Angel Wings: Love, Love, Love, Now and Forever

By Cheri Jones

Conner Reed Jones, April 14, 2003 - June 24, 2010. His life, his love for those he knew and those he never met, his smile, his strength and courage, his faith, his wisdom, his gentleness, his LEGACY! Conner may have only walked the face of this earth for seven years, but he was wise beyond his years. Those who loved him followed his journey painted by the words written by his father and mother. Everyone who knew him were touched by a seven-year-old boy who transformed the lives of thousands around the world. Without a doubt many would tell you "Though he may have not lived forever, he certainly left behind something that will". Food for Thought: "The idea is not to live forever, but to leave something that will."  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098036416

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Angel Wings

Love, Love, Love, Now and Forever

Cheri Jones

Copyright © 2020 by Cheri Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

In the Beginning

A Decision Is Made

The Journey Begins

The Family Grows

Conner’s Life-After-CF Diagnosis

Resources

Conner’s Make-A-Wish Comes True

A Day in the Life of Conner

Treasured Moments

Social Media’s Role in Conner’s World

When Others Care

Conner’s Passing

Messages from Beyond

New Beginnings

Reaching In And Sending Out

You Too Can Help

In memory of Conner Reed Jones

April 14, 2003–June 24, 2010

Acknowledgements

First, I want to thank God for bringing Conner into our lives. Your plan was not our plan for his life, but we were blessed beyond measure then and now.

Thank you to Conner for coming into our lives and making us better people. Your life inspires many of us to do the best we can and to always trust in God and his plan for our own lives.

To Brad and Sarah, for choosing life for Conner. Even though you were given the option to abort, you put your trust in God and chose to provide Conner with as normal a life as possible during the seven short years that he was with us.

To my family, for encouraging me to start and finish this project.

To my sister who is only a phone call away. She is always available to give me some advice, and she challenges me to look at things differently. She was a great help in pulling the final pieces together for Angel Wings.

To my cousin Mary, for being my editor of choice. Her input was invaluable during the writing process.

And last, but not least a thank you to my granddaughter, Emma. Conner and Emma were best friends, so she was delighted to use her artistic abilities to create an illustration for Angel Wings. I think Emma’s drawing is perfect. Thank you, Emma, for creating an illustration that really captures the essence of the book.

Prologue

Sometimes in our life, there are defining moments that cause us to reflect on our past and evaluate our future. On April 14, 2003, an event happened that would become a defining moment for me. That event was the birth of my first grandchild, Conner Reed Jones.

At nineteen weeks of pregnancy, Conner was diagnosed with prune-belly syndrome (PBS), and at one year old, he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), both incurable diseases. Much research was done nationwide by his attending physicians to find another patient who had both rare diseases. That research found no other cases. Conner was the only known patient who had been diagnosed with both life-threatening diseases. His doctors would be breaking new ground as they established a treatment plan.

Conner was so much more than a little boy with two rare diseases. Before he was born, we knew Conner was destined to be a special child, a gift from God, and we were certain that God had special plans for his life. It’s true that the plans that had already been set in motion were not the plans we imagined for Conner, but our faith assured us that we would be touched in profound ways and that we would become better people because of this little boy. What we didn’t know was what an impact Conner would make, not only on the lives of our family but, also, on the lives of thousands of others around the world.

As I wrote Angel Wings, I was reminded over and over how much Conner taught those who had the privilege to meet him. He was a very calm, happy, and easy-going baby despite his medical condition. He was loving, compassionate, and sensitive, yet strong. He was a little ham who could make you laugh with his funny little anecdotes, and he would giggle with excitement when you tickled him. Needless to say, everyone loved him, including those who only knew him through posts written by his dad and mom, through newspaper articles written about his life, and from others who were close to our family and who shared what they knew about his situation. It is my hope that Conner’s story will inspire and give hope to those who may be going through a similar situation, raising a child with an incurable disease.

Seven years was not a lot of time, but our lives were blessed in many ways. As you read Angel Wings, Conner wouldn’t want you to be sad because he loved life, and life loved him. He would want you to enjoy every day and greet each morning with a smile and a thankful heart.

On June 24, 2010, Conner earned his angel wings. He cherished his family and will forever be loved and remembered as a hero who taught us how to love unconditionally and authentically, who showed us what it means to persevere, to live each day with joy in our hearts and to appreciate what we have no matter the circumstances.

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

Let go of yesterday. Let today be a new beginning and be the best that you can,

and you’ll get to where God wants you to be.

—Joel Osteen

Bradley Michael Jones and Sarah Lanae Ponzoha, my son and daughter-in-law and Conner’s parents, began their life as husband and wife on May 19, 2001. Brad and Sarah were first introduced to each other via the Internet by a mutual friend. At that time, Brad was working for DirectTV in Boise, Idaho, and Sarah was attending Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.

After several weeks of communicating and getting to know each other through e-mail and texts, Brad decided it was time to meet in person. Sarah agreed, so Brad made arrangements to fly her to Boise during one of her school breaks. That would be their first face-to-face encounter. As Brad waited nervously in the terminal for Sarah to exit the plane there were many things floating through his head. What did she really look like in person? Would this be a fun week or one filled with uncertainties? Would it end with both wanting to see each other again?

By the end of the week, Brad knew without a doubt that he wanted to have Sarah in his life, and he was certain Sarah felt the same way about him. Many times after their first encounter, Brad would leave directly from work on Friday and drive the seven hours from Boise to Ellensburg for a weekend visit, returning in time for work on Monday morning. It wouldn’t take too many of those trips before they both recognized the first signs of true love. In time, Brad would leave his job in Boise and would return home to Ilwaco, Washington, but he kept in constant contact with Sarah. We were pretty sure where their relationship was headed.

Ilwaco is a small town, a fishing community located on the southern end of the Long Beach Peninsula in southwest Washington. Surrounded by water on three sides, the Peninsula is a vacation paradise, drawing thousands of visitors each year for ocean fishing, clamming, crabbing, camping, International Kite Festival, Beach Barons Rod Run, Water Music Festival, and many other events and activities.

In 1995, when our oldest son Brian graduated from Prairie High School in Vancouver, Washington, we made the decision as a family to accept a job offer from the Ocean Park Retreat Center and United Methodist Church Camp in Ocean Park, Washington, which is on the northern end of the Peninsula. We had been involved with the camp for many summers serving as a camp dean, small group leader, and as part of the camp’s music team. All three of our kids had attended summer camp at Ocean Park for many years, so we were well acquainted with the area. The job offer was unexpected, but we felt certain that we were being called into ministry, and so, we began working out the details for our move from Vancouver to Ocean Park. We have many wonderful and fond memories from our time working and living at the camp.

After our third year at the camp, we decided that we wanted to stay on the Peninsula. Both my husband and I were fortunate to find other employment, so we bought a home in Ilwaco and moved in in August 1998. It is