Who did it?

Our son David was in the hospital diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. The doctors wrote David off and told us to start making funeral plans. On Mother's day God granted us the gift of giving us our son back. David was doing much better. Within 24 hours David was moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room.
It is at this point in our stay that a week had passed, the test results were returning and we were given the diagnoses for David as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome (SCIDS). We were told that this was the disease that was better known as "Little boy in the plastic bubble". However, our hopes of having David in a bubble to protect him was dashed when we were told that they didn't put boys in the bubble any more. We wanted to know what could be done for our son. I knew that God had given us our son back and that he was going to complete the process by healing him in some way.
The doctors discussed the different types of SCIDS and that there was three possibilities to help David. The first was that he was missing an enzyme and would need to have a weekly IV to help keep him healthy. Or he could have another type of SCIDS that could be used by implanting art of an aborted fetuses to help David. We told the doctors immediately this was out of the question. I couldn't image God would allow David to be helped by using the murder of another child. The finial type was the most severe and the only option that was available for us which was a bone marrow transplant. It was explained that with a bone marrow transplant the donor's immune system would begin to grow in our son.. The problem was that he didn't have a sibling that would be a perfect match. At this point in history there was no donor program for bone marrow....we didn't know what was going to happen. After the doctors investigate the different options it was decided that David's best shot was to go to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) which had a bone marrow transplant program.

David was getting better as far as the pneumonia but this would not help him live for very long, The race was on to find a place for David at the other hospital. Of course I had many questions regarding SCIDS and the doctors were very helpful. It was explained that SCIDS affects only one baby in a million. This big children's hospital only see's this condition once every five years. Within the next week...less than two weeks since David was admitted in the hospital, he was sent home.
Now we had many doctors but there were two that were David's regular doctors. One we called "Dr. Doom" this was a doctor that always told us the cup was half-full...he never gave us much hope.....then there was our favorite doctor...."Dr. Sunshine".....this doctor was very encouraging and celebrated every little milestone with us. Upon the day of discharge both doctors were present to send David home....the following conversion ensued:

Dr Doom: "We did it! We made David better!"
Dr Sunshine: "
           "You know that we didn't make him better....it was out of our hands. This was a miracle!"
I smiled....I said "Yes, God was the one who healed David!"

Dr Doom was the doctor who told us to make funeral arraignments. He also was the doctor who thought I was in denial when I told him David would get better. Dr. Doom tried to take the credit for David to have survived this far....and Dr. Sunshine reminded him that they didn't have a single thing to do with his recovery. Years later I studied the names of God and "JOHOVAH+RAPHA" means The Lord who heals.....this is exactly who healed David "JOHOVAH-RAPHA". 

David was sent home. The doctors told us to keep him away from other people and that CHOP would get in touch with us soon. We were so happy and praising God for our miracle child. God is so good! We would be back in the hospital within the next few days...but in the mean time we thought the worst was over....little did we know what was in store for our little guy. But God did know and used this situation to prove to us that He was in control.

Our journey begins....

Our son David was in the hospital with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome (SCIDS) and the doctors gave up all hope. We were told to make funeral arrangements. This was a Thursday night...we knew our family and church family were praying for David and for us. However, as word was spread about our little guy churches across the nation were praying for David. We had family in other churches of course put David on the prayer list and in turn people from these prayer groups would contact family and friends to pray for David....and so the amount of prayer grew for David....and the peace that passes all understanding was given to my husband and I. On this night a pastor from a local church that my husband once attended with his parents stopped by and prayed for us. His wife worked at the hospital as a nurse and she promised she would check on him frequently during the night. I was unable to sleep by his bed side....so God sent someone who could check and pray for David through the night.

We were only able to see David for 30 minutes every hour....so the rest of the time was spent in the waiting room.....we saw other parents who had children with holes in their hearts....we asked God..."Why couldn't David have this difficulty? Then it could be fixed and we could be done with it"....But God knows the beginning from the end...and his perfect will would be done.

On Friday David's regular nurse was off and we had a different nurse on duty....in the morning she told me she noticed that we had our bibles and scripture verses around the room and mentioned that she prayed for David over night. We were so glad that again God sent more people to pray for our little one. I knew that the Lord was going to bring David through.....I had peace about it....everyone thought I was in denial.....but I trusted the Lord to work everything out.

Now during this time David was on a ventilator and he was paralyzed to prevent him from moving....I would only be able to tell that he was awake when I saw the tiny tears fall down his face. He was awake but couldn't move.....I still think about how scared he must have been....and it scared me to death. I wanted to make it all better. Besides praying for David, I would read books to him hourly. It was a comfort to me because it was something I could do to help.....I was unable to care for him...but I could talk, sing, and read to my son. 

On Sunday, May 7, 1989....Mothers day...which was my first and possibly the last one with David....I walked into the room and as I did every time I entered I greeted him.....but this time something changed. When I said "Hi honey..." David SMILED! This was the BEST mothers day gift I ever received!

The doctors came into the room on this day and said that they couldn't believe the change in David....he was getting much, much, better. He was a totally different kid! They thought that his x-ray was wrong that morning and took another one....because it was so much better then the one they took on Friday!

Despite the fact that the doctors thought David would die...the Lord had his own timing and healed David so that despite what the doctors thought would happen to him.....the Lord worked a miracle and he was getting better! There was still a long road ahead of us...but the Lord had everything in his own timing!