A Conversation With Singer/Songwriter (and caregiver) Gary Chapman

Caregiver your own family talk to Acxiom 130. This is the nation's number one show for you was a family caregiver doing how you dear chap is with this one. My absolute favorite song writers of all time and he and his family fed quite a journey.

In these last several months, and he's no stranger to the caregiving world been on the show before, but I just saw an update with them and I want to say you don't come on here. Let's talk about this in and share some things you want to gear you with us. I apologize for my tardiness know it's it's okay it's it's been that cut a show already, but I have no worries thank you for joining us a beam I've been watching you and your family go through these things praying for you guys.

I know it's been a very, very challenging thing, but at the same time it's been in been some great moments of of joy and beauty, and excitements of bring us up to speed were to go will have to take a quick break here in a couple minutes but within will keep you on through the rest of the show. Okay yeah yeah just say worry about shut up.

I guess I should start at the beginning relatively by why cannot adopted a little girl six years ago, Eagle, Lowe's. I have a shortcake 32-year-old son daughters 3028 and six on the bleachers, which is also lump sum she's just the best thing so in May of last year. She started having seizures on the course doctors and lots of testing and was initially diagnosed epilepsy and now they tried to prescribe us some mom some medicine for that. You know me and what I do, my day job in the in the CBD world so I respectfully said now would he do this and not bless her heart to relate well, you know that has been known to work that you don't have to be really careful what you get. They have no idea what I do this and will I'm careful okay so it was, and that did alleviate to a large degree, the blue, she did contain an name long and MRI and all Candace candidate eventually it was, was diagnosed as the initial phrase was a an abnormality and then the abnormality became a lesion and then about the fourth MRI. They went ahead and decided to call it a tumor, at which point when you know that they're planning to to cut into your little girls scald youth you start getting pretty particular about who's going and to honestly just a providential amazing experience. We wound up at LaBonte which is pediatric neurological arm of St. Jude asked if the child comes and has a tumor of any kind in the brain and spine.

We go to the monarchs first and then moved to synergy so highly regulated place and it's just it's just amazing that whole changing world is just a nominal and you know we all have our run into the medical establishment could. It's almost always just a giant pain in you. When you find somebody that you feel like it's treating you with genuine compassion. We cling to them like Glick grim death because you know it's just a very no fault of their own. Many, many of them are wonderful professionals working under these constraints probably brought about mostly about litigation, regulation that just stops them from using, transporting the time and that's maddening to me but at the end in the St. Jude world. I met I met so many people and honestly from the janitor to chief surgeon. I have yet to meet one human being. Didn't genuinely care on him on a very high level and that coupled with just amazing professionalism and an extremely high level of its it's been if it can be.

It's been a great experience.

SyQuest had passed that part didn't take us to a really angry story. October 9 so that's it. That's bring certain brain surgeries, not Plenum. I can attest to that. It's not a good experience will let me ask you a question and I wanted did back in your history, you watched your father passed away from this earth and you took care of him. And now here you are with your daughter and the the. The journey has had to have stretched you pretty significantly on both sides of this thing. What did you see about yourself as you had its it's one thing to see your dad. It seems like it's kind of normal you watch your parents age and you know that this is part of the normal part of life. But it's not a normal part of life to watch your little girl do this no and not where did this take you in some places with your faith with just who you are as a guys dad always, things.

What are some things that you felt through this and and learn about yourself and discovered about yourself, the overwhelming over arching the answer to that is that I found out that I really was, who I thought I was in in relation to my belief that what God thinks of me accepting Christ in my dad's church when I was six years old. The amount of deep spiritual knowledge ahead of time and I've I have honestly tried to stick to that commitment. Since then till now that my pad had not been cut. It's well documented, and I hear the music it will pick up brighter folks listen to this pronoun don't don't leave that thought because that's an important place because a lot of people are facing what you faced in and just in these last few months and I found that people want to that they can never get the sense that if they know someone else's been on this trail in your somebody would on this trail. Armed with the knowledge of Your Pl. in Christ. That's a great thing. So hang on, this is Peter Rosenberg.

This is hope for the caregiver will talk with Gary Chapman and you know what this is how we do this caregivers come alongside each other and we just hold each other through this process employed each other to safety and that's what we do today will be right back don't go anywhere. Have you ever struggled to trust God when lousy things happen to you.

I'm Gracie Rosenberger in 1983 I experienced a horrific car accident leading 80 surgeries in both legs indicated I questioned why God allowed something so brutal to happen to me. But over time, my questions changed and I discovered courage to trust God that understanding along with an appreciation for quality prosthetic limbs led me to establish standing with help more than a dozen years we been working with the government of Ghana and West Africa, equipping and training local workers to build and maintain quality prosthetic limbs for their own people on a regular basis. We purchased ship equipment and supplies and with the help of inmates in a Tennessee prison. We also recycle parts from donated lambs. All of death is to point others to Christ.

