Many thanks to all for everything these past three years. Words really can not describe how Jesus has sustained us through Himself and y'all through everything.  

The following is the entirety of Everett's Testimony, I got chocked up and jumped to the end at his celebration of life service yesterday(many thanks to all for everything!). But I know he would want folks to know, and be encouraged, by what was left out about the BEST boy we know and love always. 

This is Everett’s testimony:

A wise physician once said, "Everett is beyond the word incredible" and all of us here, I know, wholeheartedly agree.  He was like that even from when we found out we were pregnant with him.  We were not trying to have a baby, in fact we were in the middle of moving, and transitioning to new jobs. The morning we found out we were pregnant with Everett, Greg looked at me like an alien was inside of me, placed a little coffee bean in my hand, and said, "We are going to have a little bean". He was born March 3, 2016 at 1:05pm at Clarendon Memorial Hospital.  Due to unseen complications Greg held him first and the first thing Everett did was stick out his tongue at Greg, in typical Ev fashion. The first time I held him I'll never forget how he calmed down, the smell of his sweet brain filled head, and feeling like I couldn't love him anymore than I did then.  We soon discovered we would, and still do, grow to love him, more each day.  

As far as babies go Everett made eye contact really early and was a hairy little newborn.  The pediatrician we saw took one look at him and said Everett was intelligent.  Boy, was he right! Even at two months old we know he told us, through mimic sounds, "I love you" and said his first word, "Momma" at 5 months old, followed by creepily crawling around whispering, "Daddy, baby, bacon..." Everett grew into a curious, bright, caring, and adventurous little fellow. He enjoyed Jesus, our Bible Stories, memorizing scripture, seeing and playing all of the games, reading, learning, inventing, building, and creating things, pranking, wrestling/play fighting, lots of outdoor sports, going on adventures to libraries&parks&zoo, and all the animals. In recent years he enjoyed places like Edventure, Disney, golfing, and Universal. He always enjoyed life, no matter what was going on, and is definitely now with Jesus and loved ones up in heaven making the most of each moment. 

Good things wove out of the bad things of life. He came to know Jesus when he was three years old and his sister Esther passed away from Turner's syndrome. He told me he missed her so I asked him to stand in front of me, his back to me where he couldn't see me, and I asked him, "Can you see me?"(He said no). "But you can still hear me and know that I am here, right?" (He said yes) "Well, Jesus is with us always even though we can not see him, he is there.  And because Esther went to be with Jesus in heaven it is like she is always with us too." Everett whipped his sweet blonde beach head around at me with a big Everett grin and said, "I want to know Jesus more." Right then and there we prayed together and he believed in Jesus from that moment onward.  

Everett always was, and is, a joy! He always had a way of making life fun. Even when covid had us bunkered down he was so patient with how life was- he was just so content, kind, and happy, to be with us.  He loved us dearly--he would always want to wake up and spend time with his Daddy before work,and would make me lil pipe cleaner rings and tell me he wanted me to be married to him instead of Greg.  He loved his grandparents and godparents and would blow away wishing flowers to wish to live with them...with us there too. 

Just as soon as we started getting back into life, life had its way of trying to slow Everett down.  Symptoms kicked in the beginning months of the year he turned five and then he was diagnosed with cancer shortly after his fifth birthday.  His faith was incredible as He clung to Jesus by continuing to press on and play, learn Bible verses, sing worship songs and Mary Poppins, and during this time asked for me to sing the hymn, "Ode to Joy"--he liked the stanza, "ever singing March we onward victors in the midst of strife, joyful music leads us sunward in this triumph song of life" and a song by Maverick City called, "Promises" about God's faithfulness, and "Silent Night" during his transplants when things were rough and he wanted calm. He didn't stop trying to play, create, or read; he just had more going on in-between it all where he couldn't do as much--he always taught us to keep living life to the hilt, how you are able, no matter what.  He baffled our hospital staff family, with just who he is and all of his intelligence and creativity, like when he requested they use the medical terminology instead of “kiddy words”, building a machine to cure all sicknesses, asking Dr Laura if he could look into her ears too, pranking staff, interrogating Santa, and petting all the therapy dogs, and so much more.  As he went through that first 18 months treatment plan he fell in love with a sweet nurse there and even had a mock wedding. He had some better moments between those eighteen months of treatment. He grew a bit stronger between transplant, radiation, and the immunotherapies as we would adventure out and play with friends and enjoy the neighborhood kittens and birds. He seemed to be better at the beginning of treatment but he would be frustrated over how quickly he got tired, but  then choose to just find something else that was fun and chill to do. We will never forget when he rang the bell to signify he was done with his first trial. He loved his first Make-A-Wish trip and wanted to do all of the things and we did! It was incredible and freeing and just phenomenally fun for Everett and us, to celebrate Everett's victory. We will never forget Everett's favorite character wasn't even one at Disney or Universal. It was a random gingerbread man named Murphy(not from Shrek) at the place we stayed at, Give Kids the World Village. All the photos with Murphy the Gingerbread Man came out creepy, but that made it all the more what Everett enjoyed doing --baffling us. 

