Her Daughter’s Final Gift Brought Heaven Near and Transformed Her Grief Forever with Jody Hudson

In this moving episode, Kristin Kurtz sits down with Jody Hudson for a powerful conversation about a mother’s faith journey through her daughter Alex’s battle with Lyme disease, chronic illness, and unimaginable loss. At the heart of this episode is Alex’s courage, unwavering faith, and the “parting gift” Jody says changed how she carried grief forever. Jody shares the reality of navigating years of symptoms, searching for answers, and finding Lyme disease resources while holding onto hope. They also discuss how intentional prayer, surrender, and a deeper relationship with God brought strength in the darkest seasons. This episode offers hope for anyone walking through grief, illness, unanswered prayers, or learning to trust God when life doesn’t make sense.

Jody's contact info:

Website - www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org

Email - hudsonjodya@gmail.com

🎙️Hope Unlocked Listener Exclusive! Feeling stirred but not sure what to do next? Book a 45-minute Holy Spirit-led 1:1 coaching session w/ Hope Unlocked host Kristin Kurtz, founder of New Wings Coaching. This powerful conversation will help you move from stirred to activated—with peace, clarity, & a Spirit-led next step. Book your call HERE now–special pricing to listeners!

Transcript

Retired But Re-Fired For Ministry

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked Podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching. I help and empower wild-hearted and adventurous women of faith feeling caged and stuck, unlock their true purpose and potential, break free from limitations, and thrive with confidence, courage, and hope. If you're curious to learn more about coaching with me, head to NewWingsCoaching.net and be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together. Welcome to the Hope Unlocked Podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope to your soul. Please help me welcome Jodi Hudson to the show. So excited to have her here today. Um, I know she's gonna bring such a power-packed um testimony that's actually gonna bring um so much hope and joy to you and your lives around the world. So thank you, Jodi, for coming on today. And before we get started into your testimony and your story and what you're led to share here today, would you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Oh my gosh, yes. So um I am currently retired. So I'm entering a whole new season of my life right now, which um I think that is a main reason why I am trying to connect with like-minded individuals like yourself to really, you know, fill my cup up with things that I can do just to glorify God and just to really um further my ministry. Um prior to my retirement, I was 20 years in the nonprofit field. And before that, I was um about 15 years in the retail field. So a little bit of fun, fashion, and then diving into a servant's harp, which really ties in beautifully with um currently my season of just really leaning into my faith and and developing it that much more so.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yeah, so beautiful. And I would love to share with you. I don't know if you've heard this before, but when somebody retires, I like to say, no, you're not retiring, you're re firing. Oh, I like that.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

I'm gonna write that down.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Refiring, yes. Yeah, yeah. So you you do, you carry a fire, even when I saw you when I first hopped on and we connected on Zoom. I'm like, ooh, she's got fire here. So tell us, tell us about um, just even go back a little bit in time to Jody. Like, have you always had a fire?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

You know what? Um I feel like I've always had a little bit of a flame because I was born and raised um uh Catholic. So, you know, it was a very ritualistic um faith for me, one that I just went to church every Sunday, you know, went through all of the um seasons uh with the church, did my first communion, did my um uh confirmation. But it really wasn't until my daughter's um illness, especially in 2016, 2017, that my faith really started developing even much more so. Um and what I mean by that is Alex, um she, you know, was like me, um Catholic, and you know, she loved her sacraments as I did, but she really felt like something was missing in her spiritual walk and her faith journey. And so she started going to non-denominational churches, and it's there that she really um delved more into her faith and brought me along uh with that that faith journey. And how that happened was um literally by by accident. It was one Sunday, and um I saw this program on the kitchen counter. And I said to Alex, I said, honey, where did you get this program from? And she was about, oh, maybe 19 at that time, still living with me. And she said, you know what, mom? She goes, I've just been going out and kind of doing a little, you know, survey and research on some of these other churches. I enjoy our church, but I just feel like I'm missing something. And she said, I went to this church and I really, really, really enjoyed the message. And she said, they have a service tonight at six o'clock. If you want to go with me, I'd love to, you know, share this experience with you. I feel like as a parent, anytime our children are, you know, inviting us into their faith journey, um, definitely I want to, you know, walk beside them with that. We went to the service at six o'clock that night. And coming from the Catholic background of church, where it's very ri ritualistic stance that you say your prayers, you have, you know, some songs in there, taking that framework, what I knew of worship, into a non-denominational worship where everybody was on their feet, you know, singing these songs of worship. And I just remembered being so moved by this and grabbing Alex's hand and just like joining her in this beautiful beautiful celebration of faith and worship.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

And I think that's really where my flame started burning brighter and deeper.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

So and that was like what, eight years ago?

