Every Sunday evening at St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax
you can find Mary Lenaburg in the kitchen making dinner for
the parish youth ministry program. Instead of feeding the
hungry teens pizza every week, Mary cooks healthy, delicious
meals.
But she’s not alone. Her daughter, Courtney, comes every week
to help her mom in the kitchen. She doesn’t cut vegetables,
or put out plates. She doesn’t help clean the dishes at the
end of the night. But she is present to everyone who passes
through the kitchen every Sunday.
The 15-year-old girl cannot see. She cannot stand, walk or
even talk. Courtney suffers from an unknown seizure disorder
that has baffled some of the country’s best doctors. They had
predicted that she would not live past her third birthday.
Despite the grim outlook from physicians, Courtney continues
to breathe and smile.
Courtney is a miracle. Every breath she takes is a gift from
God. But this Christmas, Courtney is asking for another
miracle – one that will allow her family to keep up with her
rising medical expenses.
Good beginning
Mary and Jerry were married in 1988. Like most young couples,
they dreamed of starting a family together. Their first
child, Jonathan, is now a member of the St. Mary youth
ministry program. And then there’s Courtney.
“My sister is a unique person,” said Jonathan. “There’s no
one on earth like her.”
Standing with her hand in his, Jonathan said that if anyone
ever tried to hurt her, they would have to deal with him,
proving himself a loving older brother.
“And she’s a true younger sister,” he said, adding that
Courtney sometimes enjoys whacking him on the head.
When she was born, Courtney seemed like a normal, healthy
baby. Just after her baptism, when she was only five weeks
old, she had her first seizure.
Start of the struggle
At seven months, Courtney still suffered from seizures, but
doctors thought they had an answer. They suggested surgery
that they hoped would help. Wanting to see their daughter
healthy, the Lenaburgs decided to give it a try.
“The results of that were tragic,” Mary said. Courtney was
allergic to the medicine they used during the surgery, and
instead of getting better, she went toxic. The operation that
was supposed to help her cost Courtney her sight and left her
brain damaged.
“I wept and promised my daughter that I would never leave
her, and I would never give up on her,” Mary said.
Courtney spent her third birthday in the hospital, fighting
for every breath.
“We will fight with her until she takes her last breath,”
Mary said. Courtney pulled through and continued to grow
beyond the doctors’ expectations.
When Courtney turned seven years old, she made a trip with
her parents to Lourdes, France. When the Lenaburgs arrived in
Lourdes, one of the first things they did was pray a rosary
together. At about the same time, back in Fairfax, Fathers
Brian Bashista, Terry Specht, and Donald Greenhalgh and the
people of St. Mary of Sorrows Parish were also praying the
rosary for Courtney.
Acceptance
On their second day in France, the family went to be washed
in the water found by St. Bernadette.
Courtney, on a stretcher, would enter the water first.
Helpers from Poland, Portugal and Russia asked where
Courtney’s illness was. Following Mary’s instructions and
using a statue of the Blessed Mother, they blessed Courtney’s
feet, legs, arms, eyes and brain. When they came up to
Courtney’s arms, in one swift motion, Courtney stole the
statue of the Blessed Mother and placed the statue over her
heart.
The statue stayed in that place as Courtney was lowered into
the freezing cold water. Mary had never seen her daughter so
still before.
Next it was Mary’s turn to be dunked. She stepped into the
cold water and was asked what her prayer was. In that one
moment, the only word she was able to say was, “Acceptance.”
They later found out that same word had entered Jerry’s mind
as he stepped into the waters as well.
“That word was not ours,” said Mary. “It was our daughter
saying, ‘I accept this and carry it for the honor and glory
of God.'”
But the miracles continued. After dining with an American
priest, Mary found herself sitting around a table with then
Charlotte, N.C., Bishop William G. Curlin. She ended up
telling the bishop Courtney’s story, and the bishop asked if
Courtney was ready to receive her first Communion.
Courtney has trouble opening her mouth and swallowing food,
so her mother never dreamed that it would be possible for her
daughter to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. But Bishop Curlin
was determined, and Mary and Jerry certainly weren’t going to
argue.
Two days later, dressed in a beautiful white dress from
Paris, Courtney received her first Communion. Courtney stood
on her own two feet for one of the few times in her life.
When the bishop said, “Body of Christ,” she responded with an
“Ahhh.” She opened her mouth, received the host, and closed
her mouth – all on her own.
New challenges
But now, the family is searching for another miracle.
Courtney has a vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) in her body that
works as a pacemaker for her brain. It helps to control the
seizures and stop them before they start. Recently, the VNS
has stopped working for Courtney, and her seizures have
started again – as violent and serious as ever.
They are happening so frequently that Mary recently resigned
from her job with Fairfax County so she could be with
Courtney all the time. That job was bringing in much needed
funds to keep the family functioning.
Over the past 15 years of caring for Courtney, the family has
accrued $142,000 in debt. And that number continues to rise
as Courtney’s seizures continue. Now, if they are not able to
pay off the debt, they will be forced to sell their home to
avoid declaring bankruptcy.
In light of this new crisis, their friends at St. Mary Parish
have again united to help the family with a project called
“Courtney’s Campaign.”
Christmas miracles
And the miracles keep pouring in. In its first month,
Courtney’s Campaign raised enough money to pay off the
Lenaburg’s second mortgage of $67,000, and $13,000 of the
remaining medical costs. Accountants agree that this means
they will most likely keep their house.
“We have been surprised, overwhelmed, awed and completely
humbled by the love and kindness pouring over our family,”
Jerry and Mary write on the campaign’s Web site.
But they still need to raise $62,000 to cover the cost of
medical bills. If they are blessed enough to go beyond that
total, the family plans to start a medical trust for Courtney
that will cover future medical bills.
“When you open up your life, God’s generosity cannot be
outdone,” Mary said.
Pometto is a former staff writer for the Catholic Herald.
To donate
Checks payable to “Jerry and Mary Lenaburg”
Memo line: “Courtney’s Campaign”
Cardinal Bank
University Mall Branch
c/o Brad Lieby
10695 Braddock Rd.
Fairfax, Va. 22032
