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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Friends, Shay ·

#mandastrong


Back in February 2009, I blogged about my one of my closest friends Manda and her battle with cancer.  Manda had cancer as a child and had part of her calf amputated when she was five.  After that she was in remission.

When we met as young marrieds about 9 years ago, we became instant friends.  Manda might actually be the nicest person I know.  

Back in 2008, Manda and I were both pregnant with our first kids at the same time and after Kensington was born, Manda was one of the very first people to see and hold her.  A few months later in January 2009, on a really snowy day, I drove to the hospital to visit Manda and her brand new son Aiden.  We both had our babies and life seemed pretty perfect.
Six days later, I was putting towels up in my guest bathroom when my phone rang.  It was Manda crying that her leg had broke.  She said all of a sudden, her leg broke and they were at the ER.  I remember thinking how awful that she has a broken leg and a six day old baby.  I remember thinking that I couldn’t imagine anything worse.  I was so wrong.
After running some tests, it was revealed that Manda’s leg had broke because her cancer was back and in her leg (therefore making it weak and causing the break).  When her baby was only 2 weeks old, Manda made the brave decision to have her entire leg amputated.
We have a really special group of girlfriends and we spent that year with Manda and her brand new baby as she went through grueling chemo and radiation (not to mention learning how to live life as an amputee).  We made food for her, we sat with her, we cried for her, with her and held her hand as she cried.  I honestly can’t imagine a harder year for someone…especially a new mama.  
After the one year mark, Manda was given a clean bill of health and started life over as a mom to a one year old boy with a new handicap but a very positive outlook on life.  Over the last almost 5 years, we have almost let that miserable year fade in the background.  As girlfriends, we have moved on and focused on happier and more positive things.  Last summer, Manda gave birth to a beautiful little girl Miley and it really felt like the yucky old chapter had ended and a new chapter full of life and promise had begun.

Two weeks ago, I was opening the fridge to get a drink when my phone rang and it was Andrew.  He said Aaron (Manda’s husband) had just called to say Manda’s cancer was back.  This time, in her spine.
Words cannot express how heartbroken I am for my sweet friend.  At 33, she is facing cancer now for the third time.  If you know a lot about cancer, then you know…your body can only take so much chemo and radiation.  They told Manda last time, that she had already had her lifetime supply of many of the types of chemo and radiations effective for her type of cancer.  Her heart is also really compromised because of the prior chemos and having more can be very dangerous.
When I got off the phone with Andrew, I called our girlfriends…our rocks in life and told them.  We all met at Manda’s house and prayed in her front yard.  She came outside to hug us and it was really hard.  We love her so much and don’t understand why she has to go through this again.

Manda is fighting.  Manda is such a fighter.  She has a wonderful husband and two precious kiddos and she is going to fight this cancer with everything she has.
Before Manda starts her treatments tomorrow, we  surprised her at the end of her family photo session for some group hugs, lots of positive words of encouragement, silly stories with laughter and some heartfelt prayer.  We want to be cheerleaders for Manda.  Positive, encouraging, uplifting cheerleaders.  When you’re in a bleak situation like this…you need some positive people to make you laugh…and trust me, we can all make her laugh :).
The burden the Maxwells face is much more than just physical.  There are emotional and financial burdens too.  We have started a Facebook page for updates and prayer request that you can follow.  We are giving really specific prayer requests for what Manda needs.  Every time you pray for her need, we ask that you “like” the status so that she can watch the number of prayers go up.  We know that God can provide a miracle.  We know the power of prayer.

 We have also set up a Go Fund Me donation page.  All of the money will be given directly to Manda and her family to pay for medical bills and other necessities they need while she fights this horrible disease for the third time.  Because this is her third round of cancer, the treatments are a little more unconventional this time and therefore not covered by insurance.  We are raising money to help them with this financial burden.

On Wednesday, you will be able to buy a Manda Strong t-shirt and all of the proceeds will go directly to Manda and her family.

