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"The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation."...Corrie Ten Boom |
About
Landi's Fight - A Lesson in Faith!| April 1, 2009: Well...I know it has been 5 months since I added anything to this page. I know a lot of people have been stopping by to see if there is any updated news on how Landi's family is doing. |
| I just returned from a trip to see them. It was a bittersweet visit. It was wonderful to see everyone, but it was a stark cold reminder of the loss we all feel. To loose someone as vibrant as Landi...well, there are not words that adequately express it and there will always be a huge void in our lives that can't be put into words, either. |
| I got to visit with Landi's mom and dad (Larry and Margaret) on my first stop. Let me tell you about them...they are two of the kindest and warmest people I know. I have known them for as long as I have known Landi - 19 years now. They have always been so good to me. Margaret was one of my key people who got me off-and-married to Bud! She helped with my wedding day, she helped with my portrait day, she gave me a lovely bridal shower - just a beautiful lady with a heart as big as you can imagine. Larry is the same...kind, helpful, smart - and he loves his family. There is no doubt that he is a family man and his family comes first. I have always admired their relationship - there is no doubt they love each other. I love to be around them - they still flirt with each other. They are a lot of fun. It's so cool! They are wonderful Christians, too. Landi and I used to talk about all the lessons other people can learn from them. She loves them so much. |
| Larry and Margaret are doing as well as to be expected. They are grieving, but they have the hope we all have of being with her again. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) You see...they are leaning very heavily on The Heavenly Father for strength (Isaiah 40:28-31). |
| Derek is also pulling his strength from The Lord. He has lost the love of his life. He is alone with two boys. He is an incredible man. He stood by Landi's side and fought with her. He showed all of us what it means when we say those vows "in sickness and in health until death do us part." Derek is an amazing man of God. He is a great dad. |
| John Elliott and Evan are also getting along pretty well. They are such busy young men with school, church, sports, and friends...and yes...girls. They get even more handsome every time I see them! |
| I even got to visit with Derek's parents - Johnny and Judy. They are wonderful, too. I adore them, too. They live beside Derek and I am so glad he has them right there. They are doing pretty good, too. I just don't really know what words to use...everyone has experienced such a huge blow with her death. |
| You see...all of us who were blessed enough to have Landi in our life have lost something really big. Landi brought love, friendship, wisdom, mercy, faith lessons, and so much more into our lives. That will live on in our hearts. She impacted so many people and for so many generations...we will not know her complete story on this side of eternity. We are all grieving. We will all grieve for her for the rest of our days here without her. But...we all have a part of her with us in our memories. We have her smile and laughter forever playing in our mind. We have her voice prompting us with wisdom forever playing in our ears. We have her hug forever felt around our neck. We have her love forever felt inside our very heart and soul. She gave us so much! None of us understand why she had to be taken away so soon from us, but we all trust our Heavenly Father who always has a purpose. His acts are never random, He always has a higher plan. He never promised us we would be exempt from sadness, but He did promise us He would get us through (Psalm 9:10). |
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"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." John 16:22 (NIV) |
I have a recent picture I want to share with you. This picture was
taken this spring - just a couple of months after Landi passed away.
