Excerpt


When the doctor came in, we could tell that something was wrong.

Tresia said, You found something didnt you?

The doctor said, We are calling a qualified radiologist to look at the scans.

So you found something?

Yes, there is a mass in the back of his brain.

I was confused, and it sounded like the doctor was talking into a pillow. Her words were muffled and hard to comprehend. Everything sounded muddy and unclear. Somewhere in my confusion, I asked, What do you mean by a mass?

She and Tresia answered me at the exact same time: A tumor.

I had never, until that moment, felt fear about a simple word. The sound of that word sent chills down the back of my neck. That word slapped me right in the mouth. I felt my body begin to melt like warm pudding.

We needed to call the rest of our family, so I called my mom, but as soon as she answered the phone, I broke down and began sobbing. I coughed and choked and unsuccessfully tried to hold back my tears. My throat closed up as if someone was strangling me with a steel cable. Tresia quickly grabbed the phone and told her where we were. A little while later, I tried to call a friend to come and pray for Noah, but as soon as she answered, I broke down again and could not speak. Tresia, again, had to do the dirty work.

Our oldest son, Michael (17), was at a New Years Eve party when we reached him on his cell phone. On his way to the hospital, he picked up our other two sons, Christopher (14), and Jacob (10).

The first thing Noah needed was a drainage tube put into his head to release the pressure on his brain. It was a procedure that would take about an hour and a half, and it was urgent that they did it quickly, to avoid excess pressure that could lead to a stroke. We were worried that the friend we called to come pray for Noah would not make it to the hospital before he went into the operating room. We heard the doctor in the hall being called frantically by a nurse.

Theres been a shooting, we need you in the emergency room immediately, she said.

I looked at Tresia and we both wondered if this was Gods way of buying us some time for our friend to get to the hospital.

Thats crazy, I thought. God wouldnt allow someone else to get shot just to buy time for a simple prayer... would He?

The doctor told us that she would be temporarily delayed and would be back as soon as possible. We had no idea how much our world was about to change.

The friend we called was a lady named Barbara. She runs a home for foster children. She has the gift of healing. In the past, she prayed for two of our children when they were diagnosed with lead poisoning. She prayed for them, and we took them back for additional testing.

This time, the test results came back normal. The nurse told us the first results were probably due to a lab error, but we knew better.

Another time, she prayed for Michaels sore arm. The doctor found that he had a shattered growth-plate in his throwing arm. We were advised to take the baseball season off, and begin rehab after a few months of rest. Barbara prayed for him and the next week I took him to the doctor to be X-rayed again. The doctor clipped the X-ray to the lighted board, and then took it down to double check that he had the right X-rays. He hung it again and literally started to scratch his head. There was a bone that had bridged the gap left by the shattered growth plate. He told us that this bone was not common in kids Michaels age. He had figured it would not grow for another few years. It certainly could not grow in a week.

He was baffled and didnt hide it. He didnt know what to say, so he told us, Well, I guess there is nothing stopping you from playing baseball.

Michael didnt miss a single game that year.

It was almost midnight and we were still waiting for Barbara to arrive. Tresia and I sat in the room with Noah, not sure exactly what was happening to us. We were both in complete shock. I was holding Noah on my lap and I kept hugging him and kissing him. I was petrified.

At midnight, we heard the nurses in the hall screaming, Happy New Year! We could hear them blowing noisemakers and cheering. Things started to move in slow motion.

Outside our door, there was a celebration; inside, there was devastation. I was watching two worlds unfold; both were starting a new beginning.

The world outside our door was full of hope, excitement, and optimism. Our world was full of fear, confusion, sadness, and worry.

Outside our door, they were pledging resolutions to quit drinking, lose weight, stop smoking, be a better person, and other trivial proclamations to start the New Year. We were pledging to completely trust God. We had only one request: Please Lord, take care of our baby.

They say that most New Years resolutions are abandoned by February. But early-on, the thought process is that you can endure anything, and keep whatever resolution you set your mind to. People feel a sense of power, inspired by the hope of a new year and a fresh start; a clean slate.

We felt none of those things. We felt powerless, scared, and completely out of control of the situation. Our hearts sank, and our eyes turned upward to God.