brave/brāv/
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Often when we hear this word, we think of soldiers, law enforcement officers, firemen. Maybe we think of Christians who are persecuted, or Rosa Parks, for taking a stand for equal rights. In this modern day, few of us probably get to meet someone that is really, truly brave. I have met such a someone. She isn't a fearless soldier, although she is fearless. She is not a courageous fireman or law enforcement officer, although she is truly courageous. She is not a persecuted Christian in a foreign land, although she is certainly persecuted. She is a not quite 17 year old, just a couple inches over 4 feet tall, who has had to endure much more in her short life than nearly all of us will in all of our years.
She is my niece, Sarah.
Sarah has Eczema. Now, most of you are thinking "Well, that's just dry skin. Hardly anything to be brave over." No, for Sarah, it isn't just dry skin. It is dry skin over every inch of her body. Skin so dry it flakes constantly, cracks open, and leaves sores and scars. Her skin can be so dry that the backs of her knees crack open to the point she cannot walk. Even the creases around her eyes can and do crack open. Look down at your body. Imagine that every crease in your skin is now an open wound. Think about a mosquito bite or the worst case of poison ivy you have ever had. Multiply it to COVERING YOUR ENTIRE BODY. That is what Sarah endures EVERY DAY. Now, imagine you are a 16 year old high school girl, who has to go to school every day with flakey skin, a bottle of moisturizer to be applied every hour in order to make it through, and a stature that is extra small due to the many medications she has had to take over the years. Hmmm...think about YOUR high school days. Do you think that your peers would be loving and accepting of you? Do you think they would see your sweet smile or be too distracted by your mottled appearance?
THAT is why Sarah is the bravest person I know. Brave because she gets up every morning, even when she hasn't been able to sleep because the itching is so bad, spends MUCH MUCH longer trying to look "normal" just so people will not stare and she goes to school. Brave because her whole life she has had to defend her illness. "No it isn't chicken pox , or scabies, or anything else that is contagious. It's just Eczema, and I have it really really bad." Brave because her whole life people have stared at her, wondering what is wrong with her but not really being compassionate. Brave because last week at lunch, her "regular" crowd wasn't there, and when she went to sit at another table, all of the kids got up and left. And most of all, she is brave because tomorrow night, Sarah will go to her Junior prom, BY HERSELF. A date would have been too much to ask for, even though Sarah is such a delightful companion. Smiling, giggly, silly, fun. But Sarah couldn't even find one of her friends to go with her. So tomorrow, Sarah will have a facial to hopefully smooth out some of the uneven tones. She will have a hairdresser put her long, thick hair in a beautiful updo. She will get dressed in her beautiful pint sized dress, and go to the prom, alone.
I wish I could change it for her. I wish that someone would have compassion on her and accompany her to the prom. I wish....SO MUCH for Sarah because the world has been so cruel to her. Wishes don't do anything, but I wanted to share why...
