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In the book of James, he writes about trials making you stronger (James 1:1-11), I love this because God does gives us trials, and they are to help us to get stronger. And they do make us stronger, though we can't always tell at the time.
My Story began when I got pregnant. My husband and I were so very excited about having a baby, people would ask what we were hoping for and we would say it didn't matter as long as "he" was healthy. On August 3,1982 at 10:58 p.m. the picture of health. We were so excited. Our excitement shortly died because Scott had some pretty serious health problems. The doctors were looking at everything to try to figure out what was wrong. They finally decided that Scott had an immune deficiency. This effects his respiratory system.
Now you have to understand I was 22 years old, away from home, we were in the military, stationed at Nellis A.F.B. and my husband worked away from home. Scott was so very sick. I was up all night, up all day, and running on empty, the only thing that did keep me going was prayer, and prayer, and more prayer. When Scott was 16 months old the doctors decided to run a test for Cystic Fibrosis (C.F.). This is a sweat chloride test and it is not real painful. The result was negative. The doctor still felt that was Scott's main problem. They continued to investigate other pulmonary diseases and Scott continued to get worse. We felt the best thing for him, and us, was to move closer to family, so we could have family support. We moved to Albuquerque, near family, so my husband could go to school, and I would go to work outside the home.
This was the beginning of many jobs for me because employers don't like you to be off for days on end. From the time Scott was three, until about age four, he had constant upper respiratory infections, ear infections, pneumonia. You name he had it. Because of my age, I felt that I could not question the doctors about what they were doing, what they felt, or how they treated us. But deep within me I knew that I had to do something more for him and that I needed to find doctors that cared about the whole Scott and not just one part of him. By the time Scott was four years old he had had four surgeries and a positive sweat chloride, meaning he had CF. We found this attacked his sinuses first then after puberty it would move down to his lungs. Scott had another surgery in May, 1986. Two weeks later he got scarlet fever, (remember he has a immune deficiency), then got over that to get chicken pox, to get over that and get impacted sinuses again. Then, in November of that same year, Scott had to have another surgery. This time we had to isolate him because he had no resistance to anything. After the doctors let him go back to day care we thought things were looking up.
This was not so. On the second day back at day care Scott went to sleep and they couldn't wake him. I have to say that was one of the hardest phone calls I have ever received. My Mom went to day care and picked him up and I met them at her house then rushed Scott to the doctor to be told that if we continued the path that we were going Scott would die before his fifth birthday. I quit my job and I took care of Scott. My husband had finished school and found a job. But that was not enough to make it. So my mother helped us to pay the bills, which were out of this world. With all the prayers being lifted up for Scott and our family, he slowly got stronger, and stronger. I was able to start taking care of kids, to help pay the mounting stack of medical bills, that having a chronically sick child incurs; especially with not having insurance most of the time.
By this time I began to realize that the only way to get through the day was with God. He was Scott's only hope and that faith in Him was the only thing that made any sense. We began to pray not that Scott got well, but that God would do what was best for him. I have to say that this was the hardest thing I have ever prayed but it was also the right thing to pray. I am not saying that at times I didn't get angry with God for giving me an unhealthy child and for the struggle in every thing we did. There were times that I felt betrayed by God, and by everyone else who had healthy kids. And at times was even jealous of the fact that others had healthily kids. And everything we did was such a fight. People would say things like "if your faith was stronger Scott would be well", or " he sure looks healthy are you sure there is something wrong with him", so I felt that I always had to defend Scott and myself for his being sick. But I kept praying and asking God to help us through this trial. That was the only thing that made sense was Gods undying presence in our lives.
Scott turned five and what a party we had! Then he had another surgery and he turned six, and another surgery, and turned seven. Now my husband got a job with the government and we finally get insurance. This is another blessing from God because it is not easy to get insurance if you have a pre-existing illness, (that is an illness that has been treated within the previous year prior to the time you sign up for insurance) most companies will not insure you. The government did not have a pre existing condition clause therefore we were able to get insurance. We were able to find a great team of doctors, who really started helping Scott. He continued to have infections and surgeries however.
When Scott turned twelve our life took another turn, the doctors again tell me it doesn't look good and they sent us to National Jewish Hospital in Denver, CO. That was six weeks of poking and prodding, test after test after test and another surgery. The prognosis was to "be thankful for every day past eighteen," but they didn't count on the faith this little sick child had in God. When Scott turned thirteen, that magical age most people dread, he takes a turn for the worse. He is at lunch at school passes out falls and separates his shoulder. He is put into a program at school called home hospital, for kids who cannot go to school due to illness. The doctors have to figure out what is happening in his body. He starts high school and the doctors are still looking into the fainting and are not convinced that it isn't some medications he is taking or maybe because of the surgeries he has had. In his sophomore year, Scott has to wear a heart monitor all day and all night. At night the monitor goes off quite a lot to tell us his heart is either too slow or has stopped. After eleven surgeries and tons of medications, his heart is weakened causing a secondary condition because the heart has to work so very hard. He is diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure of the heart and lungs).
Scott, for the first time in fifteen years gives up on us, on the doctors, and mostly on God. It was so very hard not to be angry for throwing us yet another curve but one that was inevitable. Scott was so angry at being different from other kids, and especially the ones he grew up with that, he decides to change congregations. Boy, this was hard because his dad and I felt so out of the loop. But he begins to gain his faith back day by day and with his heart regulated, his health starts to improve He gets to have a semi- normal junior and senior year in high school. By faith and many hours of prayer lifted up on behalf of him he graduates from high school.
Scott has just completed his freshmen year of college here at UNM. He is a very strong Christian, and is striving to live a long life. We all believe that God has a wonderful plan for him. Scott is always telling me, that he is going to be the oldest living person with C.F. That is a great goal to have and one I pray he will be able to achieve. Scott is now at a crossroads in life, he is going to be going away to finish his degree in advertising at Oklahoma Christian University this fall. Not too bad for a kid who wasn't supposed to make it past five.
Scott will always have C.F. and will always have to be careful, but life does go on, and with the help of God you can get through anything. We really do not know what God has in store for us as we go through our walk. What we do know is to always keep our eyes looking upward and focus on the positive things because that is what will get you through the very dark times. God didn't say life would be easy but in James he says "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12)
We have a friend that said to us one night in Bible study that God did give us a healthy child, a spiritually healthy child, and I am so glad that we prayed for a healthy child. I thank God everyday for giving me such a wonderful gift and that is a special boy, My Scott
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