing!!
In Christ,
Brenda Lucius
m/o Kayla
www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaylalucius
This is truly wonderful news.....words cannot express the heartfelt words that we wish upon your family especially Maria and her recovery. We pray for your family everyday. Love, the Riley's
Dear McNamara Family,
A friend sent me your website and today is the first day I have read about your story. I am touched and inspired by Maria's courage. Having a young child sick in the family hits very close to home for my family. We will continue to pray for Maria everyday that this tumor will be gone. Thank you for sharing your story!
The Siciliano/McNall Family
What an amazing scan! Our prayers are working! We will continue to pray for Maria's complete recovery.
Maria, WoW, another part of your miracle has come true! We have such an Awesome God to guide, direct and lead us. You are such a wonderful and bright eyed baby girl in God's world and you are sooo special to him. You, Maria, have brought a nation together to pray. Maria, I also thank your Mom & Dad for allowing us to share this very difficult time and thank them for the way they have kept so many people up-do-date on you! I feel that I know you. I keep your pictures framed with regular updates in our church and people ask me about you all the time.My day is only complete after I check the website to see how you are doing. Thank you for being so special and such an impressive example of God's Love, Grace & Mercy!!!Can't wait to hear about the rest of Maria's Miracle which God is working on. Much Love, Karen Simpkins, Tenn.Prayer Bunch!!
Dear Ed and Megan,
Maria's smile and courage is an inspiration. All of you will be in my prayers- daily. I will ask my own children to join with me in prayer for Maria.
David, Sidney and Christopher Sebold
Your news is heartwarming, your faith is inspiring. I'll run on 7/29 with the spirit of Mother Teresa on my shoulder, helping to "spread Thy fragrance." God bless you and your family ... Don, Jennifer and the kids have been in my prayers as well ... I, too, believe in the power of prayer. Quietly, I'm praying for Maria's miracle and for strength for everyone that adores her.
God Bless,
Laura Notarianni and Family
Hello McNamara family!
My name is Maria Weybrecht. I saw your story on WKYC and was really impressed with your perseverance and courage throughout this battle. What an inspiration your family is! Congratulations on your most recent wonderful news!
After enduring cancer treatment myself, I founded a non-profit called Kids in Flight. Our mission is to use aviation as a tool to empower seriously ill children and their families through flight experiences and educational programs. OK, that’s the technical description. Basically, we give families who are battling an illness a chance to be together and leave their worries on the ground for a day – literally!
I would like to personally invite you to our annual event, Wings of Wonder, on July 22 at Burke Lakefront Airport from 10am – 4pm. Your family can enjoy games, arts and crafts, educational exhibits, clowns, food and much more at no cost to you. Please let me know if you have any questions by emailing maria@kidsinflight.org or calling 216-287-6565. For more information or to register for Wings of Wonder, you can go to our web site, www.kidsinflight.org.
My thoughts and prayers will be with you!
All my best,
Maria
Dear Ed & Megan & Maria,
What happy, joyful, and blessed news! I am sorry that I did not get to meet you when you were in Memphis, but I spoke to you, Ed, on the phone (the "poor man's lasagna lady) and you sounded so cheerful, and now I know why. You and your family's faith is astonishing and the miracle of your faith is now in full evidence! You are truly witnesses to God's grace and wonder and may he continue to bless you and your entire family. I am so happy for you all. God bless you all,
Lori Dimond and family
Maria and family,
Know you are in our prayers. We have been down the road you are traveling now. Our son Steven was treated at St.Jude in 2002 for medulloblastoma a more common and treatable brain tumor than Maria's. Dr. Gajjar was Steven's doctor as well. An amazing man. In fact Steven and his mother just returned from his checkup with Dr. Gajjar, now 4 years after dx. God is good and we learn so much in times such as these.
Praying and Believing for Maria
Lyle
(steven's dad)
www.caringbridge.org/ne/steven
We're so happy about your most recent hopeful news and pray for you every day.
My son celebrated his 12th birthday with a swim party for all the boys in his class at St. Joe's.
Rather than bringing gifts, we asked if each boy would bring some small donation for Maria's fund.All gladly participated and as a result we are able to donate 200.00. I was very glad that Danny and his friends were able to experience the gift of giving.
We will continue to keep your brave family in our prayers.
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