Manda loves the Lord with all of her heart.  Though she doesn’t understand why this is happening, she will be the first person to say that God has a plan for her life and she trusts him completely.  She is so positive and encouraging.
Right now, our specific prayer requests are that she can get a really clear and concise treatment plan.  We also pray that the Lord gives her strength to fight this fight while also being a mommy to two (she wants to be brave for her kids).  And of course, we pray for healing.  We pray Manda can be healed of this awful disease once and for all.  We need a miracle.
Please join us as we support and pray for our sweet friend Manda.

#mandastrong
*Photos taken by Emily Megan Photography and edited by Narci D Photography.
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Comments

  3. Kellie Grindstaff says

    If you've not heard this family's story, it's sure to provide encouragement for your Manda. Mundanefaithfulness.com and Kara wrote a book, The Hardest Peace, that was just released last week! Prayers

  4. Alaleh says

    Praying for your sweet friend Manda. She is lucky to have such amazing girlfriends as a support system!

  5. Anonymous says

    What a beautiful post about a beautiful mother and friend! It's obvious how much you care about and love your friends, she is blessed to have you in her corner. She will be in my thoughts and prayers.

  6. Claire says

    This post made me tear up for your friend. What a sad situation to be in but what a great support system she has. I'm currently reading the book Power to Praise by Merlin Carothers and while some chapters have been better than others, it's a great reminder to praise God for everything in our lives. Even the things that don't go the way we think they should.

    The best book I've ever read is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp because it completely changed my outlook on life. It might be some much needed encouragement for Manda or some girls in your group of friends.

    Praying for you her!

  7. Rikki says

    She is beautiful and her smile is so warm and sincere.
    I will pray for her as she battles this awful disease.
    May God bless her each and every day.

  8. Meggie says

    Praying for your sweet friend and her family. What an amazing support system and group of friends she is blessed with. Thank you for sharing. May Heaven be bombarded with prayers for this special lady.

  9. Sabrina says

    Praying for your friend. I cannot imagine going through that, but I know she is so grateful for her friends. You all are the best!

  10. Patty says

    I am so sorry your friend is facing cancer again and I will be praying for her. I was diagnosed in 2003 with a rare cancer and my elderly mom has brain cancer. I hate this disease but I know God can do the impossible! God healed me of cancer and mom outlived her prognosis by 16 yrs. and counting. Believing God for a miracle for Manda!

  16. Lisa says

    I will be praying for your friend and her sweet family and also for you and your friends as you lend your support. May God bless you all.

  18. Dina says

    Beautiful post. I felt by the end I was best friends with Amanda. I sit here with tears streaming down my face thinking how much I hate cancer. We never understand why we have to go through certain things in life but I praise God He holds our hands as we walk together through it just as He holds Amanda. I am praying healing from the top of her head to the souls of her feet that God touches her. I will write her name down in my prayer journal. Amanda you've got this!!

  19. Julie Golin says

    Shay,
    Thank you for bringing this story to everyone and being such a great friend! What a devastating, yet loving and encouraging story to so many out there battling cancer. Mom's really are the true definition of a super hero! I will be praying for your friend, her family and those two sweet kids of hers. Take care and wrap her up with so much love!!
    ~Julie @whereitcountsblog.blogspot.com

  20. Kristen says

    Oh Shay!! My heart breaks for Manda and her family. The pain is all too familiar. I will be praying for Manda and her family–believing that our God is soo much bigger than this cancer that she is facing–and knowing that He is still in the business of healing! Lifting up Manda and her family as she starts this journey! Thanks for sharing!

  21. Chrystal Richardson says

    This broke my heart while I read this 🙁 Manda and her family will be in my thoughts and prayers! You ladies are such wonderful friends and she has an amazing support system! #mandastrong

  24. Cheri says

    Sending prayers to Texas for your friend and hoping that she feels the warmth that surrounds her as she goes through this horrible ordeal.

  25. Ashley says

    What an awesome surprise you girls planned for her. Praying for Manda and Aaron! Our God is the great physician and we know he can do mighty things!

