Six Weeks Old

Our family has had an amazing journey this year. Our daughter Maddy was born December 2007 and six weeks later we found our world turned upside down. She had become very ill and the doctors in Bakersfield had no idea what was wrong with her. After an agonizing 24 hour stay at Kern Medical Center a medic crew of four, from the Children's Hospital of Central California drove from Madera (just outside of Fresno) to Bakersfield. Maddy had her first trip out of town in an ambulance without her mom and dad. The hardest part was the unknown. When we found out what was causing her paralysis we were able to breath a sigh of relief. She was diagnosed with RSV and Infant Botulism... and that was the diagnosis that we were praying for (the other possibilities were grim). The doctors informed us that Infant Botulism is totally recoverable... in fact just hours after she was given the amino globulin called Baby Big, I watched one of her tiny fingers move. Each and every day thereafter we saw improvement in her condition.

Many people ask us how she got Infant Botulism. The doctors think that she may have breathed in the botulism spore in the air (maybe during one of our walks or through our AC unit, we will never know for sure). The pH in her tummy had to be just right for the spore to be able to survive and germinate. Apparently babies can get Infant Botulism a number of ways... a spore in the air (which is more common in farming communities and new housing developments), honey, canned formula, and high fructose corn syrup. Only about 70 babies across the United States get Infant Botulism each year. I am so thankful to share that Maddy is now 8 months old and you'd never know how sick she was by looking at her.

Nick and I are extremely thankful for all of the prayers, cards, meals, and sweet gifts sent to us while we were in the hospital. Not only were our prayers answered we saw the Lord's Church come together across the country praying for our tiny little girl; for that we cannot express our gratitude in words.

Our Lord is a faithful, loving, compassionate Lord. "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.." James 5:14-15 Nick and I belong to an amazing church body that we are thankful to be apart of. Thank you LBC.