The source of my help and strength these visit standing with help.com to learn more and participate in lifting others that standing without.com.

I'm Gracie. I am standing without, and thrust the copy that just go out to stay without.com you for story whatever you want to do to help support the prosthetic limb ministry that she founded Seneca city without.com or on the phone with Gary Chapman telling us his journey through some very difficult things that he was no stranger to difficult things and here he comes at this new place.

This life we said watches little girl go through brain surgery for tumor is severe you winning this thing is your same for the break and eat you. You knew who you were in Christ and how did that go even deeper as you watch them take her on a gurney down surgery will walking walking the path with my dad was extremely revealing. Honestly, I don't know that I would been prepared for this. Without that it'll cause a crafty guy and I believe he knew exactly how this is obviously going to come down but it reference to earlier. It's one thing when it's your dad and you know so ready to go. Time to go literally and he's kind of expected book and your your incredible is not just dad talking strangers will say that the moment they made it okay that is the friendliest, most joyful creature I have encountered on your planet so far she's just unbelievable she's just alike and seeing this happen to her. You know you don't. What I learned long ago the silly futile exercise to actually question God, it's okay to have those conversations with I do that that link but but I know quite the way back behind my question is the knowledge that he knows was doing. He just does and not let it but I wanted to switch places.

I just wanted why could it be me. I'm done enough boneheaded things to mild to my body in my life and and have ever walked this path long enough. Good grief.

I've lived here for live so far and 10 something like that happens to me. Honestly I'm out. I will enjoy it. I will get it. This was initially which is why you cannot avoid that?

It just why and almost to the moment that I legitimately acknowledged that I had that question. This is the only one what.the Scriptures is the only way that it can be described as a peace that passes all understanding. I felt and Cassie, my wife felt exactly the same thing. This whole process just peaceful.

I knew that God had walking this path for his purposes and and she was going to be okay and that it was going to be fun.

The moment that you just mentioned a minute ago was the only real weak moment. We both completely lost when they when they wheeled her away.

Which by the way, just a quick aside when you're going into surgery the Bonner hospital. When a child is going into prep that passed through this lengthy hallway. It's probably 50 or 60 feet long in one side is all this just really interesting, colorful artwork of children love and the other side of the hallway is floor-to-ceiling beautiful looking glass glass fronted cases filled with incredible toys do not like trinkets pleaser and everything to look at like Omar Garza got and the last thing a child does before they going to surgery, Bonner's pick out a Tory and they took that toy on my bed with one and that's that's their last left there last thing.

It's just amazing.

I think I should probably do that for adults and just have no really like like an iPad or something you know that I'm just not I'm with you on this right now. Hide it somewhere in the build know what is going to get hurt, that it is just a great idea, but the moment I wheeled her well, we both just looked at each other, just a whole lot if you really, really hard going to email well rested and more hospital corridors and wants to go off on gurney's those hospital corridors can be the loneliest places in Hitler. Still, there's people all around there's noises and everything else. And yet it seems like it is the most lonely place in the world and and and I and I've watched your post that you shared with these things have watched you put music out there, but it in the little bit of time will just get a couple minutes left you writing through this.

You know, I don't know how to stop. You can't make a living life functioning more thank you streaming no I can't stop my my gift from God.

He had given it to me even if it's just for me so it's the cheapest, best argument I can find so far not a static everybody can do, encourage everybody that's going to start writing again. Just don't let your heart just pour out onto page after bomb nobody effectively just put it down to something really really clinking and purging about the process but yes, I'm writing a lot.

Will she made it through this.

You guys got a good report. Things are moving in the right direction.

You know what my favorite songs of all time was yours. And this is this treasure at the end of this narrow road on travel and in Jesus is that treasure and you you keep rediscovering this in your life. Don't you all just get sweeter. I want to have you back on as many times as you want, because I think you have really important things to say the longest journey you're able to articulate it will and appreciate you calling it a day just to share your story.

It always just is always a treat Gary so thank you very much when I'm in high this is hopefully caring of this feels better hope for the caregiver.com help the caregivers make better caregivers. Today's greatest health tumbled out of the starting. Thank you very Johnson & Johnson with us in Nashville and I'm out here watching the snow storm coming in and we started out we are told John, as it was stumbled out of the gate is my connection was a little bit bad but you know that's all right. It's thank you again: in strong and well I think you ended strong.

John and I just held on for the ride. Thank you. And I'm good. I'm glad to hear the good report and I really mean it will