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May 23, 2024
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” Matthew 19:14
It has been said that through suffering people become closer to God. So it’s been for Myra Martinez.
Martinez, a mother of nine children, watched her oldest daughter Danielle battle leukemia, until the cancer eventually took her life at age 7.
Rather than become bitter, the mother turned to her faith for inspiration to write a book titled “Danielle: A Story of Surrender and Trust.”
“I feel that the inspiration for my book about my daughter Danielle came from the Holy Spirit,” Martinez said. “Shortly after Danielle’s death, I recorded all the details about her life, mainly for my family and her future siblings, so that we would remember everything about her. Later, I felt called to put my journal into the form of a book.
“I felt that God was pushing me to write and share Danielle’s story of suffering so that others who suffer could benefit from learning about her life as a young cancer patient, and how her love for Jesus and her Catholic faith gave her strength.”
It took Martinez 29 years to write the book, and she explained why it was so difficult.
“Each time I wrote it opened my wounds,” she said. “Sometimes it got put aside for years until the Holy Spirit would nudge me to write again. I also feel that God was allowing extra time for me to grow more in my faith so that I would be better at writing and conveying the message that I needed to share.”
When Danielle started falling ill, the family belonged to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, later becoming parishioners at Saint James the Greater Catholic Church.
“At Sacred Heart, Father Michael Champman came to the hospital and brought Danielle her First Holy Communion and the Anointing of the Sick. That was the beginning of the special Sacraments that gave her strength to endure her suffering and leukemia,” Martinez said.
“At Saint James, Father James Kastner and Father John McMenamin were instrumental in helping arrange her confirmation with Archbishop Beltran in our home, and then finally her funeral Mass that was held at Saint James the Greater on Jan. 4, 1995.
“Currently, we are now members of Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Norman. Father Timothy Fuller has been very supportive of my book. He proofread the book for me before it was published and has been very helpful to both my husband Philip and myself in our spiritual lives.”
She said the biggest challenge of writing the book was the pain and suffering she felt.
“Many times, I had to write through tears,” Martinez said. “Sometimes, when words did not flow well, I would have to take a step back and find more time to pray before continuing, and sometimes that meant years. The writing required a lot of prayer, strength, time and love. I wrote out of love for God and for those who would be reading Danielle’s story.”
“I was offering my writing to God, therefore, my writing became a prayer. I found that the closer I became to God, then the Holy Spirit was able to work more easily and freely through my writing.”
She said the biggest reward for her has been seeing the positive spiritual effect and the impact it has had upon its readers. Feedback from readers has revealed that some – Catholics, fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics – were evangelized through the book.
“I feel the book has been Danielle’s little mission on Earth,” Martinez said. “It gives me great joy being a tiny instrument in being part of sharing her story. Writing has helped me grow in my faith and has helped in the healing of my wounds as a mother.”
Jolene Schonchin is a freelance reporter for the Sooner Catholic.
Photos of Danielle Martinez and her family with Archbishop Eusebius Beltran. Photos provided.
