It’s been almost 2 years to the day that Hannah was flown to Ochsner in New Orleans with a severe case of Dilated Cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. It’s been 6 months since our last emergency trip to the PICU. She had a cardiologist appointment this past Tuesday, and when we showed up, we were informed that he didn’t even need to see her for another 3 months — her appointment must have been a mistake.
God really convicted me tonight. We’ve been so caught up in our routines, going about our busy lives that we don’t stop to remember that month at Ochsner and the journey that ensued.
There was so much uncertainty about her condition. When we first arrived at Ochsner, we were told that “she needed a new heart” — after all, that’s why we were sent there.
It wasn’t until March 2006 that Hannah’s heart began to show irregular rhythms. It wasn’t until April 2006, our third PICU visit to Our Lady of the Lake PICU, that the doctors realized what was going on, that this arrhythmia had caused everything. And to think that while we were at Ochsner we were praying that it was viral, not knowing that the majority of the time viral DCM is diagnosed, it results in transplantation.
So as I sat on the bathroom floor tonight and bathed my now 2 1/2 year old miracle, the memories all came flooding back. I will never forget the Christmas lunch we had in the cafeteria, or scouring New Orleans for a restaurant open on Christmas night. Now, as she is learning her manners, saying the alphabet, counting to 15, reciting the planets, and reading the library of books that she has memorized, I am reminded that in a hospital somewhere, a young couple is hovering over their first child in PICU, unsure about what is happening and scared out of their minds. I am also reminded of God’s faithfulness, compassion, and love — and His gentle whisper, “Do you trust Me?”
This Christmas, let’s give thanks for what we have. Let’s be reminded of all the things we take for granted — the little things that the majority of the world’s population can only dream of. Let’s pray for the families who will be eating Christmas dinner in a hospital cafeteria. We are simply blessed beyond measure, and there’s not one family who wouldn’t give it all away in order to save their little girl.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Hannah. We love you all, and wish you the merriest of Christmases!
AND…
Stay tuned for more information about Hannah’s baby brother or baby sister, due to arrive in August 2009! YAY!