John Elliott is dressed in a suit on the left for a formal dance, Derek
is in the middle, and Evan is on the right. They are standing in
front of Landi's wedding portrait that hangs over the fireplace at Larry
and Margaret's house. Does anyone else see the image of the
angel's wing over Derek's head on her portrait? |
| Landi won her battle with cancer on Tuesday, November 4th. Our prayers were for our Heavenly Father to remove the cancer from Landi's body and heal her. He always has a better and more perfect plan...you see, He removed her from the cancer and gave her complete healing - the perfect healing only He can give. |
| She fought a hard battle this year. She won and we lost. You see...we are experiencing a temporary break in fellowship here because of her absence, but she is rejoicing to be in her eternal home with her Heavenly Father. She is not sick. She is not in pain. She has been restored. She is rejoicing. |
| We lost the light of her smile down here, but she is smiling more than ever now that she has met her Lord and Savior face-to-face. |
| She will be greatly missed and never replaced. Speaking from the person whom she considered her best friend, I am so blessed and humbled to have been loved so much by such an incredible woman. She touched so many lives and so many people loved her. She loved The Lord and she was full of mercy for others - she wanted everyone to personally know Jesus Christ. Her legacy will live on for many generations - not her sickness and not her early death, but her incredible love and mercy for everyone she met. |
| I will keep her page up for a while. Her story does not stop here. She will live on in our hearts and memories. Every time I look at one of my godsons, I see her...not just in facial characteristics, but in what she and Derek have taught them. |
| Here is a copy of her obituary from the 11/6/08 Danville Register & Bee newspaper: |
 Landi
Elliott BradnerBLANCH, N.C. - Landi Elliott Bradner, 43, of 1773 Blanch Road went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at the Duke Medical Center. She was born July 1, 1965 in Danville a daughter of Larry E. Elliott and Margaret Hancock Elliott and had lived her entire life in Danville and Blanch. Landi was a 1983 graduate of George Washington High School and also graduated from Danville Community College and Averett University. Landi had worked for International Paper in Greensboro before moving to Blanch. She was a member of the Tabernacle where she taught the K4 Sunday School class and the Awana's 5th grade girls, was active in Vacation Bible School and served as a counselor at Crosspointe Camp. Landi was also active in her community and served as a volunteer for Caswell County Meals on Wheels, Danville Little Life and as treasurer for the Danville Soccer Club. On July 13, 1991 she was married to John Derek Bradner. Survivors in addition to her parents of Providence, NC and husband, include two sons, John Elliott Bradner and Evan Derek Bradner of the home; a brother, Larry (Eddie) Elliott of Charlotte, NC; her father and mother-in-law, John and Judy Bradner of Blanch and her paternal grandmother, Odie Elliott of Danville. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, November 7, 2008 from The Tabernacle by the Reverend Lamarr Mooneyham and the Rev. Doug Barber. Interment will follow in the Blanch Baptist Church Cemetery. The family received friends at The Tabernacle on Thursday from 7:00-8:30 P.M. and at other times at the residence of Larry and Margaret Elliott 125 Shadow Ridge Road Providence, NC. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wayles R. Harrison Memorial Fund P.O. Box 2687 Danville, VA 24541. Wrenn-Yeatts Funeral Homes and Crematory, Westover Chapel is serving the Bradner family. |
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Her name is Landi Bradner. She is
42 years old. She is a sister in Christ. She is beautiful, inside
and out. She has been married to her husband Derek for 16 years.
She is the mother of 2 wonderful, handsome and intelligent boys -
John Elliott, 13 and Evan, 11. She lives in North Carolina.
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| She has been my best friend for the last 18 years and we share a friendship and sisterhood not just in this temporary world down here below...but an eternal friendship that will be there while we are forever worshiping our Heavenly Father. This eternal friendship is not the result of anything we have done...it is a gift from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. |
| January, 2008 she was diagnosed with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer - a rare aggressive type of breast cancer. She had so much cancer present in her breast, lymph nodes and even the muscle of her arm that her treatment started with 5 months of aggressive chemo. In July, she will have double mastectomy surgery. The last step of her scheduled treatment will be 7 weeks of daily radiation. |
| She has let her Heavenly Father have this ugly cancer and has allowed Him to turn it into something beautiful through her. She is trusting Him, she is a true example of living her faith. She believes in prayer and she has seen the outcome of many answered prayers. |