He jumped back into life with such vigor and enthusiasm -visiting, playing, and running with friends and family- doing all that he could do and be.  By Thanksgiving, however, he started slowing down again and was rediagnosed in March last year. There were some sweet sweet times and some hard ones during that time, but I remember one night I was rubbing his legs and I needed to go to the restroom. Everett just asked for his Bible to be with him while I went.  When I got back he was staring at the end of Psalm 23, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." He always knew where his hope lies.  His faith got him through those rough nights with reading, hymns, and rubs. His song during this time was one by Andrew Peterson, "High Noon", that talked about how we bring all the praise to Jesus who defeated sin when he died and rose back to life...and how because of Jesus it all is finished. Sin, death, the awful is shattered because Jesus is victorious...making us victorious as well.  Everett knew he was, and is, a victor in Jesus.

His faith really was the pinnacle of his endurance of all that he went through. He will always blow us away with the strength of his faith. The year that followed his 7th birthday was hard as after a few cycles of the first trial, Everett started to change a bit with all he endured. He had wonderful sweet moments and memories of fun times like with his second Make A Wish trip, but he continued to fatigue more and his disease continued to worsen.  He never once blamed God, the doctors, us, anyone, or himself.  He always trusted that Jesus would make a way. Everett's favorite hymn became "What Child is This" and I believe it is because he related to Jesus's pain, took hope in what Jesus had done, and his heart's desire to continue to praise Jesus & find joy in Jesus regardless.   He came to rededicate his life to Jesus during one of the toughest of times in Charleston this past year.   His heart broke over the suffering and victory Jesus lovingly did for him and us all, as he heard Paul's testimony through an Awanas devotional.  It was a beautiful moment and one that I believed truly carried him through these last four months.  The last month of his life is hard to talk about, but when he was more awake at the start of it he heard me sing, "In Christ Alone”, and would request it regularly and never signaled me to stop singing it in his last days like he did other hymns at times.  He knew whom his hope was, and is, Jesus. He knows and believes Jesus could have saved him here or in heaven.  He never once tried to play God, was always willing to fight the cancer, and was ready to be here or go home to Jesus regardless.  He trusted God's plans were good.  His favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a hope and a future." 

The devil is who caused Everett's cancer. But the good woven from that indescribable awful is the ultimate plan of God's: that Jesus saved Everett from not just his cancer, but his sin, that is the greatest gift and plan for any of us, is knowing Jesus and one day being in heaven with Jesus forever-- free. While Everett was still making plans for life here open-handed, I know that he is now accomplishing them in heaven with Jesus and would want us to keep living our lives as well here as he is there.  He would want us to be loving Jesus and everyone, enjoying life, and making the most of every moment no matter what.  

Thank y'all for everything and helping Everett to be able to make the most of each moment. We can not thank all of y'all who have journeyed with us, especially our hospital family, for all you all are and have done for Everett and us--is truly above and beyond. 

I do know Everett truly loved everyone, even if he had a harder time expressing it the past year. You all mean a lot to him and to us. 

That being said, my closing thought is not a long monologue of how much Greg and I will miss him, or how heartbroken we all are. No, my closing thought is of a memory.   I can still see his beach blonde head whipping back at me Everett saying, "I want to know Jesus." Everett now not only knows Jesus more, but like Jesus and his sister, Everett is with us all, right here (motion to the heart). He is with us all. 

Attached is a picture of Everett with Murphy the Gingerbread Man and then the page from Awanas book. Also, a song he loved a lot this past year, "High Noon" by Andrew Peterson. 

Many thanks,

Honored to be

Everett's parents,

Heidi & Greg