SPEAKER_00 6:02

About eight, nine years ago. About maybe nine years ago, because she's uh been passed now for about eight years, but it truly was my daughter, you know, bringing me deeper into my um faith journey just by this different expression and and form of worship.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Well, like what was going on inside of you, like even after you left that first, you know, time experiencing?

SPEAKER_00 6:27

I was very emotional. I was very caught up into the whole, you know, wow, like I always thought I was such a good, devout Christian. And I always thought I was doing such a great job in my my faith walk. But at that moment, when I was so overcome by emotion and crying and just like wanting more and knewing that there was more out there in my in my relationship with God, it really um, yeah, it was such such an emotional um moment for me. You know, very good and you know, emotional moment, just you know, crying those tears of joys and just like, yes, God, I am all in, and just realizing through song and singing, you know, how much more praise that I can give him. It doesn't need to be silent, it doesn't need to be ritualistic in prayer that there's a greater extension of that worship.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Yeah. So you you experienced like the greater expression, the more. And like, what did it look like for you to step into that even more, like after that first experience?

SPEAKER_00 7:44

I loved it. So what we did was my daughter and I, um, every weekend we would double dip into our faith. And so we would go to our Catholic Church and receive the sacraments on Saturday, and then on Sunday, we would go to um, you know, this non-denominational church. And it was during this time that um, you know, Alex had been sick for up to maybe seven, eight years now. She went about 10 years with this medical um mystery illness. And so I really believe that God was providing for us this foundation to walk on as things would get tougher and tougher, tougher with her own medical journey. And the people that we met, the pastors that we met there, the community that just loved on her, it really helped to sustain her for the next year, year and a half.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Yes, that's amazing. And it's so beautiful, like that that almost that plea for both of you, like there's more. Because I remember having moments like that in my life too, like there's gotta be more. And he's he's so excited I feel like he's just excited to answer those prayers.

Fervent And The Prayer War Room

SPEAKER_00 9:40

He is, and and you know, um, and again, you know, our our faith keeps going in layers as we just keep growing closer and closer to God. And so during that whole moment, I thought, oh my gosh, this is just amazing. And you know, having a a deeper, greater understanding of my faith walk with him. And then I currently now am in this season of transformation in a beautiful way where um I do two Bible studies on Thursday. I do a Catholic Bible study, and then on Friday I do a non-denominational Bible study because again, I just like seeing the different perspectives and meeting different women and experiencing that. And we in our non-denominational Bible study have been um reading um fervent the book by Priscilla. Oh, yes, and I don't know if you are you aware of that book.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Oh, yes, it's very good.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

My gosh, that woman is a powerhouse. Okay, I seriously just got chills right now from my head all the way to my toes, just saying that name. That is how strong this book has been for me and and changing um my prayer world.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Tell us tell us more about the book. So if somebody is listening in, they're like, well, what is what is that book about? Like, what is what is how is it shaking up your world?

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Right. So I want to say before you even get the book, you need to um you need to watch the war room. And I believe during the pandemic. That really right there is such a great segue into reading the book. So she takes it one step further in her book fervent. And what she dials into in this book is really the um your your prayer life, your prayer journal, your prayer log. It's teaching us really how to pray even more with intention. It's teaching us to stand in prayer, it's teaching us to really push Satan away, like you and I were saying before we started this recording. Okay, not today, Satan, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Not today. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

So that's kind of like bringing him into that prayer and saying, you know what, Satan, not today. Like I claim, you know, authority over my children, over my job, over my walk, over everything that I'm doing. And she breaks it down into relationships, into hurts, into feelings. And each section really helps you to pray more fervently with whatever subject it is, or whatever you know is really going on in your life that you need um help with. And it's making prayer stick because when you write things down, you know, you tend to remember it better. And she also has you like design somewhere in your home, like a prayer war room where you just go in and be still, have that quiet, because I think that is such a big challenge for all of us. We we you know have that relationship with God. We say our prayers maybe in the morning, maybe at nighttime, you know, dear God, you know, thank you for this day that you have given me. But it's really about getting on your hands and knees and really, you know, having that spiritual prayer life with God. Yes, yes, it's different for you know, for everybody, but for me, coming from that space of more quiet prayer and more um, you know, less expressive worship just because of my background as a as a Catholic, this has just been a game changer for me.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Wow. So do you feel like more bold in your like with your voice, even with your voice too?