  30. Paige @ Kids and The Good Stuff says

    Father God, my heart is just breaking for this family. It is so hard to not know the "whys." Lord, encourage Manda today. Help she, her family and her friends feel your presence today so there is not doubt its you. I pray you give the Drs wisdom in treatment and the family discernment in decisions.
    "Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever." Prov 30:10-12

  31. Jessie says

    What a sweet group of friends you have! I've committed to praying for Manda & her family. Our God is able!

  33. Jennifer says

    Oh this makes me cry! What a beautiful girl and a precious family. I know it's not our place to question and ask why but sometimes life just doesn't make sense.

    Yesterday, I survived the 3rd anniversary of my husband's unexpected death. Healthy, active, full of life….he had an aortic dissection in his heart at the age of 40. He left behind 2 amazing boys (5 and 8 then) that loved their daddy more than anything.

    Why? I whisper this often in my prayers but I know I'll never know the answer to that. I have to lean in to Him during the hard times and be so very intentional in finding joy in my life.

    Manda is so blessed to have amazing friends like you. My village….which is made up of hundreds of amazing people (some even strangers) have carried my family the last 3 years. They met needs I didn't even know I had. It makes me cry to think of the precious, selfless and caring things that have been done for the boys and me during this time. It makes me smile to see the love in the girlfriend picture. That is priceless!

    Will pray for Manda and all your friends too. It's hard to be on that side….sometimes unsure of what to say or do for her.

  34. Angie says

    I had tears coming down my cheeks as I read this about your beautiful friend! We certainly never understand bad things that happen to the people we love and care about so much, but our Lord and Savior sure does. I will certainly add Manda to my prayer list. Friendships are so important to have and I know she appreciates your friendship so much.

  35. Tracy says

    Praying for your sweet friend! What a blessing for her to have so much love and help from her friends during this horrible time in her life.

  40. Anonymous says

    You better believe I'll be praying!!! And what a sweet group to have – surrounding her and strengthening her!! Knowing that the Lord has a plan, even though it doesn't make sense to us right now.
    Karen I.

  41. Kristen Gerdel says

    Praying for your sweet friend and her family. She is lucky to have such amazing girlfriends as a support system. Hugs and lots of prayers!!!

  44. MakeMeUpMia says

    I just like the page so I can know specifically what prayers are needed, I will definitely be praying for your sweet friend. So amazing for her to have the awesome support system she has in all of you 🙂

  45. Victoria R. says

    I will be agreeing with you all in prayer! Believing for a miracle of total healing!

  47. Audra Brees says

    Thank you for being SO open about your Faith // Not enough people are! I appreciate your Godly heart and am SO sorry to hear this about your friend. Prayer is powerful and knowing God is in control makes everything better. I will be praying for your sweet friend and her family, what a precious earthly family she has and the friendships you all have are amazing (LoVE the pics)! May God give you ALL strength to continue to support your friend and this awful cancer. God bless you all!!!

    God is good ALL the time, ALL the time God is good!!!!

    "For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can TRUST eVerYthing he does." Psalm 33:4

  49. Audra Brees says

    Thank you for being SO open about your Faith // Not enough people are! I appreciate your Godly heart and am SO sorry to hear this about your friend. Prayer is powerful and knowing God is in control makes everything better. I will be praying for your sweet friend and her family, what a precious earthly family she has and the friendships you all have are amazing (LoVE the pics)! May God give you ALL strength to continue to support your friend and this awful cancer. God bless you all!!!

    God is good ALL the time, ALL the time God is good!!!!

    "For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can TRUST eVerYthing he does." Psalm 33:4

  50. Melissa Gibbs says

    Praying for Amanda and her family. I am heartbroken for them. She is very blessed to have such an amazing and supportive group of girlfriends. Praying for a miracle!

  51. Melissa Gibbs says

    Praying for Amanda and her family. I am heartbroken for them. She is very blessed to have such an amazing and supportive group of girlfriends. Praying for a miracle!

