Finding Peace in the Process: Never GIve Up….Never!

Tonight my mom called me on the phone. It was late and she called to see how I was feeling. I told her I was resting but had overdone a little too much today but I told her I would bounce back by tomorrow.

We started talking about the family history we had been working on this week. We talked about how her mom; my grandma, Lajuana Rhea would be so happy that we were researching her family line.

My mom then brought up the health of some of our past and present family and friends. She told me that she had observed some who have a chronic illness and have seemed to not want to try and find ways to get relief or to feel better. She has seen them give up hope in finding help or shut themselves away from the world in their homes, never persevering in finding something to help them. I told her I can identify with them and explained that it does get very frustrating to be ill all the time and sometimes you feel as if there is no hope, especially when the realization sets in that you now have a disease to deal with for the rest of your life!

She then went on to tell me something that I did not expect to hear tonight. Tears started to flow and her voice became shaky as she said, "Stacie, I admire you for never giving up, for completely changing your lifestyle and eliminating so much in your diet. Also for committing yourself to a chiropractor 3-5 times a week, and for researching and finding supplements and the best essential oils to help with your pain."

With tears in my eyes I could hardly get the words, thank you, out of my own mouth. I was stunned at what she said and felt and even greater determination to try even harder and never give up on fighting this disease.

I guess I hadn't really thought of giving up as an option although some days I might feel like it. After I got off the phone I too felt so blessed and overcome from the many blessings the Lord has given me that has lead me to finding these many different things to help. As I looked back I realized that its been almost two years since I started with the symptoms of this disease. I know the Lord had to allow me to learn to trust in him and his plan for me. Although I wanted a quick fix back then I have realized that taking things slow, steady, and consistently while trusting in the Lord and his time-table was what I needed to do. It seems that it wasn't until I had decided to stay positive, find gratitude in life, and never give up hope is when the Lord starting unlocking doors for me to walk right through.

Now every day isn't blissful and amazing but most days I try and stay happy and find ways to serve others in the way I can. As I trust in the Lord and his plan for me, I try hard not to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I get up and get moving and start serving anyone I can. Even if it is washing laundry for my kids or making a meal for my family or even (my favorite) watching my grand-baby. All these simple things propel me forward and help me to keep my heart filled with hope. Hope for the future, hope for finding a cure, and if not a cure, then continue to find things that will help with the pain and breathing issues.

I found a talk my Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin entitled "Never Give Up". This talk was given in 1987. WOW seems like a long time ago and yes it was. This was the year I graduated from high school. As I though back to my senior year in school I remembered an experience I had that taught me about never giving up……Hmmmmm maybe that experience was getting me ready for what I am going through currently. haha

My 1987 Story….
It was the 5-A State Diving Championship on February 14, 1987 for all the high schools and believe it or not I used to be a pretty decent diver back then. You see, I did gymnastics all growing up through my childhood and teenage years. In fact, as a freshman in high school, I made the varsity gymnastics team. Boy, was I excited all the years of hard work and dedication had finally paid off! But about 3 weeks after making the team I once again sprained my ankle pretty bad. This was the 7th time I had injured my ankles over the years and my doctor told me after that injury that I had no ligaments left in my ankles and that I would have to either have surgery or choose another sport that would strengthen my ankles.

As you can imagine I was completely devastated. I felt as if everything I had worked for had come crashing down around me. I felt as if my life was over. I wanted to give up, I was so angry and upset because how could I have work so hard at achieving something to have it ripped away from me just when things were starting to go good!

Well I chose the no-surgery option and went out for the swim team once my ankle was out of its cast. I wasn't too happy about swimming laps every day but it was getting me in good shape and strengthening my ankles and keeping me out of surgery!

One day at swimming practice I hear they had a dive team. I had never even tried diving before, but decided to try it out for the first time. I soon realized that I could do all my gymnastics tricks off the diving board and land in water, never hurting or spraining my ankles. I was so ecstatic to be able to do what I loved again but just in a different way. I worked really hard as I put my heart and soul into this sport over the next three years. My sophomore year I took 17th in state. My junior year I took 9th in state and my senior year well lets just finish the story….

So it was the 5-A state championship meet on Valentines day 1987. I was very excited but nervous at the same time. Partly because at the region qualifier meet just the week before I actually qualified dead last for state. You see I failed a dive, actually it was my best dive, the back dive, because I got so close to the board that my heels touched, and if you touch the board you fail the dive and receive no points for the dive. I was completely beside myself but knew I had to do the other 10 dives very well if I was even going to have any chance at all to even making it to the state meet. I barely made it, qualifying dead last to compete at the state level.

Now I could have given up after failing this dive at the region meet, but something deep inside me kept pushing me and telling me to not give up and finish strong!

So as I entered the University of Utah to compete for the 5-A state divine championships I was quite the Nervous Nelly, or so I would say. In fact during warm-ups I wasn't really paying to close attention to the steps on the diving board and slipped right through them and fell to the ground. I couldn't believe another hurdle that was trying to get me to give up. I remember the medical team coming over to pick me up and looking at both my legs that were bleeding and bruised pretty badly. I remember one of them telling me, I don't think with these injuries you will be able to dive in this meet. I remember squaring my shoulders and telling him,"I DIDN'T COME THIS FAR AND WORK THIS HARD TO QUIT NOW!" I told him I was diving no matter what! So stop the bleeding, because I am diving in a few minutes!

I was determined to not give up that entire day although my shins looked like World War II. I fought hard and never missed a beat as I stayed happy and positive throughout the entire day-long meet. I remember when it came time to do my back dive (the same one I failed at regions) I was quite nervous.

I remember trusting in the Lord and praying for the strength to be able to do the dive to the best of my abilities. I'll never forget coming up out of the water after that dive to see perfect scores from all the judges on that back dive! WOW! I couldn't believe the same dive I just recently failed, now just received the only perfect scores that I had ever received in my entire diving career!

In fact as the day wore on and all 11 dives were completed: pike dive, back dive, inward dive, reverse dive, front layout with a half twist dive, back one and one half tuck somersault, inward one and one half pike somersault, reverse one and one half tuck somersault, pike 1 /12 somersault, front double tuck somersault, and 1 1/2somersault with 1 1/2 twists dive. My dives received some of the best scores I had ever received.

By the end of the meet I was so extremely happy to have finished strong and had never given up even when I thought all was lost at regions or when I injured myself that morning and was told by others I couldn't do it! I proved to myself and others that day that giving up was not an option!

The icing on the cake came when I was announced as the new 5-A state diving 1st place champion! I knew at that moment the Lord was rewarding me for all the hard work, dedication, and commitment and the fact that I endured to the end, did not give up when times got hard, nor did I throw in the towel when I thought all was lost! I came and concurred no matter what hardships were thrown at me.

Today, I think back of what I went through to earn that title. I look back and although an accomplishment, I do not really relish on the state championship but instead what I learned in the process about Never Giving Up! I know the Lord was training me for even greater hardships that he knew I would face and continue to face in my life.

One thing I know for sure that He will reward me more than I could ever imagine if I stay the course, never give up, and face everything in this life to the very best of my abilities!

Just found some old pics you might like to look at from my diving days.....