A New Bold Voice After Loss

SPEAKER_00 14:04

Yes, so much more bold. I feel like you know, my relationship has gone from surface level passive into a bold, active Christian. And truly, you know, that is what God wants us to do. He doesn't want us to, you know, control the world and try and do all these things just that bring us angst and you know, that whole surrender. He really truly wants us to give all that back to him. So then we have that space to bring his spirit into the world. Yes, and like what you said at the beginning, like you saw something in me, right? Yeah, that's fired up. Yep, it's already fired, and that's where I feel like I'm in this space right now of really trying to get this all in alignment. Because at first I was like, okay, I'm retired, I'm not going to my job, you know, eight to five. I'm so I thought, is that why I'm out of whack? Like, what's happening? Then going through these Bible studies, I'm like, wow, this is what's happening. It wasn't my daily structure of not, you know, working as much. It was my whole structure of my prayer and my faith walk.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Yeah, you're you're being like recalibrated. Like if even if you look at the word recalibrate, in the middle of that is called. Yeah. There's a new calling that's being um, you know, it's it's percolating. I like to look at it as kind of like a you know, butterfly, like you're in the you're in the cocoon right now, Jody.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yes, I really am. And you know, and it's and it's funny that at the same time, um, I've I've always, you know, done a lot of speaking. Um, I in my uh when I was working at Catholic charities and I had to do PR and communications, did a lot of media interviews, radio interviews. And then when Alex passed and I started her foundation and wrote this book, and the book came out in 2022, been doing a lot of you know, talking on the book and a lot of speaking at women's conferences, medical conferences, um ministering to people. But this new voice that I have, yes, so different now.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

What what what makes it different? What would you say, like just even looking at, you know, maybe a year ago, like what what what did Jody sound like? What was her voice like?

SPEAKER_00 17:06

I think what it sounds like is what I what I had just um mentioned before, the surface level of me thinking that I'm doing all the things that God wants me to do, I'm checking off the boxes, you know, it's like I'm doing my devotionals in the morning, I'm you know, praying, I'm you know, thinking I'm I'm so good in my walk with God. But what I discovered was after I did that checklist, and I stopped. Like I wasn't bringing him into my day. And then I was picking up him up again at nighttime. Yeah, I was doing my prayers. So now I'm just so more mindful about okay, God, like right get-go from the morning, you know, I'm putting on that armor of God, and I'm walking with him all day long. He's opening up these doors for me, and he's bringing resources, he's bringing venues like Pod Match. I just started in January. And I love how there's so many faith-driven um hosts like yourself out there that he's connecting me to.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Yes, it's so beautiful. And you've given your yes, yes, yes, yes, exclamation. I mean, one one thing I like to say is when you give, you know, sometimes you'll have an uncomfortable yes, right? Maybe, you know, I don't know if this is uncomfortable. You know, anything that he's called you into is uncomfortable for me. Some of the things he's called me into are very uncomfortable. But when you give a yes, that is part of that calling that he's calling you into. There are, I like to say there's generational implications. Yeah. Yes. Because it's it's about you, but it's not, and it goes so beyond you. Well, because just think about it, even today, we're recording today on April 2nd, you know, unless like Apple Podcasts goes down and Spotify and all the places, like this is captured. Yes, exactly. It's not going anywhere. Your voice is is being encapsulated, and somebody might hear this 20 years down the road and just be so blessed by what you shared today, Jody.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Thank you for that. And you know, I feel like that was one of the reasons why I needed to write um the book that I I did because I wanted it to be written word that went on forever and ever generations to see her faith testimony and and her walk.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

Now it's it's you know, talking about that whole experience and then where I'm at today. You know, like I said, the past couple months, it has been a little bit uncomfortable for me trying to figure out what he's doing, how he's shaking and stirring my my journey, thinking, Lord, I'm out there, like I'm doing this testimony, and I'm telling people, you know, you met me in my darkest hour, you know, when I lost Alex, and how you know, you brought me back to life so I can, you know, actually talk to people about that time. But he's like, But Jody, I'm not done with you yet. Exactly. Just get out from that experience and start talking about what I'm doing with you today, which is getting you out from this surface level of faith and really bringing my spirit into every minute of your day.

