Information for Elliott's race

In all of my emotions reading through Christina's beautiful post and pictures, I neglected to make the information for the race clear. Sorry about that!!  So, below is all the info you need about the race THIS SATURDAY in memory of Elliott.

Who: You!

What: DeAndre's Cause Fun Run/Walk

When: THIS Saturday, June 20th

Time: 8 AM

Where: Oakland Community College 0 Orchard Ridge Campus
27055 Orchard Lake Rd
J Building Deck
Farmington Hills, MI

We hope to see you there!

Elliott and Christina's story

God works in such mysterious ways. Just as I was thinking about talking with God about where He desires me to minister and "are you sure you want me to still focus on widowhood?" a friend of mine posted a heartbreaking fundraising page on Facebook. It was the tragic story of a young newly married man who was beginning hospice due to cancer. It was the beautiful, awe-inspiring story of what God was doing in the life of one young couple who clung to Him and His faithfulness through the most terrifying storm. Elliott Orr was that man. Christina, his young widow, has graciously written their story and provided great pictures so we could get to know Elliott.
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Hello all!! This is Christina Orr, and this is my husband Elliott's story.

It is hard for me to describe all of what Elliott is and was, but for those of you who did not personally know him, I will try to give you a glimpse of his character. To me, he is and was my best friend. He was caring, compassionate, and loving, and I could tell him anything. He would listen, no matter how much I talked, and he always had very wise counsel. In our relationship, he was the romantic. He would write me letters and poems and would always surprise me with gifts. Elliott was a terrific boyfriend and a even more wonderful husband. To the world, Elliott was very smart. He went to the Scripps National Spelling Bee three times! He loved learning and remembered everything he was ever taught. Elliott was so driven in all that he did. He was valedictorian, he was an all state athlete, and he was just good at everything. It was annoying at times, but you couldn't stay mad at him for long because he was so goofy. He would try to make me laugh every time the opportunity presented itself. I can't tell you how many times he put on a dress, skirt, or tutu to make me smile. 

His best quality was that he loved the Lord and knew that his mission in life, even though brief, was to glorify Him.

Elliott and I had known each other our whole lives. We grew up in a small town, we went to the same church, and my dad coached him in soccer for years. I never really liked him much though. I saw him as a "know-it-all" who answered every question in Sunday school correctly. Behind his back, I would refer to him as "smelly-it". As time went on though, his intellect became more endearing to me and the nerdy boy I once knew started to look like a cutie. When his braces came off before he went into high school, I knew my 14 year old heart was in love.  He had no idea that I liked him, and he thought that I was just a nice girl who coincidentally was where ever he was.  He later called me a stalker, but I would disagree. I was just a girl who knew that she was in love with this cute, kind of nerdy, and funny boy.

But of course it was high school, and you just can't tell a boy that you like him. You have to get your friends to do it for you. Eventually, my friends told Elliott that I liked him. Elliott couldn't just go off raw emotion to know if he liked me, he had to logically deduce that I could be a girl for him and his logic ended up in my favor. We started dating October 9, 2006. He was a freshman in high school, and I was sophomore. Usually people don't expect your high school sweetheart to be the one, but we made it all through school together. I had so much fun dragging him to dances, going to bonfires, and watching movies with him. I was a year older than him in school, so I attended Michigan State University while he was a senior.

Once he graduated, he followed me to Michigan State. While in school, we both got hooked up with an on campus ministry and church, and we loved growing and maturing in the Lord together. The summer after Elliott's freshman year, we made plans to go on a college missions trip. Because we were going down to South Carolina for the summer, Elliott went to the doctor for a routine check-up.  He mentioned to his doctor that his right shoulder had been bothering him, and just to be safe, the physician made El get his arm x-rayed. What they found changed the course of both of our lives forever. They found a tumor in his right humerus (the long arm bone that goes from shoulder to elbow).

On that day, May 16, 2011, Elliott was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a juvenile bone cancer. We were totally shocked. In less than two weeks, he started a harsh chemotherapy regiment meant to kill any rapidly dividing cell in Elliott's body. This included cancer cells but also white blood cells and hair. It also left him with awful mouth sores where he couldn't swallow, eat, or talk without severe pain. During the duration of his chemotherapy he lost more than 40 pound. On August 16, 2011, in a 12 hour surgery, Elliott had his right humerus removed and replaced by a cadaver bone, and he also had half of a right rib removed. After his surgery, he continued with his awful chemotherapy treatment.

He powered through, with determination and hope that this cancer would be a struggle that he could overcome. He got done with chemo on January 11, 2012 and moved into his dorm room at Michigan State that same night. He came back to college with more purpose and drive because he now knew what occupation he planned to pursue. He wanted to become an oncologist.

For a year and a half, Elliott was in remission. El built up his strength and could walk to class without being short of breath. His mouth sores went away, and he could finally eat solid food. He started playing soccer again, which he loved. We finally got to go on that college missions trip and learned a lot about the Lord and his love for us. In December 2012, Elliott asked me to marry him, and we were planning a wedding for August 31, 2013. Elliott continued to work hard in school with hopes of getting into medical school. Life kept moving and cancer seemed like a distant scary memory.

