HELPING THE HEARTBROKEN

My wife and I are blessed to have experienced the amazing miracle of childbirth three times. But sometimes the joy quickly turns to heartbreak.

When our oldest son, Maddux, was just two days old, the nurse noticed his fingers weren’t getting the blood flow needed. She called a heart specialist to evaluate him. Up to this point, everything had gone smoothly with no indications of the news we were to receive. The specialist said Maddux needed to be taken to UAB immediately for further examination.

Tests revealed Maddux was born with a one-in-a-million heart defect, and would need surgery. There were only three places in the world that perform that heart surgery: Paris, Toronto or Boston. So on his fifth day of life, we were on a MedJet plane to Boston. Maddux had open heart surgery by one of the world’s finest pediatric surgeons.

During his road to recovery, I would read the Bible to him every night, rubbing the side of his head because that was about the only place he didn’t have tubes. Maddux had a few complications but made enough progress that we could return to UAB. He struggled to gain weight, but he was a fighter and after a few weeks, we got to take him home—one of the best days of our lives.

But one day when he was four months old, he was not himself. We took him to Children’s Hospital and were devastated to hear he had contracted a staph infection. His little body could not fight it, and a short time later, our beloved son passed away. It’s a day I would not wish on any parent. If I didn’t have my faith, I don’t know what I would have done. But it taught me a lot.

It showed me the love that God has for all of us. After all, He sacrificed His Son for us. I was shown the love of family and friends, and saw how they blessed us during a tough situation.

Now, I make myself available to others who have lost a child. It’s a club no one wants to be part of. But a listening ear, a comforting shoulder and seeing your faith in the Lord may serve to bless someone in their time of need. And that’s what I try to do when someone is going through this devastating time.