Alex’s Illness And A Life Unraveling

SPEAKER_01 21:04

Yes, yes. He's taking you deeper. It's beautiful. I love it. Well, I want to be sure that we really um take a moment and moments to um just really share more about your daughter Alex and um, you know, what what you walked through and the beauty of of you being able to sit here and um share your testimony. I I so appreciate it because I know it's just gonna bless so many people um, you know, in their walk, if they've walked through similar or they're walking through something similar as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

Absolutely. So um what I want to do is kind of to really understand the this miracle of life that God has given me. I'm gonna take you back to actually when I was born, and it's gonna be a very short snippet story, I promise. But yeah, I was born to a single mother who could not um take care of me. She placed me in foster care, and at six months old, I was adopted. Now, everybody, when they hear that, they're like, Oh, well, that's nice. That's you know, at least you got placed with a family. Well, it was nice that uh I had, you know, roof over my head and my needs were met, but both of my adoptive parents fought alcoholism.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

So I tell people I spent most of my childhood trying to forget about my childhood.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Fast forward to 2011, where after 20 years of uh being married to who I thought Was the man of my dreams and having a wonderful blessed life with two children, um, my son Garrett and my daughter Alex. In 2011, I found myself divorced and bankrupt and luck to raise my two children on my own.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 22:57

And that was also during the time where my daughter um had been battling for about 10 years uh a medical mystery unknown to doctors what it was. So when I say that, that all started when she was in about fifth grade. She started developing joint pain and inflammation, and we thought it was just um from her being overworked in her sports because she was playing all the sports that she could. And so we went through and we did test and they couldn't find anything, and they just thought it was something that she would outgrow. Well, she didn't, and we went back to the doctors multiple times because she was developing digestive issues and she was starting to lose weight. And we took her to the best of the hospitals, and the doctors all concluded that yes, there is something definitely going on with her, but unfortunately, tests just keep coming back um negative. They just can't figure out what's going on. So Alex um basically went through her school years um this way, and she graduated from high school and she was uh awarded a full ride scholarship to UCLA, but she still was struggling with her health, still losing weight, still not 100%. So she decided to decline that and just stay at home and um do junior college for two years and then hopefully get better.

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Yeah.

The Lyme Diagnosis After 40 Doctors

SPEAKER_00 24:35

Well, that get better never happened, and we started um down the path of just trying to find different doctors that kind of would look outside the box. Yeah. It was the 40th doctor out of um Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles. Did you say 40? Uh-huh. 40, 40th doctor that we finally stumbled upon. That within the first 10 minutes of me talking to him about her medical history, he looked at me and he said, Mrs. Hudson, has anybody ever tested Alex for Lyme disease? And back in 2017, I asked a really stupid question. I said, I'm sorry, what is Lyme disease?

SPEAKER_02 25:20

Sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

And sure enough, he tested her for Lyme disease and it came back positive.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

So I spent the next year going to facility after facility, you know, the best facilities, trying to um fix Alex because as a parent, that's what we do. Something's wrong with the child, we're gonna fix it.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Mind you, this was not cheap because unfortunately, insurance doesn't pay for a lot of um uh Lyme treatment. So we still don't know. If it's chronic, which again, she's had this for 10 years now, um, they would would pay for like the first 60 days of antibiotics and that type of treatment. But because it's on chronic and every part of her um body was um impacted by this, um, we had to do multiple treatments and kind of out-of-the-box sort of treatments, and insurance doesn't cover all of that. So from 2017 until she passed in March of 2018, I probably spent over$100,000 trying to um heal her.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Jody. So it was December before she passed in March of 2018 that I realized that um I was losing this fight. And Alex was basically bedridden. Um, and she was down to probably, she started at 120 pounds, she was down to probably about 80, 70 pounds by now.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Oh my gosh.

Hospice Faith And Redemptive Suffering

SPEAKER_00 27:01

And so um, you know, again, just praying to God, trying to see if there's any treatment, anybody that, you know, he could just guide me to. And there really, you know, there really wasn't. We just could not get our leg up on this whole disease. And she had developed some other complicated um illnesses, mast cell activation, which was one of them that was complicating her whole um treatment. So we ended up bringing in um hospice, but the thing was with hospice, um Alex during this time was growing so deeper into her faith and her journey and her own testimony. She refused any pain medication.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