When Elliott had unexplained hip pain, we thought he had pulled a muscle running or playing soccer. Elliott had a bone scan because of this pain, and they found multiple tumors in his pelvis, hips, lungs, and both bilateral heads (the part of the leg bone that fits into the pelvis). On July 10, 2013, Elliott was told that his cancer was back, and that his cancer could not be cured and could only be kept at bay. Our oncologist told us that Osteosarcoma would most likely take Elliott's life. Elliott's family and I were devastated, but Elliott seemed more calm and cool than I have ever seen him. Everyone cried, and Elliott just held our hands. He said, "Through any circumstances, all I have ever wanted to do was to bring glory to God through Christ."

After a few days of non-stop crying, we talked about getting married sooner than we had planned. We settled on July 18, 2013, my 22nd birthday. We moved back to our home town, Elliott withdrew from Michigan State, work got started on a little house across from Elliott's parents, and we planned a wedding in a week. I felt like I did everything in slow motion, so many people took the reins on planning. I am so grateful that they did.  After giving people less than a week's notice, we said "I do" in front of 400 people on a Thursday at 1 pm. It was absolutely amazing. We didn't worry about the flowers and the cake like most couples at weddings, we were just happy to get the opportunity to be married and to love each other in sickness and in health.

Less than a week after our wedding, we started the long road of treatment that would never end. A blessing of this second treatment was that the side effects did not include mouth sores.  Most days, when we weren't in the hospital, life felt pretty normal. Elliott and I traveled to East Lansing to see our friends who were still students at Michigan State. We could go to church together, and we spent a lot of time lounging in our new house with our dog, Nema. Elliott continued this treatment for seven months. We took a break after this treatment and took a honeymoon to Disney World.

But, the cancer spread again getting larger and larger everywhere in his body. We started trying other treatments. We tried another chemotherapy treatment, then an experimental immunotherapy at the National Institute of Health, and then radiation. Nothing seemed to control the cancer. In January 2015, the tumors had spread to his spine, and he had become paralyzed and could not move from the waist down. He told me that this was by far the worst experience of his whole life because he had become totally dependent on others to help him. On February 2, Elliott woke up and was not able to catch his breath, and we found out that he had a blood clot in his lung. After struggling to get enough oxygen to his body for days, he went to be with the Lord February 6, 2015 at 23 years old surrounded by his family who loved him.

But Elliott didn't live his life for temporary, earthly things; he lived for eternal ones. He showed so many people that even though his body was wasting away, he still had a hope in a God that saved him from his sins through Jesus. His high spirits and naturally happy demeanor was not because he knew this cancer was beatable, but because he knew that his real battle against sin and death had already been won by Christ. He wrote this poem in 2011.

"People say with albeit good intentions
That if God heals me then His glory will be shown,
But people often hesitate to mention
The other side of His omniscient throne.

"For God to show His power through healing
Would be glorious if it were His will,
But it would also be maybe too appealing
For perhaps my faith would stand too still.

"For in truth I want all to realize in whole
That I care not what this ailment does
Because I truly believe in full
That God knew it all before it was.

"And in trusting Him I would gladly endure
One thousand years of agony and strife
In order to witness the most glorious cure
Of Christ coming into just one more person’s life." - Elliott Orr

You can read more about Elliott's life at his blog caringbridge.org/visit/eorr.

You can also keep updated on my life at Christinaorr.blogspot.com.  

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I am in awe of the godliness and maturity this young husband and wife showed in the face of death. They lived out their faith.

If their story has touched your heart, please consider how you can honor Elliott's memory and Christina's journey.

1. Run/Walk/Cheer: Runner or not a runner, please come out to the race! You can run, walk, or cheer. I believe Christina will even be able to join us!!!

2. Donate: Elliott does have a mission and scholarship fund that will be used to help further the Gospel in places where it is not known, and it is also used to further the education of a high school valedictorian and a boys soccer player at North Branch High School. If you would like to donate here is the steps to do so:

You can donate online using a Paypal account. Here are the steps.
1. Log in into your Paypal account or Sign up for a Paypal account.
2. On the main page in the upper right hand corner, click on the icon "Pay or Send Money." 
3. Click on "Send Money to family or friends."
4. The email address for the donations is eorrmissionfund@gmail.com. 


3. Spread the Word: Have you told your friends and family about this amazing man? Please share his story of faith, encouragement, and courage.

4. Pray: 
* Praise God that our Heavenly Father, in His perfect timing and knowledge, has completely healed Elliott and freed him from cancer and sin!
* Pray for Elliott's family and friends, especially Christina as she grieves the absence of her best friend and husband. This time in the grieving process is especially hard as the numbness wears off and the reality sets in.
* Praise for their faithful witness to God's sustaining comfort and love.
* Pray for the end of cancer. It sucks.
* Praise God for the gift of memory and pictures.
* Pray for all those involved in the race