Amanda Elizabeth (Warnock) Cross (1990-2012)
Age 22 of Buda, TX, went home to be with her beloved Saviour on Thursday March 29, 2012 after an extended hospitalization at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Amanda succumbed to a lung infection after a noble lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis.
Amanda was born at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, TX on February 18, 1990 and grew up in Kyle and Buda, TX. She is the daughter of James and Veronica Warnock of Buda, TX. She leaves behind her husband Cody Cross of Kyle, TX, whom she married at Ruby Ranch Lodge in Buda on July 26, 2009. Cody is in the U.S.Navy and stationed in Bremerton, WA. Please hold him up in your thoughts and prayers.
Amanda attended Tom Green Elementary, Wallace Middle School, Barton Middle School and graduated from Jack C. Hays High School with the class of 2008. She was a four year cadet in the JROTC program there. She was a wedding photographer and videographer and produced her first music video in 2011.
Amanda was a vivacious young woman with an adventurous spirit and a caring heart. Although she was very ill at times, she always put others first. She possesed a beautiful smile and touched everyone she met. Amanda loved animals and water activities and sunshine. Most people that knew Amanda found it hard to believe that she suffered an illness and Amanda never used her illness as a crutch, and refused to let it stop her from doing anything she wanted to do.
Amanda is survived by her sisters Rachel Nelson of Elgin, TX and Jessica Ebell of Kyle, TX as well as her parents and husband.
Memorial service will be held on Thursday April 5, 2012 at First Baptist Church of Buda, TX, 104 S. San Marcos St., Buda, TX 78610 (512) 295-2161 at 2:00 PM, with burial at Live Oak Cemetary on Twin Creeks Rd in Manchaca, TX. following the service.
Today we go home. It is such a bittersweet return. As we were seated on the plane, Nightengale by Norah Jones played over the PA system. We all cried as we thought of our Amanda. She loves Norah Jones. She asked us to play Norah's music the last few days she was on earth. We played it for her over and over. It was hard to listen to today.
We will go home now and busy ourselves in preparation for the funeral. Relatives and friends from all over will be flying to our little town to attend. Sort of a Big Chill Texas style. We wish Amanda could be there in person. We know she'll be watching from a far. And she'll be smiling in approval.
The service will be held at the little country church where she was baptised so many years ago. So many people loved Amanda. I just hope the church can hold them all.
Amanda, I know you know this, but we really miss you.
Amanda died this morning shortly after 3 AM, as her beautiful mother cradled her head in her arms. She's in heaven today, doing all the things that CF kept her from doing. Glory be to God for such an amazing honor to have been her father, friend and brother in Christ. Though you're far away, we'll see you again someday. One of these days...
Today has been really hard. It's just about the end for Amanda. If God doesn't bring forth a miracle, Amanda will probably die tonight.
Where does one begin to express feelings so deep and so raw. Cystic Fibrosis is an evil disease from the very pit of hell and it is robbing me of one of my greatest treasures. I am sick to my stomach right now.
Amanda is not processing CO2 properly and will soon stop breathing. Putting her on a respirator will not save her once her lungs fail. Her health fell so fast. In one short month she went from around 60% lung capacity, which is good for a young woman with CF at her age, to almost nothing. What a waste of such a wonderful person.
I gave Amanda to God when she was a baby. Soon He'll come calling for her. I'd like to take her back, but that's not possible. It also looks like there's no miracle that will save her. It's amazing that we are in one of the alleged best places in the country for CF'ers and they are powerless to heal her. Ladies and gentlemen, doctors are men, not gods like many of them think they are. One day, they'll be in the same predicament as my sweet Amanda. Maybe then they will bow to the true God and give up their empty headed ideas of who they are. Until then, we are stuck with powerless technicians known as doctors. God holds all the real power.
My beautiful wife has been here for almost two weeks, fighting this battle to the point of shear exhaustion. The same for Amanda's husband Cody. He has been such a loving son in law and husband to my sweet girl. Oh my dear Lord, I feel so bad for him. I will always love him for who he is and how he loved our little girl. I will pray for him the rest of my life that he will find clarity through this and find love. Amanda would want that.
I know when Amanda dies that she will be with Jesus. The Bible promises that for believers. It gives me comfort to know that I will see her again. She'll be happy and free of any illness. What a promise we all have in Him. It still doesn't soften the blow right now.
I have had so many memories made by Amanda. I love all my girls so much, but this poor baby got short changed. I had hoped for a cure, hoped for many more years with her, playing cards and drinking beer while she drank the occasional shot of whiskey. She could always drink me under the table. She had an amazingly strong liver. Her heart was stronger than strong too. I really think her other organs were SUPER organs and made up for her weekend lungs. She was a pistol, right to the end. I don't think you can drink in heaven, but if you could, she would and be one of the best at.