She did. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Wish and she was in a lot of pain, though. Oh, a lot of pain. But she liked to be ever so present with her um walk with God that she would let hospice come in to basically to take her vitals, um, to help with some nutrition. But that was that was really it. And what she really wanted more than anything was to um be ministered to. So I was able to find through our church a group um that came in and prayed with Alex. And um she decided that that was too many people. I think it was like a group of five or six people. She decided that was too many people. So it whittled down to this husband and wife, who I write about them in in the book, because it was amazing to see Alex, who loved reading and she devoured a book a day. She would read these books about God and about theology and spirituality and just devouring these books day by day. And she would have these conversations with um George, the the um gentleman uh in this couple, George and Lucas. It was George who really helped her to, you know, understand some of the concepts that she was reading. And the thing that really stuck with her was this redemptive suffering, and how she could attach her suffering for a greater good. And that's what she started doing, and she would, you know, start praying for others, and it was just a beautiful testimony of her selflessness, yes, her own journey towards the end, how she wasn't really thinking about herself so much, but she was thinking about others, and unfortunately, I you know lost her on March 24th, um, 2018. She was 22 years old. I lost her to Lyme disease, but you know, I I tell people that grief is is a funny thing. You have so many different layers of grief and so many different things that you you go through. Yeah, I don't wish it upon anybody, and I don't wish losing a child upon anybody.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:28

But how blessed was I that I had her for 22 years. Yes, yes, and because of her, she really brought me to my faith. You know, as as we talked earlier about God putting us at this non-denominational church that would create this foundation for Alex's faith and my faith to prepare what was going to be happening, you know, down the road a year, two years later, which was obviously her death. But just how all of this was so beautifully orchestrated. And even her passing, it was a parting gift to me.

SPEAKER_02 31:16

Oh.

The Parting Gift At Her Passing

SPEAKER_01 31:17

Why I've never heard anybody say that before. Like it's it's such a beautiful. Tell me more about that.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

So the parting gift to me from Alex was um the day that she passed, I really didn't know that she was going to pass. Like I knew the time was coming soon, but I don't think we ever really know like the day or or the moment it's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

And it just so happened that day, one of my um really good friends came over and she said, you know, I just felt God nudging me to come over and, you know, to pray with you. And I said, Yes, great, let's pray.

SPEAKER_02 31:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

And so we went back into the bedroom where Alex was, and she was, you know, nodding off and on, you know, napping and sometimes being present.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:07

And the moment that we walked in, my friend, I think, sensed that it was getting closer than I even thought. And so she called um four of my other girlfriends, which I speak about in the book. They were really like Alex's aunties. And so she called um these aunties, and there's like a prayer vigil that was happening around Alex's bed with all of us, and we all started, you know, kind of just saying different stories and recounting different, you know, beautiful memories that we had with Alex. And when it came my turn to say something, like I knew in that moment God was telling me, Jody, like you need to surrender this, like you need to let her go. I think he could tell she was hanging on for me, I was hanging on for her because as you remember, you know, here I was a single mom raising her. Alex's brother was away to college, so and I didn't have any family out in California where I was. Most of my family is still back in in Michigan, and my mom and dad had passed since. So these aunties, these friends of mine really the family, the support support that I needed, especially during this time.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

So I felt this nudge of God saying to me, You need to, you need to surrender this, you need to let her go. So as I started talking, I was, you know, patting her hair and just saying, you know, Alex, this is gonna be so hard for me. I said, but I know that you need to go. Like you get to go up and be with God. Lucky that at 22 years old, you have everything that God has wanted you to do and has asked of you. You get to be up in heaven with him. And you get to see Buddy, her golden retriever, that passed off that she loved, or it was her best friend. I said, You get to play with Buddy again, and you know, you get to to be reunited with grandma and grandpa and and other people up there. I said, It's it's time you can you can go. And as I was saying this, yeah, and I had my eyes closed, one of my friends was like, Jody. And I opened up my eyes and I saw that Alex had raised her head up from the pillow, and she was looking up to the ceiling, and she had this big, beautiful smile on her face, and her eyes were wide open, and she had like this beautiful gasp of like bewilderment and joy and amazement, and just like you could tell that she had her moment that she saw Jesus in this light, and then she closed her eyes and she put her head back on her pillow and she passed.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

So my gosh, I I tell people, you know, because of that parting gift that she gave me, I was able to move much quicker through my grief. Yeah, see another parent who hasn't had that closure and maybe hasn't been present with their child. Um, it's harder on them. And I still apologize for that. Like I feel experiencing that, like I I hope for everybody to have that beautiful closure and that you know, beautiful gift that Alex left me because she knew how hard it was going to be for me to go on. So she loved me that much that she gave that to me when she oh today.

