By Brenda Cannon Henley
Many of my Texas friends are aware that my youngest granddaughter, Maya Grace Stancil, has been quite ill, and will be in John Hopkins All Childrens Hospital here in Tampa 17 days today. Maya is six years old and a heart recipient. She got her new heart when she was eight months old. The transplant saved her little life. My son and daughter in law are foster parents here in Florida and are very active in the foster program. After having Maya join their family as a foster child, she won their hearts, and was fully adopted to become a Stancil. Because of the transplant, both Brent and Valerie have had specialized training required for medically fragile children and have seen Maya through several illnesses and hospitalizations.

Rejection issues are paramount to all transplant recipients and Maya is no exception. A common cold or other minor illness can become major to an organ transplant recipient in a matter of hours. She has received superb medical care at All Childrens over the years and this hospitalization is certainly par for the course. However, this illness and hospitalization is perhaps more serious than any other since the actual transplant.

Many tests and comparisons have been done determining exactly what is going on in her little body. Rejection must be ruled out first of all. That has been done and it has been decided that she has a particular form of pneumonia common to transplant patients. Complications have added to the burden and she has been placed on a ventilator, is on dialysis because of damaged kidneys and bad numbers, has had bleeding in the lungs, and in general, very ill, and listed in critical condition.

You have to know our Maya to know had badly she dislikes the vent tube. Her dad’s soft heart melts when she awakens and looks at him with such pleading in those brown eyes. She thinks he can do anything and does not understand why he cannot just take the tube out of her mouth and throat. He described it to me as a look of confusion and terror and it breaks his heart.

Because she is so active naturally, she must be restrained when she is awake to keep her from pulling all the tubes and wires out of her weakened body. She really doesn’t get that. (Neither would I!)

Maya is highly intelligent, inquisitive, and blessed by God with a very outgoing individual personality. Her teachers adore her, her nurses love her, and her family is truly blessed by her little life.

People are praying for Maya Grace around the world. For now, she is still listed in critical condition, depending on the machines for survival, waiting for a new plan of treatment, or for God to work a miracle in her little body.

We, her family, know in whom we have believed, and are certain he is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think. Our Anchor holds though the ship be battered. Hebrews 6:19.

Maya and her brother, Hutson Stancil, also an adopted foster child.

I am asking if you are a parent or a grandparent, or a loving aunt or uncle, or a teacher or neighbor, coach or friend to a child, try to imagine that one of your children that you love could be in our child’s place. Will you join us in earnest prayer that Maya will be fully well and soon now?

One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is Jude 22 – “Some having compassion make a difference.” I ask for your compassionate prayers.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788, or
[email protected]

[April-26-2021]