Christopher's Miracle Story: When it rains, it pours.

Friday, August 16, 2013

When it rains, it pours.

When it rains, it pours!

I boarded the plane for home floating on hope. I had an action plan. It wasn't a cure, but it was a "way around," a way for him to live. I clutched the little sketch in my hand. I could hardly wait to share it with Christopher's doctors. I was holding hope in the palm of my hand. Hope is a priceless gift. You can't buy it, and you can't earn it. Hope is God's gift to humanity.

I was being fueled on hope. It was keeping me going despite difficult circumstances. As the plane descended from the clouds and landed in Portland, I still felt like I was walking on air. My mom and I rushed to the hospital to see Christopher, and the feeling I got when I walked in his hospital room was yet another priceless gift. It is difficult for me to really describe the yearning, the overwhelming motherly desire, that I had to hold my baby. I wanted to share the good news with him. I wished he could understand the hope that I had found, but he was just a baby. He couldn't understand my words, but I knew he could understand my heart.

When he saw me, he had an instant look of recognition on his face. His little arms went out begging to be held, and his eyes implored me to pick him up and reassure him. I was so glad to see him, and he was so glad to see me. As I held him, I told him everything was going to be okay. I told him that I had found some answers, and that things were going to get better. Our hugs said everything that words couldn't.

Row faster, Christopher!

His skin felt hot with fever and infection. The IV was dripping in the vital fluids and antibiotics, and I reminded myself to be patient. We had been in this boat before, and it was just going to take time and effort to row ourselves back to shore. Besides, we had a PLAN. We had HOPE!

We also had each other. Mike was back from his business trip in Texas. He entered the room in a rushed and anxious fashion, but with one hug I knew all was not well. He looked exhausted and his face was flush with fever. He was also coughing repeatedly which immediately drew the attention of the nurses. Apparently, he had brought a Texas sized cold virus back with him. The nurse took Mike's temperature, and when the thermometer registered a fever he knew he had to leave for Christopher's sake. Christopher was already sick with a bacterial infection. His immune system was compromised, and we couldn't risk complicating his situation with a cold virus.

Mike left for home, and as it turned out it was a good thing that he did. The next day he was diagnosed with Pneumonia. Christopher definitely could not afford to get Pneumonia. Pneumonia could very well prove to be fatal for him. We were told that Mike needed to stay away from Christopher until both of them were completely healed and fever free.

To add insult to injury, Mike's grandfather died while Christopher was in the hospital. He had succumbed to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. Since Christopher was a baby, he doesn't remember Grandpa at all, and since Grandpa had Alzheimer's he didn't remember Christopher at all either. It is very sad the toll that Alzheimer's takes on a person and their family. I will always remember Grandpa as a very sweet and kind man. He was always so nice to me. I only wish Christopher could have had the chance to know him the way that I did.

Christopher in the hospital, husband sick with Pneumonia, and Grandpa died...yep, that's three by my count.

I guess sometimes "when it rains, it pours." That's how it felt to be me that week. My son was in the hospital, my husband had Pneumonia, and Grandpa died. What was going to happen next? I was afraid to think about that too much, so I decided to cling to the hope that I had been given instead.