Grief Layers And Carrying A Legacy

SPEAKER_01 36:22

Oh I'm just imag I'm such a visual person and I'm just seeing like this whole thing, and I'm like it's just warming my heart, even you know, as a mama too, because you know, we he knows our days, right? Yes and what a beautiful expression, like literally. Um, I'm gonna take that with me into my walk too. So thank you for just sharing so openly. Um so what it like, what did it look like like subsequent days? You said he didn't have family nearby, and it sounds like you had some amazing prayer warrior friends, aunties and in essence sisters, like what did that look like for you to walk this out? Um I can't even imagine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:14

So um, you know, I I sat in it for a while, this grief, and because Alex's story, um, you know, with this Lyme disease, Alex's story when she passed, like took off on a national level.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Oh, it did. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

So people were reaching out to me. Um, a lot of Lyme organizations were reaching out to me. Media was reaching out to me locally. Um, you know, it was like this was Fresno's daughter that passed. I mean, everybody knew of me because of my public figure in the community, of the works that I did at Catholic Charities. Um, it's a very tight-knit community. And then, like I said, you know, taking it to the next level with different Lyme communities reaching out to me because her story made, you know, national headlines. I mean, when Alex passed, her story was on the front page of our local community news and it reached, you know, levels um far away. So, you know, I had so much I was trying to grapple with as far as losing my daughter, um, trying to figure out how to carry on her legacy, how to grieve. Yeah, and for me, you know, and and and also like how to show up in in my faith walk with with God. So there was a lot going on around that time. But the thing that coming kept coming back to me was I did not want to be defined in that moment as a grief girl. Okay. Like seeing how Alex was so present in her faith. Yes, I said she never took any pain medication, but seeing how brave she was and how she was standing so strong in her faith, I could not do anything less to carry that movement forward. And so that is where everything just sprung from. Her foundation, uh, because she wanted to eventually have a nonprofit to help others that had been battling Lyme disease. She wanted to do that. So I took that torch and started her foundation and then you know, wrote this book so people could see just her beautiful journey through such a terrible, you know, time uh her life and just how she was, you know, showing up so present with God.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:19

And then for me to really be able to turn that into a testimony and not a woe is me.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

Right, right. Did you have moments though attached? Oh of course, of course.

SPEAKER_00 40:38

Yeah, I mean but I think because of the little snippet story that I shared in the beginning of how I came into this world, and I've had to be so strong and rely on no one except myself and obviously God. Yeah, I think that whole DNA helped me during this moment where yes, I'm human. Yes, I would have those crying episodes, and you know, why me, God, and why my daughter, and haven't I been a faithful servant? So all those things that we go through. But I just want to bring that mess into my message. I really wanted it to be a message of thank you, God, praising him in the storm that I had, you know, for her for 22 years. I had this beautiful relationship, and that because of my faith, I'm able to get through it and be a testimony for others going through hard seasons.

SPEAKER_01 41:51

Yes, so good. When it sounds like she learned a lot from from you. We learned a lot from each other. Yeah, but as mama who's who stands firm in her faith and has been tenacious, right?

SPEAKER_00 42:07

Yeah. I mean, it and it was, you know, during those times leading up to her passing, where some days I had to be the strong one, and Alex was the strong one.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 42:23

But always centering it around God and just trying to show up the best that we could every day for him.

SPEAKER_02 42:31

Yeah.

Writing My Promise To Alex

SPEAKER_01 42:32

Well, you mentioned you mentioned a book. Um, had you ever considered writing a book? Like what did like what did that process look like for you? Did you have help?

SPEAKER_00 42:43

So it's funny, you know, we we talk about um things that we think we can and cannot do. So I mentioned I was a businesswoman, right? I was in retail for 20 years, and then I was in a nonprofit field. So as a businesswoman, I wrote grants, I wrote business proposals, I didn't write like creative writing that just was not me. Or did Alex um journal? It would have been so easy um to write a book had she journaled. I could have just plagiarized her words, I could have just grabbed all her journals and you know, put it into a book. But when God brings something to you, um, it's not always an easy task, but he will equip you in a beautiful way with what you need.

SPEAKER_01 43:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:36

So here I am running um Alex's nonprofit, still working full-time for nonprofit Catholic charities, and God nudges me, really not nudges me, he kind of pushes me to say you need to write a book. And I'm like, Yeah, God, but you remember, I'm I'm not that writer, I'm not that person. Right, right. And it was crazy because while he's nudging me to do this, I am in a book club, and in this book club, uh, there's several women who have written books, and women in particular that has helped people write books. And so I had a conversation with her, with Penny, and I said, Penny, you know, God is really on my on my you know, heart streams here to write this book.

