The life of Caitlin Lucas, also known as “Courageous Caitie”, reflected spiritual maturity beyond her age. At just three years and seven months old, Caitie endured months of pain and medical procedures as she battled juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), all the while remaining steadfast in her faith, likening parables and biblical events to her own experiences.
Read: 3-year-old Courageous Caitie battles mystery disease
JMML is a rare cancer of the blood that afflicts one in a million young children.
Her bravery and her unfaltering faith in the face of such suffering was, and continues to be an inspiration to so many people around the globe. Even in death, she continues to be a light to those she has touched.
A recent post on Courageous Caitie’s Facebook page shows that her heart literally reflected the image of Christ.
“Jesus is truly in her heart,” read the caption of the photo.
The photo was of an ultrasound of Caitie’s heart showing what appears to be the face of Jesus Christ.
Caitie breathed her last in the arms of her mother on March 31, 2016 after three months of hospitalization. She was laid to rest in a wedding-themed ceremony.
Read: Courageous Caitie’s wedding
It was a memorial service filled with everyone and everything Caitie loved – from pink balloons to Stormtroopers to rainbows.
On the next page: Caitie’s mom’s heartbreaking yet inspiring message
In a recent Facebook update, Caitie’s mother, Feliz, wrote:
“Every morning I wake up with brokenness is my heart. Playing scenarios of what if she was alive, what would she have been doing now, what would she be saying. The “what if” the “what could I have done to prevent it” and the “God could have prevented it from happening. God could have done something but He didn’t…” Then my husband reminded me [of] something…
When Caitie had to go through more than 100 extractions, 100 IV plugs, allergic reactions, sensations, aspirations, biopsies, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and when they had to slice her skin without sedation to remove the puss and not spread the infection, she felt every bit of pain but she was able to endure, she didn’t cry, because all that mattered to her was that we were there, holding her hand and guiding her [on] how to deal with the pain…” “We as her parents couldn’t take her place because she was the one who has to endure and to eat and take each food and medicine. But looking back, I realized all these challenges didn’t matter to her. It didn’t even feel difficult at that moment compared to now when I see pictures and see how difficult it looks like. She still walked, played, did her workbook, use[d] her right hand even if [her] arm was continuously bleeding, she would still write and color. All that mattered to her was that she delighted in her parents. That was all that mattered and she was fine,”
In an article by Rhie Takumi on GMA News, Courageous Caitie’s father, Jay Jay, said:
“We don’t know why our daughter [kept] so strong and courageous to the point that people got attracted to us. We know, we believe that it is because of Jesus in her heart that she has been able to touch lives even if she was just in the hospital.”
Courageous Caitie’s parents hope that her legacy of faith and love will live in the hearts of people who have been moved by story.
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