| The above 4 paragraphs were written earlier this year in the spring when this page was set up. After undergoing aggressive chemo and a double mastectomy surgery, Landi's body scan showed no cancer. The doctors were thrilled and though she was cancer free. Landi's cancer had moved into her brain and spine - she went from stage-3 breast cancer to stage-4 brain cancer in the blink of an eye. The Lord is still working a miracle in and through her. Today is October 1st - Landi is now a patient at Duke and is in the fight of her life. She has completed radiation to her brain and will be starting chemo again next week. Please keep her in your prayers. |
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| This is how brave Landi is - I asked her for a picture of her with no hair (have you ever seen such a round and beautiful head?) and she sent me one! She has baby fine hair growing back - look...her entire head is covered in it! |
| I love to see her in her hats. She has got some great hats to wear - I think she should keep wearing them even after her hair grows back! |
| Today is June 2nd. It is a Monday and she is having her weekly chemo treatment right now. We are counting down - she has 3 chemo treatments left. I will keep you posted and let you know how she is doing and when her surgery will be. |
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Psalm 103 |
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Praise the LORD, O my
soul; |
| An October 1st Update... |
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Landi had her second visit with her Oncologist at Duke this week to set-up her treatment regimen. She sent this email update... |
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We received the results from Duke on
Monday. The 3 small tumors are slightly smaller after radiation and the
spinal mri showed a trace of cancer at the bottom of my spine. My chemo
treatments are to begin on Monday at Duke. I'm waiting to see if I
qualify for a clinical trial of a new cancer drug. There are many
benefits to being in this trial. My prayers are to regulate my steroids so I can be up again and regain strength, God's guidance of my Doctors, and no side effects from the chemo treatments. I have to be at Duke this Thursday for minor surgery (port installation for chemo) and several scans to see if I qualify for the trial. We are blessed to have such Christian friends praying for us. Thank you for your loving prayers, Landi |
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"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20 (NIV) |
| I have some more pictures to share with you guys... |
This is Landi and Derek in March, 2008 at dinner to celebrate Evan's
11th birthday. She was going through chemo and this was her first
evening out in several weeks. They are such a great couple - they
were married 17 years in July. We have been hanging out with them
since before all of us were married. |
This is John Elliott, Landi and Derek's oldest son (14 years old in this
picture), this past summer. He is tall, dark and handsome!
He is smart! He loves The Lord! |
This is Evan, Landi and Derek's youngest son (11 years old in this
picture), at his band concert in the spring of 2008. He is so
handsome! He is also smart and loves The Lord. |
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,
which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest
of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants
and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its
branches." Matthew 13:31-32 (NIV)| A September 19th Update... |
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Landi had her first visit with her Oncologist at Duke this week. She sent this email update... |
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sorry it's taken me a while to email
and I will have to mass email this for my energy sake, I haven't slept
more than 2 or 3 hours a night in the past few weeks. my new doctor at
duke has taken me completely off the dilantine (300 mg) a day, she said
that was "old school" and I was thrilled to stop taking it.....she
couldn't believe the amount of steroid I have been on, and they have to
slowly take me off that....God is so good, I am down to 1 a day now (
not 6!) and have had a few 30 minute naps here and there...please pray
that I sleep soon, they said that once I do I may sleep for days. duke is running tests on me and will finish up next week I will know more of what my treatment options will be then.....pray for knowledge for the doctors, as we know knowledge comes from our Lord, they are baffled by my brain cancer and even told Derek and I that they had never had a case like this.(maybe one similar)..we weren't sure what they meant but will definitely ask next time..we think it's because my breast cancer was not hormonal ( they are retesting original tissue) and I'll have an MRI to the brain again next week ..we were both sleep deprived that day and had been there for hours....but what a way for GOD to show His power, a case that baffles Duke....His hand is in so much, and we are blessed each day with peace from Him. We are trying to keep the boys life as normal as possible and I have to have someone with me at all times..God has given me the energy to be up in the mornings when they leave for school and in the afternoons when the get home. I can walk from room to room by myself most of the time, but need a wheel chair for the rest of the time. I was so grateful that our insurance has rented us one to use. please continue to pray for our family, we are all so tired and need sleep....sorry to mass email but I can only be at the computer for a few minutes at the time. I love getting personal emails and read them as often as I can......forwards slow me down, so if it's not a personal email I would so appreciate no forwards for right now, some days I have 20 or more and can't find the ones I need to read because my eyes hurt after about 5 minutes of looking at the screen....and I so love hearing from each of you it lifts me up so please email about your day and what's going on in your life, I miss being out and especially being a church! I want to be there so much. much love to you all and your prayers are felt and cherished!!! Landi |