SPEAKER_02 44:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

I said, uh I don't know how I'm gonna do this. Like, do you have some you know wisdom for me? Jody, it's really funny that you're saying this to me because I'm working with three other gals right now that are writing their stories that are in the beginner phase. Why don't you come to our writing session next week? Bring uh you know, a page or two of some writing, and we'll critique it and we'll go from there. So that's kind of how this journey started. I would just write some things, they would critique it, and then one night I just took the plunge. I'm like, okay, no more tiptoeing. God, I'm gonna do this. Yeah. And so I took out my laptop, and literally four months later, I had a whole manuscript for a book.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

Wow. So you got to a point you're like, I'm doing this thing, and then it just started flowing out.

SPEAKER_00 45:38

It just like it can for four months. Like I would go to work, right? I mean, because I still had to pay the bills. I would still manage Alex's foundation. But every night, every weekend, every wait, week, like waking extra moment that I had, I would sit down at my kitchen table and just pull stuff. Like to begin with, I pulled out, like I was thinking, I don't really have anything like you know, of journals or anything of Alex's. Like, how am I gonna start all of this? But then I remembered, oh my God, I had all of her medical binders of all test results, like everything to help me to like chronicle this. And I kept track of like her weight loss to kind of help me. So like I had that to start with, and then I remembered Jodi, she uh wrote like Bible scriptures on these three by five cards, and she did that like within the last six months of her life because it was really hard for her to eat, her digestive system, everything had been um, you know, uh destroyed by her heart disease. She knew that she needed nutrition. So every time that she ate, she would sit there and have her Bible out, and she would write different scriptures that spoke to her on these three by five cards. So in my book, every chapter begins with one of those scriptures that she wrote. So bringing her into this storyline, you know, with her scriptures as well. So I had all of that. And then um, once I was done with this manuscript, I knew like I was running out of steam, like this could not sustain itself to get it into print format and everything. That's when I I brought Penny back in and I said, Okay, here's the manuscript. These are the chapters, like I need you now to help me like to get it together in a book format and also you know, help to to edit it. And she had helped others, you know, write books before, and so she knew a lot of people in the literary world. So she took this, you know, manuscript, and every week we would meet and we would go over, you know, the different chapters and how it was shaping up, and then we um were looking at publishing it, but then we decided to go ahead and self-publish it, and we did that. And the next thing you knew, the book was out on Amazon. It was during the pandemic. Um, we published it in 2022. Okay, and to this day, I mean, it's got probably 155-star reviews, and it's on international people in Japan, UK. Um, it's amazing how this book just took off on Angel Wings.

SPEAKER_01 48:47

Oh my gosh. What is the name of the book? I I think people are just on the edge of their seat.

SPEAKER_00 48:53

So it's called My Promise to Alex. Oh, and like I said, you can find it on um Amazon.

SPEAKER_02 49:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

And you know, for those people that are listening, what I just explained right now, the story that I told about writing this book. This is where you really have to sit and listen sometimes to what God wants for you and what God is asking of you. And you might not understand it. And you might be like, Okay, God, you are way off the mark. Like, I have no idea. Like, like, you know, Noah building the ark, Noah's like God, like what is it? He's my buddy. Yeah, like, are are you crazy? Right. Literally, that's what I said to God. I'm like, Are you crazy? Like, do this? You're not alone asking that question. But look at the the beautiful story that came out of it and how it resonates with so many people, and it and it has helped people through a faith journey, a chronic illness.

SPEAKER_01 50:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:05

Um, and it's giving glory to him. So embrace the um, you know, the the craziness, I say. Yeah. Yes. Embrace the wild.

SPEAKER_01 50:17

Yes, exactly. Gotta get more wild. Well, he he is so good. And I I just love um your heart. Like you truly are just radiating his love, and this testimony is I know that you're really impacting so many today. Um, and I know that people are gonna want to probably get in contact with you. So would you be willing just share it here? I'm gonna share it in the show notes, but verbally to share the best way people can get in touch with you.

SPEAKER_00 50:46

Yes, absolutely. So um on my um website, it's www.alexhudsonlime foundation.org. Um, there's uh an email there, phone number that you can get a hold of me. There's also a link to the book. So if people um, you know, get confused on Amazon or whatnot, I make it really easy. There's a link right there on the website that they can um order the book. And I respond to all emails, to all um phone calls. You'd be surprised, what, eight years later, how many people um are reaching out to me because a son, daughter, a family member has um uh gotten Lyme disease, they don't know how to treat it. Is there a doctor? Is there somebody you know, something that um I can do to help them? So, or even people that you know might be struggling in their their faith journey that have lost a loved one. Yeah um, you know, it's again, grief has so many different layers and truly with God. I'm able to, you know, stand strong today and and chat with you about this, but it wasn't always that way. I had to do my own work.

