I called Caleb's pediatrician's office this week and asked to speak to a nurse. I explained to her that he is multiple times throughout the day sneaking into the fridge and cupboards, taking food, and hiding somewhere in the house devouring it. I told her that sometimes I am nervous about leaving him unattended for any length of time because I will most likely find him soon after, under a bed scooping yogurt of a large container with his hand. She told me she had never heard any other mom say this in her 25 years of nursing and then said she would talk to the doctor and call me back. She did call back later and made an appointment for the next day.
After a long visit and a trip to the lab for a gene probe/blood work, we went home to wait for 3-5 days until we would hear if Caleb had Prader-Willi Syndrome. He exhibits as many characteristics for it (developmental delays, obsession with food, etc) as he does against it (high functioning, he's not obese, etc), so the blood work would be the best way to determine if he did in fact have it. I only ever got nervous once in the waiting time, and it was before we left the office when I was thinking about (a) how I had never seen the pediatrician act the way he did - very concerned. He's a great pediatrician, but he is usually pretty calm and laid back, which I think is great because then I'm never stressed out while I'm there. (b) I skimmed through the information page and it had a sentence about how in the past, people with PWS didn't live to the age of 50 because of related health complications. Then I kind of freaked out a little. Then I calmed down.
Anyways, this post is not about PWS, but about what came next. I called Tim. I called my mom, who in turn called her prayer warriors. I emailed Tim's family and then I contacted 2 of my girlfriends. The responses left me in awe of the Lord, yet again. I received a phone call from my grandma, who told me Caleb was fine and the Lord had made him healthy and the test results would show it. I received a text from my aunt, who said she was standing in prayer with us. Tim's parents and sister responded with emails that they were in prayer. The first girlfriend I called said, "let's pray" as soon as I was finished telling her about it. The other I had texted and when she called later that day, she had already researched it and told me, "If this is what he has, we can do this. We can get through this." My mom called me this morning in a 3-way conversation with a friend of hers who wanted me to hear what the Lord had spoken to her this morning in her prayer time.
I was floored. I have always known we have an amazing support system, but the Lord showed me again that He has provided us with family and friends who are there with us. Whether or not Caleb had this syndrome, we had a circle around us of people praying for him, ready to show us His strength if we were weary, and who were asking for his health - truly believing that God can and does heal. The raw, unwavering faith of these people are inspiring and I am blessed to know them.
I know that there are Christians who feel a little hesitant and nervous when people start talking about spiritual warfare, or prophesy, or healing, or miracles. I have to admit that when my mom first told me about a couple of her friends, I thought they were a little crazy back when I was young. However, they aren't. Well, maybe they're crazy by society's standards, but they don't say anything that is outside Scripture. They just believe, really believe, that we have a BIG God and He is who He says He is and He stands by His promises. Isn't that what we're supposed to believe anyway? They have helped me grow in my own faith and they have prayed for my family countless times. I love them and am so thankful for them.
The past few days have been a reminder to me of the importance of community. I could feel the peace that came from believing that no matter what Caleb's test results were, it wasn't going to change the way we love him or how he fits into our family, and it wouldn't change the fact that God would never abandon us.
Caleb's results came back negative and the pediatrician left a voicemail that he is a healthy, but seemingly very hungry, little boy. We are thanking God for answered prayers and Truth He has revealed to us in the last couple days while we waited.
No comments:
Post a Comment