‘It’s a faith journey’

When the Flemming family of Culpeper sits down for dinner today, they’ll have a lot to be thankful for.

In a year, the Flemmings — John, Mary, John Matthew, Reagan, Justin, Jacob, Ryleigh and Jack — have endured the heartache, anxiety and uncertainty of seeing their loved ones battle and triumph over serious illness.

Before heading to Manassas today to spend time with family, John said they plan to attend service at Precious Blood Catholic Church to thank God for seeing them through their trials.

“I feel like it’s a faith journey for us,” Mary added.

The family’s story begins last November, when Ryleigh, then 4, started attending Epiphany preschool and couldn’t seem to shake the flu. Mary said a visit to local pediatrician Susan Werner uncovered something much more sinister than the sniffles — a possible case of hepatitis.

Suddenly, the family faced the possibility of having to prepare Ryleigh for a liver transplant to save her life and began meeting with transplant surgeons at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital.

“At one point, they had about 20 people in her room all taking notes trying to figure out what was wrong with her,” said Mary.

After reading up on Ryleigh’s symptoms, Mary said doctors diagnosed her with an auto-immune liver disorder. Although the news spared her from surgery, it means she’ll have to take medicine for the rest of her life to stay healthy.

“We went into this year with great hope that everything would calm down and the worst was over,” Mary said. But as Ryleigh began to recover and thrive, another trial emerged.

In March, 8-year-old Justin began feeling ill, and he too went to see Dr. Werner. A few tests later, the doctor had the painful task of telling Mary that her son had Type 1 diabetes.

After a weeklong stay at Culpeper Regional Hospital to get his blood sugar under control, Justin, too, overcame his battle. Like his sister, doctors said he will probably need medication for life to stay healthy and active.

Then in July, just a few months after dealing with life-changing news for two of their kids, 11-year-old Reagan began losing her appetite and having pain in her leg. Once again, Mary returned to Dr. Werner, who delivered the most devastating news yet — the cyst on Reagan’s hip appeared to be cancer.

After hearing the news, “It took me a couple days to get it,” said Reagan’s father, John, a behavioral specialist with the Fauquier school district.

Returning to U.Va. for months of chemotherapy and consultation, Reagan and her family then traveled to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. On Nov. 4, Reagan had an interior hemi-pelvectomy and reconstructive surgery to treat the rare form of cancer, known as Ewing’s sarcoma.

Although the surgery left Regan in a cast from her ankle to her hip, Mary said advances in technology and medicine allowed doctors to save her leg, which she likely would have lost to the disease 10 years ago. And just this week, Mary said that doctors declared the surgery a success, sparing Reagan from radiation treatments.

“It’s really a miracle that the cancer didn’t go anywhere else,” Mary said.

Relaxing on the sofa with a mountain of stuffed animals named the “puppy posse,” Reagan said the experience has strengthened her faith and courage along with piquing her interest in a medical career.

“If you don’t believe,” Reagan said, “you’re not going to get through it.”

Through the entire ordeal, John and Mary said they’ve turned to their friends at Precious Blood and other members of the community for strength and support — and they’ve never been disappointed. No matter what the need, John said, the community has met it.

Mary also expressed appreciation for the family’s many doctors in Culpeper, Charlottesville and Philadelphia.

And though the Flemmings’ latest trial is just now waning, Mary said she’s already making plans to give back to others who need support, encouragement and help in their time of need.

“It is our great hope that in the future we can form a foundation to help families needing physical, emotional and spiritual healing,” she said.

“Because of all we have endured in the last 12 months, we want to pay it forward. I do still have hope, and I hold onto it like an anchor in spite of everything that’s happened.”

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .

A year of tribulation
Since this time last year, John and Mary Flemming of Culpeper have seen three of their six children come down with potentially life-threatening illnesses. A look back:

November 2007: Ryleigh, 4, comes down with the flu. Doctors fear hepatitis before she is finally diagnosed with an auto-immune liver disorder.

March 2008: Justin, 8, begins to feel ill. He spends a week in the hospital to treat his newly discovered Type 1 diabetes.

July 2008: Reagan, 11, begins to lose her appetite and experiences leg pain. Doctors find cancer in her hip.