SPEAKER_01 52:08

Yes, yeah. Well, I want to ask you just you know, before we wrap up, too, you you know, you you mentioned that there were 40 doctors that you ended up finally seeing somebody that I'll just say had a clue. Yes. Um, I've I've had my own journey of kind of being roped around the medical system, you know, in my my time as well. And gas lighting. On your website, do you have like resources for people? Um, you know, maybe somebody out there is just like, I've been roped around the system too. Like I am at the end of my rope. Like, what do I do?

SPEAKER_00 52:44

Yes. So there's there's a whole tab on um Lyme disease resources, and there's a really good organization. I mentioned a lot of organizations on the website, but there's a really good one called LymeDisease.org, and they have a whole referral reference um link. So all you have to do is plug in where you live zip code, and they can help um find a Lyme literate doctor in your area. Now, when I say in your area, I mean for us, it was maybe two and a half hours that we had a drive to um find a literate doctor. So um I think there's a lot more out there now than there was back in 2017 when Alex was diagnosed. Okay. Thankfully, um Lyme disease is not this um funky, weird, crazy disease any longer. People are like, oh, I get it. It mimics a lot of COVID, what people had during COVID, and also how COVID's gone into, you know, like the long um haul symptoms. So um people are identifying with that more and more. But yes, I have lots of great resources on the website.

SPEAKER_01 54:03

Okay, awesome. Um, if you could just mention the website verbally again, just in case somebody missed it.

SPEAKER_00 54:09

W dot Alex A-L-E-X Hudson H-U-D-S-O-N Lime L-Y-M-E foundation.org.

Encouragement For The One Listening

SPEAKER_01 54:22

Okay, perfect. Well, Jody, thank you so much for coming on today and and you know, having such a brave voice and bold voice, and you're setting so many free. Um, I hope that you realize that. And, you know, as you continue on in this journey of being re-fired, um, I cannot wait to hear more about what he's gonna do through you. Um, I do sense that there's um expansion coming in in some way or form. So you'll have to keep me updated on that. Um, and then as I close each podcast, you know, I do this for the one. And I know there's more than one listening to this, but if you could just maybe close your eyes and just think of the one that's listening in today. What maybe words of encouragement or wisdom? Do you want to speak over them? And then would you pray us out today?

SPEAKER_00 55:07

Yes. So that for that person that is listening today, and you just are in that deep dark space and you don't know how to crawl out of it. I encourage you just to open the Bible and God will show you the verses. He will give you the word, he will give you that encouragement that you need. He will speak love into you. And I want you to know that we are speaking love into you. Um, this podcast is done for love. It's done for you, it's done for others to give them hope. So just know that you are not alone in this journey. Others have walked it before you. I have walked it, and you will get through it. I know it's tough right now, but lean into God, lean into others, find wonderful venues like this that speak love into you and light because you are God's child and he loves you more than you will ever imagine. So hold tight and you will get through it.

SPEAKER_01 56:11

Yes. Thank you so much. Oh, thank you.

Prayer And Romans Hope Anchor

SPEAKER_00 56:16

And let me pray just as we are closing. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this time that you have given us just to praise you, to worship you, to let my story be that testimony of all the goodness that you want to give others and that you have blessed me with, and that you continue to bless others. Thank you, God, for Kristen, and thank you just for the heart that she has to serve you, Lord, and what she's doing through her beautiful ministry of walking with others and just letting others know of your goodness, your grace, your glory. Continue to bless her, continue to bring the right people her way to give you all the glory, God. And as we walk this week into Holy Week and come into Easter this Sunday, Lord, we are just so in awe. I'm almost speechless, God, of all the beauty and all the wonder and all the life and the blessings that you give us. And it was by dying on the cross that this all came to be. And let us always be reminded, God, of what you have done for us and that you continue to do. And let us continue to shine that bright light, God, and let us continue to help our brothers and sisters in this walk, that they never have to walk alone. And just let us continue to give you all the glory, God, and thank you for what you do in our lives, what you've done in our lives, what you are doing today, and what you are continuing to do. I can't wait just to see all the blessings and how we become recalibrated. I loved what Kristen said, the calling. We are recalibrated in our faith. So thank you, God. And in your name, we just pray, Amen.

SPEAKER_01 58:11

Amen. Oh, Jodi, thank you so much. What a blessing it has been to have you on today. I'm gonna close the hope unlocked anchor with our close hope unlocked anchoring verse. It's may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. And that's Romans 15, 13. So thank you again. Um, be sure to check out the show notes, get in touch with Jody, check out our website, and I will be back with another episode next week. Thanks, listeners. Have a good one. Thank you.