  52. Marty says

    My heart is breaking at this story. Reading it, I can hardly breathe. I have a child who is a cancer survivor and, at 18 years old, he is doing great. I would be lying if I said his cancer coming never crosses my mind, because it does. What a blessing to have such a great support system…and what an even greater blessing to read that she knows the Lord…and knows that HE is in control of her life. Praying for her miracle.

  53. Lana says

    I will be praying. We have experienced the power of prayer in our lives with a friend who was paralyzed this summer in a freak accident. He was told he would never walk again – but through his positive attitude and love of the Lord, and the power of prayer, he is moving and improving daily. I will check back and keep praying for your friend.

  54. Anonymous says

    Shay-I have never posted a comment ever but felt pressed by The Lord to share. My husband is a pastor at a church in northern Indiana and we have received revelation about Gods healing. We all believe God is able to heal but do we believe He is willing? Do we believe sickness is from God or the enemy? I believe Jesus paid for our healing on the cross-by His stripes we ARE healed. It is the enemy's plan for us to be sick to leave our families early it is not Gods plan. John10:10 says satan comes to kill steal avd destroy but Jesus came to give us life. If we question whether god is willing to heal us we take our focus off of what Jesus did and focus on what we didn't do. It's all about what He did. Gods truth always supersedes our circumstances. We are blessed to have been a part of many healing miracles in our ministry because if the revelation of healing. My husband has the gift of faith and healing. Please have her read the book Christ the Healer and to stand on her promises of God. To believe He is willing to heal her and has in fact paid the price for her healing already. All of the promises of God are YES in Christ it says in Corinthians. I have so much more to say and if you want more information please feel free to contact me. Know that we stand in prayer rebuking the enemy's plan in her life and calling to order gods plans and only His plan will prosper in her life. Know we are thanking God for her healing at that very moment. Tell her to choose life in Christ and seek the ultimate healer representing all that He is. Melissa Young. Muoung@eastnoble.net

  55. Elizabeth {Chasin' Mason} says

    My heart breaks for your sweet friend and her family. I know the hardship of a mother with cancer. My mom first had breast cancer when I was 11, went into remission, it came back in her lymph nodes, she went into remission, and then it came back in her lungs and she ultimately passed away when I was 18. No child should have to deal with losing a parent. Manda is so lucky to have such amazing friends like you all who are praying for her. My thoughts are with her and her family and hoping that her treatment cures her once and for all. She is a fighter! She can beat this.

  58. Shesabigstar says

    I will pray for her, Shay… I'm so incredibly sorry she's going through this yet again. Life just doesn't seem fair sometimes but I admire her faith and hope to rely on my own faith as strongly as she does. I'm, very recently and very shockingly, finding myself in the midst of some similar scary, terrifying, emotional health news… and while I can't understand why any of this happens to any of us with so much life and love to give, I can say without a doubt that you girls are SUCH a blessing to her. I've often been envious of the close bond between you and your girlfriends and seeing you guys rally around her and care for her is simply amazing. Know that you are such an incredible blessing to her and her family… absolutely incredible. <3

  59. Valerie says

    I knew Manda when she was a little girl and I abolutely hate that this is happening to her and her family. I am praying…over and over that she gets through this. So glad she has friends that are reaching out for her.

  60. Rebecca Harper says

    I lost my own mother to cancer 7 years ago this past Saturday. Praying that Manda's kids never have to experience that kind of loss. What an amazing groups of friends she has surrounding her and loving her family through this journey.

  61. Jaclyn Johnson says

    Hi Shay! I too got teary eyed reading about your sweet friend Manda, her family, and what she's going through. I will be including Manda and her family in my prayers and I pray that God helps heal her once and for all. She's SO lucky to have such a great group of supportive girlfriends and I wish nothing but the best for her and her family. Thank you for sharing her story today.

  62. Lauren says

    I've been following your blog for years now and this by far the coolest post to date. Praying for your sweet friend.

  63. The Petersens says

    Praying for your friend and glad she has strong faith and great friends and family. I've seen different stories of healing cancer with a vegan diet that your friend might be interested in, like Forks Over Knives documentary and Crazy Sexy Cancer documentary.