| An August 15th Update... |
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Landi got very sick
this week - to the point she could not hold her head up. Last week they
told her she had a sinus infection and that was the reason she was
having severe headaches. She went to the hospital Monday and they
discovered she had meningitis. During the tests, they found cancer cells
in her spinal fluid. Her cancer is in her brain and the meningitis is a
by-product of the tumors - causing her brain to swell. |
| An August 8th Praise Report ... |
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I just received this email update from Landi. She had her follow-up visits with her Oncologist and Surgeon this week. She also just had her visit with her Radiologist to schedule radiation treatments. This is what she wrote in her email this morning: |
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Sometimes when it seems the hardest
times in our life to testify God grace and love for us, is the very time
He is using us for His glory. With 6 1/2 weeks of radiation left to go,
I'm am now cancer free. The doctors are truly amazed at my recovery and
I know that it's through God's grace that I've lived to testify His love
and healing. After radiation there is only a 5% chance that the cancer
will return....isn't that truly amazing?!?!?! Much love, Landi |
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"We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart." I John 5:9-10 (NIV) |
| A July 15th Praise Report ... |
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Landi had surgery on July 9th. She had a double mastectomy, almost 100% of the left-side lymph nodes removed, and tissue removed from her left arm. The surgeon did not have to take the muscle in her left arm. The lymph nodes and breast tissue on her right side are cancer-free. |
 She is at home
recovering. She is in quite a bit of pain - she says under her
arms hurt the most. She is doing very well. Thank you to
everyone who has been praying for her - please continue to pray for her
healing. She still has radiation to go. |
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Praise The Lord for His healing touch! He is Jehovah-Rapha (Exodus 15:26)! |
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"'I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD..." Jeremiah 30:17 (NIV) |
| PS: Landi just called me and she has received her official pathology report from her doctor and she has "totally clean margins"! No cancer! No tumors! Praise The Lord for His healing touch! |
| A June 27th update ... |
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"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:13-15 (NIV) |
| Landi just got the results of her MRI and there is no sign of cancer in her body - there is "complete resolution" of her tissue! Praise The Lord! They see no tumors and her lymph nodes are normal size! Our Heavenly Father has touched her with His healing touch. Thank Him and Praise Him! |
| Landi's surgery is scheduled for July 9th. After surgery, she will have 35 radiation treatments. |
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"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." 3 John 2 (NIV) |
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Psalm 103 |
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I will exalt you, O
LORD, |
| An email update from Landi on June 17th... |
| Hi Everyone, Sorry for the mass mailer but with the pain I have in my left arm it's the easiest way for me to type right now. I want to say a huge "THANK YOU" for all of your prayers, cards, meals and words of encouragement. I'm doing tremendously well, and feel strong even after my treatment yesterday, I've gained 20 pounds as of yesterday on the steroids the doctors have put me on. Only 1 more dose next week and I will be done with my chemo part of treatment.....Praise the Lord!!! They told me that very few make it through all 16 so I'm truly giving praise to God for that and of course all of the miracles we have experienced over the past five months. He has been my strength through all of this, and I am thankful for each of you He's placed in my life that love our family and have faithfully prayed for Derek, the boys and myself. Your friendships are a blessing to each of us. Your prayers are cherished more than you'll ever know, here are the upcoming dates for specific prayer: Monday, June 23rd Last Chemo Treatment Regional Cancer Center Thursday, June 26 MRI to determine how much cancer is gone and to access for surgery (Moses Cone Hospital) Wednesday, July 9th Surgery at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro at 11 am - I am scheduled to be in the hospital for 2 days and then home for recuperation. Thanks again.....Much love, Landi Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 |
