By Jeff Palmberg, Pastor, Community Covenant Church in Twist, WA
Lucy Riggs is a 9th grader this year, but her 8th-grade year was basically stolen by a diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in November of 2021. She spent the first stretch of her treatment at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane and the last few months being treated at Seattle Children’s Hospital. In late Spring she underwent a bone marrow transplant with her oldest sister as the donor.
During these long months, her parents, Rob and Catrin, have been taking turns staying at the hospital with her or staying at home with her brother, Holden. It’s fortunate that both of them have remote working jobs and so they did not have to stop working, but you can imagine what it was like to travel 3-4 hours each way between their home in Winthrop and either Spokane or Seattle. Obviously, Lucy missed out on many things this past year – including going along with her brother, Holden, and our youth group to UNITE WEST this past July.
Finally, after 287 days, Lucy was given the okay to return home on Tuesday, August 23rd! Our congregation rallied the entire Twisp/Winthrop community to throw a “Welcome Home” greeting as the family drove through the Methow Valley to their house in Winthrop. Reader-boards everywhere had “Welcome Back Lucy”, the Police Chief flashed his lights and blew his siren, the football team stopped practice to cheer and wave, and EVERYWHERE, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers came out to wave signs, blow horns, and make a BIG deal of Lucy’s return.
Lucy still has a long road ahead of her. She will need to continue to isolate herself from crowds which means she’ll be starting high school as a remote learner and she will not be able to attend youth group or church services (and won’t be able to resume her place behind the drums in the worship band). She will also get a bone marrow biopsy at 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months, to keep watching for any traces of the disease. Currently, there is no detectable disease, so Lucy is in “Remission”.
It’s been a difficult 9 months for the Riggs family and our entire congregation, but God has been faithful in being with Lucy, her family, and all of us. We’ll continue to pray and find ways to encourage her during this next phase of her recovery.
Visit Community Covenant Church of the Methow Valley’s Web Page