This past summer, while Cody was deployed in the Persian Gulf, she came to stay with us. I wouldn't trade those days for all the gold in the world. Besides, gold is just pavement where she's going. The things that really matter whether here or there are relationships, and we had a great one. Amanda always told Veronica and me that next to her twin and her husband, we were her best friends. That's one hell of a complement. We shot weddings together, went camping the week school started and had two whole state parks completely to ourselves. Amanda reconnected with old friends from high school days and even shot her first solely self produced music video. She wanted to be a videographer and was planning on leaving after a few weeks to go to a video school in Seattle. I even co-signed the loan. I could never tell Amanda no. She found out the real cost of the school and decided it wasn't worth the cost and ended up staying with us until the first of December. I and everyone that knows her was happy that she stayed. Time with Amanda was always precious and that time, more than almost any. I'll miss one my best friends dearly.
When Amanda got back to Washington to set up their new townhouse for her and Cody, she did it in style. Texas style. That girl LOVED Texas and would defend her state against any foe. In Texas we have a saying, "Don't mess with Texas". I think it should have been, "Don't mess with Texas or Amanda will mess you up". Amanda created a beautiful home for Cody and her. She never really got to enjoy it.
In high school, Amanda was a marksman on the rifle team. Veronica would always travel with her on the ROTC trips to make sure Amanda was OK. Amanda would always out shoot everyone. Even while sick at times. Had she not had CF, she might have become a Marine. Oorah! We would also go to the Marine Corp Ball every year. It was a big night out for us.
Amanda was instrumental in providing me the encouragement I needed to start my own appliance repair service. She and Veronica talked me into it while playing Rummy and I'm glad she lived to see it come to fruition. Amanda loved rummy. She was great at it and usually won. Amanda loved to win. Why shouldn't she, she was a winner. She beat us all again. First one to heaven. That may have been her plan all along.
Amanda was great with animals. She used to ride her cows and pigs and tie dolls on a boar's back with a rope. The rest of us could hardly touch them. Amada could lay down and take a nap with them. When she was eleven, Veronica let her get a inside dog. Her name was Kandy, because she looked like cotton candy. She loves that dog and that dog loves her. I wonder how it will effect Kandy when Amanda leaves us.
There is so much more I'd love to share about Amanda. I am just hurting too bad right now to say anymore. I am going to include her music video here at the end, so you can see how talented she was. Amanda was an artist, photographer, videographer, daughter, wife, twin, best friend, and so much more. I wish those of you who never met her could have. You'd have been honored.
It was February 11, 2002. Cold, almost rainy February Austin weather. Amanda was almost 12. I'd won DC Talk tickets by being the whatever number caller to the local Christian talk radio station in Austin, KIXL. We all loved DC Talk, but especially Amanda. I think she liked them so much, because I liked them. Or maybe she just liked them. This was a great concert for us to go to together. We had an amazing time together.
One of DC Talk's famous songs (and album for that matter) is Jesus Freak. Amanda is a Jesus freak. She is saved by grace. I am so thankful for her strong faith. Praise God for Amanda and praise Amanda for her belief in God and Jesus Christ.
I have three beautiful daughters. They are all amazing young women. I'll introduce them later. This blog is about one of my daughters in particular. Her name is Amanda, and she has Cystic Fibrosis. We found out when she was four months old. The year was 1990. That day was one of the darkest days of my life. All I knew about CF was what I'd seen on the old Public Service commercials on TV back in the 1960's. Back then, kids with CF did not live very long. About 8 years. My heart sunk when I learned the diagnosis. After some counseling, we learned that the life expectancy was 21 years. Better than 8, but not enough. Amanda is 22 years old now. She has graduated high school and married a wonderful young man named Cody,who loves her deeply and joined the US Navy in order to provide health insurance for her.
I am writing this post from a hospital room in Seattle. This has been Amanda's worse downturn ever. We are hoping for the best and doing all we can to aid her healing. Prayer is a large part of our effort, and social media reports to friends and family have garnered such a multitude of prayer beyond anything we've ever experienced. We are so thankful. Even at that, Amanda is very ill and closer to death than she has ever been. We hope she'll recover.
This blog is about the times I've had with my little girl Amanda, as she grew into the amazing women that she is today. I plan on posting here often. I hope in some small way that this may help and/or inspire some other poor parent who's beloved child has CF. That is my wish.
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