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| Landi looks so cute in her wig - I love the cut! She is so beautiful! She felt well enough to go to church and enjoy Mother's Day on this Sunday. She is sitting in her mother's sun room with her two sons, John Elliott and Evan after church. |
| In Landi's Own Words... |
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Cancer is an ugly word that affects most families whether you are the patient or someone you love has dealt with this devastation. Our family is no exception with the diagnosis with cancer, my grandfather, who passed away from cancer in 1997. My story with cancer began in October of 2007 when I experienced pain and changes in my left breast. The doctors were sure it wasn’t cancer and with a mammogram showing no signs of cancer they treated me for months as if it were a clogged breast duct. When my health began to get worse and the pain unbearable, an MRI was performed revealing stage 3 breast cancer. Of course there is devastation in hearing those words “you have cancer.” Questions ran through my mind, most prevalent, how will I tell my children? My husband Derek and I have 2 sons, ages 13 and 11, my concern was for my family and how this would affect them and how would I ever make it through this. My faith in God was being put to the test, and I turned to Him for strength. He has NEVER let me down through this whole experience. My prayers have been answered in ways too numerous to mention. What started out as an ugly diagnosis, when given to the Lord, has given me strength and has strengthened my family. Prayers have been answered in a mighty way, physically for my continually healing, financially He has provided for us in ways I never imagined, and spiritually we all have grown in our daily walk with our Lord. I am currently still in chemo treatment and still have months of recovery ahead, including surgery and seven weeks of radiation. Each morning I give this to the Lord, and each day He gives me the strength to face what comes my way. Proverbs 3:5, 6 “Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I do know who holds my future. If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please don’t waste another day without Him. Life is too precious, cherish each moment and live for the One who created you. He loves you more than you will ever know! Thank you for letting me share my story. |
| ...Landi wrote this on 5/23/08 |
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| What a beautiful family! Landi was diagnosed in January, 2008 with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer. She had been experiencing pain since the fall of 2007. Inflammatory breast cancer does not show up on a mammogram. |
| She knew she was sick when this picture was taken. They were treating her with antibiotics for infected glands, but she was not improving. She found out not long after Christmas how sick she really was. |
| From Me... |
| Landi and I met in March, 1990. We quickly became friends. It wasn't long before we both knew our friendship was more than just a casual friendship - there was a deep love for each other growing inside both of us. Landi was dating Derek, now her husband. She introduced me to someone...who introduced me to Bud in May - just 2 months after we met. We got married in 1991 to our husbands. We had fun during the dating and engagement time, but we are closer now. |
| We moved from VA to NC at the same time. Landi and Derek moved back to VA when John Elliott was born. We stayed in NC until 2007, when we moved to AL. John Elliott and Evan are our godsons and we love them like they are our own sons. We hate living so far away (we are about 11 hours away from them now) and love to go home to see them. We miss them so much. |
| Landi and I both have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. She is a wonderful Christian wife, friend and mother. She has witnessed to me and everyone she comes in contact with during her treatment. She trusts our Heavenly Father and He is healing her through her aggressive chemo treatments which will last for about 5 months. Then, she will undergo a double mastectomy - she also has lymph nodes and muscle tissue that must be removed. After her surgery, she has 7 weeks of daily radiation therapy to go through. Whew! That's a lot! |
| She is so strong through The Lord. She faces chemo each week with a smile - encouraging and praying for other cancer patients. She knows others are praying for her and she gives God all the glory and praise for her favorable medical reports (the chemo has rid her body of the live cancer cells - she says it looks like an eraser has been at work). She has wonderful family and friends that bring in meals and handle other chores for her - her church has been a great support system for her. I'm so thankful she has everyone there to help. |
| I believe Landi will be a Trophy of God's Healing Touch when this is over. She will be a wonderful source of encouragement and information for other women with breast cancer. She will come out on the other side of this illness closer to The Lord and with a stronger faith in Him. |
| We will continue to pray for Landi, Derek and the boys every day! We will keep you updated on this page of our website. I am going home to be with her after surgery at the end of July and I will let you know how she is when I get home. I have so many wonderful customers that email and call me about her and want to know how she is. |
| 5/23/08 |
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