Sarah Mummert，学生公共关系作家
In the midst of all the pomp and circumstance of Cedarville University’s commencement
看 雪松维尔大学的兜帽典礼 with 拿俄米Hochstedler being presented with her mother's graduate school hood. In the linked video, Naomi receives her mother's hood from 19:01 to 19:19.
Hochstedler, who earned an undergraduate degree in nursing from Cedarville in 2001, began her nursing career shortly after receiving her bachelor’s degree. She worked full time at The 俄亥俄州 State University Medical Center until the arrival of her second child, when she decided to stay home and focus on her family.
在做出这个决定后不久, Hochstedler and her husband Delton moved from London, 俄亥俄州, to her home country of 巴西 to work with homeless children in 2008.
Delton Hochstedler, 社会工作者, began working with children in vulnerable communities, 重点发展寄养制度, 这是巴西正在兴起的运动. Fernie started using her skills as a nurse to help children with medical needs.
在她工作的过程中, Fernie decided to pursue the MSN degree online through Cedarville’s School of Nursing. Her research was centered on childhood cancer—a decision inspired by the journey of their son, Kaleb, whom they had lost to a rare form of childhood cancer in 2020. Her research focused on conditions for the care of childhood cancer in 巴西.
Hochstedler was excited to continue her studies while living out the mission instilled during her education at Cedarville of being the hands and feet of Jesus to the vulnerable and weak.
One year later, Fernie was diagnosed with an easily treatable breast cancer. 然而, her treatment plan couldn’t slow down or remove the cancer, and her condition worsened as the tumor became resistant to each new form of treatment.
“I knew that we had to be honest and up front in our new circumstances concerning my illness, 就像我们在卡莱布的旅程中一样,离她去世还有一个月的时候，弗妮说. “我们从不向孩子们隐瞒任何事情. We wanted them to see how even in the dark valley, God will come through and provide in amazing ways. 虽然意识到形势的严重性, we also pointed them to see how the Lord is still good and faithful.”
In the most tragic of circumstances, the family learned to face hard questions while relying on God.
在卡莱布住院期间, the Hochstedlers ministered to the healthcare professionals taking care of their son. The doctors had never seen a family walk through end-of-life situations with the grace and peace they saw from this family.
“Many doctors were bitter toward God due to things they’d seen and experienced, but we have kept in touch with some of them and some are considering God anew,弗妮说. “In my situation, we are excited to see what God does this time. 我们要保持我们的耳朵，眼睛和心的开放.”
Through her journey, Fernie learned the value of gratitude and keeping things joyful.
“By keeping things lighthearted, I don’t mean I ignore the difficulties,” she said. “这并不总是那么容易发生, 但我接受挑战, and being able to laugh can make things less intense.”
但对她来说，感恩才是真正的生命之源, 包括对大事心存感激, 比如那些支持她的人, 还有那些小事, 像鲜花或阳光. She was also grateful for the opportunity Cedarville afforded her to receive her graduate degree from afar.
“The nursing professors were super helpful and really bent over backwards for me, 尤其是在我表现不好的时候,弗妮说. “They were really understanding and allowed me to work within my capacity, extending deadlines if needed or offering oral evaluations. 我很感激. I couldn’t have achieved this goal without their grace.”
“Gratitude feels like my window to God,” Fernie shared. “It opens a window in the darkness and keeps you from being engulfed in despair. 它会让你的观点发生真正的变化.”
四月底, Hochstedler开始出现肝功能衰竭, 她的肿瘤又一次失控了. A new attempt at traditional chemotherapy proved helpful for a moment, allowing her to balance side effects with time spent among family and friends.
“最终, the only one who can walk with us in our pain and stand with us in our loneliness is Jesus,弗妮满怀信心地说.
弗妮过着有目标的生活. 在她去世时, she leaves a legacy of serving others to those who follow her in the nursing profession.