Today, Grayson is 10 days old, and what an unbelievable difference a week makes. Last week, around this time we were still wondering whether he would survive at all. He was sedated constantly and machines did all the breathing for him. Any doctor or nurse in the NICU would have told you that he was the sickest baby on the floor. Today, his doctor told me that he is shocked at how quickly Grayson has not only recovered but advanced. He no longer requires machines to breath for him. In fact, yesterday he pulled out the nasal cannulas (which provide a little extra air through his nostrils) and went back to sleep. The nurse found him peacefully slumbering with the tubes resting below his chin (and his vital signs were still great). Grayson has been weaned off of all but one antibiotic, and he is starting to put on weight thanks to large amounts of his mommy’s milk. He truly is our miracle baby.
His improvement is so drastic that when the nurses needed to choose one of four children to move from the critical area of the NICU to the room where more stable babies reside, Grayson was deemed the most healthy and stable. What a difference a week makes! Undoubtedly the doctors have played a significant role in preserving my son’s life, but even modern advances in medicine can’t take the full credit for Grayson’s radical recovery.
There is nothing quite so difficult as walking with a loved one who is hurting, especially when that loved one is vulnerable and we are powerless to protect them. In every way, these last few weeks have been a crucible that has left us both physically and emotionally exhausted. Yet, we haven’t carried the weight alone, nor have we grieved and hoped and prayed alone. Over the last three and a half weeks there have been literally hundreds of Christ-followers, some of whom Cathy and I have ever met, who have been praying and interceding with God for our son. Some have gone so far as to fast from eating for a child whom they’ve never met.
Then there has been the gentle, loving embrace of our faith community. We have been showered with texts and cards and flowers, meals and even gas cards to help defray the cost of driving to the hospital. One woman from our church cleaned our home today so that we wouldn’t have to worry about it! Talk about love! It’s seasons like this that remind me just how grateful I am to be a part of a loving community that grieves with us in our times of sorrow, rejoices in our times of joy, and prays for us in our times of need. We truly are loved, and that has made a huge difference for us during this painful chapter in our lives. It is encouraging knowing that we aren’t the only ones on our knees for Grayson. Every time we eat a meal that’s been prepared for us, we are reminded that we are loved. And as I walk into rooms in my house that haven’t been this clean for weeks, even months, I’m reminded that we don’t have to carry the burden alone.
So, thank you for loving my family so well. Thank you for being shoulders we can lean on and cry on. Thank you for being prayer warriors for my son – and keep those prayers coming because they are working! We are grateful for the ways you have walked along side of us through this trying time, and for the testimony your love has been to our neighbors and hospital staff and even my friends on Facebook. We love you too.
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