Response from Sheryl's Dad

Lon and Sheryl:

Thank you for your wonderful letter and for your eternal perspective. You, Sheryl and your entire family are providing a beautiful example and spiritual instruction that will lift and inspire us, our family and literally everyone with whom you are acquainted. We are grateful for your courage and for your determination to get the only treatment that shows much promise of healing and we are most grateful that you have been able to make arrangements through Jimmy Lu to be treated in China. We are also grateful to all members of the family and your friends who are stepping forward to help care for your younger kids at home. We understand that Travis and Weston are enjoying there time with Packer, Holland and Cannon. We wish that we could be helpful to them and to Brandon and Dallin during this time of need.

We are very concerned that the disease has progressed to Sheryl's lungs, liver and kidneys and this underscores the necessity of getting the stem cell treatment ASAP. We really admire Sheryl for being able to find the peace that she described in her message titled: "Whisperings of the Spirit." I shared that letter with Elder Spencer J. Condie, our Area President and he is praying for her return to full health along with us and most everyone in Tonga. His general conference address last Saturday was focused on our faith in god, promises of the Lord, and the fact that God remembers his promises to His children. We suspect that he wrote that talk in response to our conversations with him and his sensitivity to Sheryl's situation. Sheryl is an exceptional Child of God and she has been blessed with peace while in the midst of some of the most difficult of all challenges. Our most earnest and sincere prayer is that she will also receive the blessing of healing.

I think the initial schedule to begin extracting the stem cells is tomorrow, October 10th and we will be praying for Sheryl, for you and for the doctors. I understand that there was an option of being treated in Hainan (Sp) in Southern China rather than Chengdu. What was the decision? Also, is it possible to reach you by telephone? If so, please forward a number. We're in New Zealand until Saturday the 13th (your Friday the 12th) and then we return to Tonga and will be there through the temple dedication on November 4th and we would like call before we leave for Tonga.

~Elder David M. Brown