AaronMatthew Got the Gastric Tube

AaronMatthew had his gastrointestinal tube surgically put in late last month.

He has had it now a little over 3 weeks.

We stayed in the Pediatric ICU for the surgery.

A woman in the hallway saw him in his hospital room. I told her and her daughter to come in and see him.

I told her about his medical problems and how we thought God was going to take him home October 5th last year and how I read when in the margin of my Bible while he was getting intubated, "AaronMatthew will survive" which was written almost 4 months earlier than that moment when I was pregnant with him.

She then told me her son was fighting for his life across the hallway. He was involved in a hit-and-run. She started to cry and I put my arms around her and held her while she wept on me and I prayed to God for a miracle to save her child. I don't know what happened because we were discharged a couple days later and things were touch and go with her son and the doctors didn't know if he would survive.

We went home with the gastrointestinal tube and I had to change the dressings twice a day.  Let me say, it is one of the grossest things I have ever done! I wouldn't do this if I didn't need to.

AaronMatthew has benefited a lot from having it.

There is no more uncomfortable tube in his nose and down his throat. He breathes so much better. He's more comfortable. He is not broken out from tape on his face. He can swallow more comfortably. I can see his cheeks.

He is going to have the gastrointestinal tube until he can make considerable progress gaining weight for at least 3 months without use of the tube
.

He still is not wanting to suck on a bottle but, he loves ice cream and peas.

Saying Goodbye to a Child in the PICU

And we know that God uses all things together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

I attended a Memorial service this morning with AaronMatthew for a baby that was only 11 months old when God took him home. From what I know, there wasn't much difference between the other little boy and AaronMatthew.  The were similar in the fact that they both had Down Syndrome. They had the same type of congenital heart defect.

I was first introduced to the child by the Cardiovascular team that was going to do AaronMatthew's open heart surgery. He had a scar from his open heart surgery that was healed. Only, he was still on a respirator. I met the child's mother at Children's Hospital in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit shortly after AaronMatthew's open heart surgery. We talked of the similarities of our son, medications and the care our children was receiving.

Whenever we would see another in passing, we would update another on the conditions of our son's.

My baby got better, and her baby got worse. He just was so dependent on the respirator. Then his kidneys started to fail. Then he needed chest tubes to help with the drainage. I asked her if I could pray over her son and I did. The baby was fighting for his life. She was still hoping to take him home and had a goal of a minimum 2 month longer stay at that time. Last month, she was looking forward to inviting us to her son's first Birthday party.

He fought hard and the Lord took him home.

I know the child is with the Lord. I cannot help but think of AaronMatthew and the day we thought God was going to take him home. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child.

Her child was such a blessing and showed us all the importance of life and how truly precious it is.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalaties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35;37-39