In 2018, Robert and Marissa's middle child, Alice, was feeling ill. Initially it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary; however, a few days of illness became a few weeks...and then a visit to the doctor...which ended up with a trip to the hospital. Their questions were answered in an unexpected and heart-stopping fashion. "Alice has kidney cancer." Within 48 hours her weak and ailing body was prepped for surgery and little Alice started a journey of surgery and intense chemotherapy that would last over a year.

Robert, Marissa, and the girls were not alone on this journey. God was with them all the way. Their strong faith in God's providential love and care helped to guide them as they navigated the hospital visits, the weeks of prolonged sickness, and the difficulties that a diagnosis like this brings to any family.

In March of 2022, Robert and Marissa sat down with DJ and Lorrie Harry of Better Together and shared their experience of parenting a child with cancer. Their experience is both insightful and inspiring.

Topics Covered:
- How did the diagnosis affect your child's emotional mindset?
- Did that mindset change as the treatments progressed?
- What was the biggest fear that your child expressed during the treatments?
- How did you shepherd her heart during this time of unrest?
- How did her condition affect your other children?
- Were there specific Scriptures that were helpful to calm her heart?
- In what ways did you take this difficult process and use it to express faith in God to your kids?

Marissa writes words of encouragement for hurting hearts on her website... https://marissabondurant.com/ Her "Encouragement for Weary Hearts" has helped many families on their journey through the valley if illness and pain. Marissa is also a contributor in a Facebook group dedicated to helping people like her navigate their faith through the journey of cancer....it is titled "Christian Parents with Children with Cancer" and can be found following this link... https://www.facebook.com/groups/christianparentsofkidswithcancer/