  64. Christy says

    I'm so sorry to hear that your friend is fighting this battle once again. Many, many prayers to Manda and her family. She is so lucky to have such a wonderful group of girlfriends. I myself, am lucky to have my girlfriends and know that if any of us go through something hard, we will all be there for each other.

  66. Queen In Between says

    I have enjoyed reading each one of y'alls blog posts….each one of you shared this beautiful story just a little differently but all equally full of love for Manda….she is one lucky girl to have such a support group! I will be praying for her as she starts her journey once again and I will praying that God leads each of you to provide for her just what she needs given your individual strengths.

  67. Mikayla Withers says

    My heart just broke for her and her family. Lots of prayers for them and her doctors. I can't even imagine. You got this!

  68. Caroline @ In Due Time says

    So sorry to hear about your friend Shay. I know the evilness of cancer as my 2.5 year old nephew passed this year after a 15 day battle with brain cancer. You are right – prayer works. God acts on behalf of every prayer. So glad she has such a good support system. Praying for her!!

  69. Lauren says

    Oh Shay, I can barley see my screen to type this because I am crying so hard. Thank you for sharing this so we can all be praying. I really cannot imagine what she is going through right now…it hits home when I see her little boy (Parker's age) and her baby girl (Sydney's age). Please, please keep us updated. I will start following the FB page too. She is blessed to have such an amazing group of girlfriends to support her. Miracles do happen and God's plan is better than we can imagine. I'm so glad she is a believer!

  70. Katy Potaty says

    What a glorious way to show Manda how much you love her. I am sharing Manda's story with my prayer group and church, worldwide lovin' is what this girl needs to get heard by the Lord!

  71. Jeanie says

    Prayers for your beautiful friend, and for all of you for rallying around her and her family. So nice of you all to do that, especially when you have your own families to take care of.

  73. Lauren says

    Your friend is blessed to have such an amazing group of friends – prayers for her recovery!

  77. Paula says

    I read this today with tears falling down my face. I am so very sorry.
    I wish I had adequate words that brought hope & comfort. However, I know the Lord does! I will pray for Manda and her family. I will pray the Lord gives them not only the healing they so badly want, but strength, comfort, joy, hope and pockets of time that feel like forever! Time and moments that feel perfect & wonderful without the reminder they are fighting cancer!
    I pray when those though questions, tears and fears come from their children, that the Lord will gently guide the answers.

    Manda is so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends and you are her! I will definitely keep them in my prayers!

  78. Andrea Worley says

    My heart breaks reading this story, but what an amazing community she has around her to help support her and her family! Sending out some prayers for her tonight! What ya'll are doing IS the definition of community and friendship!

  81. Anonymous says

    Praying for Manda. God, please be with Manda! Her precious family, her doctors, and support system. You are the great physician, so we ask that you bring her complete healing! I pray this in your Holy name. Manda we are in your corner. Prayer warriors, you got this!

  82. Sam Randall says

    Shay, I am praying for your sweet friend Manda and all her family and friends. I am so sorry she has to go through this again, she's a fighter for sure. I send love to you all and I just have to say you are all blessed to have one another. It's a dream for me but I know God gave you each other. Thank you for sharing and you have love and prayers from Queensland, Australia. Sam xoxo

  83. Jaren says

    Anytime I hear about a young mother with so much life to live that has cancer, my heart just breaks. I will pray hard for her and her family.

  84. Chelsea Stevens says

    Thinking of your friend!

    My sweet cousin Lacey died in April of brain cancer. She also loved the Lord so much and knew that he had a plan for her. We did not know that she would only be with us for 8 short years, but I feel so enriched by God's plan to put her in my family so we could be together for that time.

    God put you guys together as friends for a reason and it's such a blessing to her to have such great friends. It is often extremely difficult to remember that there is reasoning behind this fight that your friend and her family are going through, but the storm will clear, and the sun will shine again.