John David Pate-3years old

James Daniel Pate-3years old

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Such Heartache!!

I don't really even have words to speak right now. The prayer request that I asked for a couple of months ago concerning a precious family that gave birth to triplet boys (Andrew died at birth, Brandon died 10 days later) and then Christopher. Baby Christopher had been doing really well...getting stronger each day, gaining weight and growing, well...on Mother's Day things took a turn for the worse. I don't have any details, but Christopher died yesterday.

This poor mommy, two days after Mother's Day lost her ONLY living child. Even though he had been in the NICU for 2 months and fighting like crazy to make it, he apparently couldn't take it anymore. Oh how my heart breaks for them. I guess once you've been through the super preemie experience in the NICU, the visual in your mind never goes away, because even though our 2lb preemies (now 22lbs) are no longer there, I can close my eyes and see them laying there with tubes and needles everywhere, watching them fight to breathe...oh it brings tears to my eyes to re-live those days. So of course I am super sensitive to others going through that NICE experience.

Kristi and Darren battled infertility for such a long time and then conceived triplets, made it to 23 weeks when her body failed and they were born, endured the heart wrenching experience of burying a child (not one, but two) and then lived the nightmare NICU roller coaster ride of watching their 1 lb baby boy try to survive. At one point, in one of the emails I received from Kristi, her words were "yall please pray for us, please ask God to not take the only child I have left, I can't imagine losing Christopher too!" But that was two months ago, and he had been doing pretty good. I am not sure what happened, it doesn't change what HAS happened and that is a young mother and father have lost all three of their triplet boys. They have an empty quiet house to go home to and I am sure they are in a very dark place right now. All I ask of my sweet blog followers, is to please remember this precious NICU nurse named Kristi, who has taken care of MANY sick, preemie babies, who is now going to bury her final son. Pray for God to come to her in such a big way.

The Lord comes near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18


And if you are a momma reading this blog and your child/children just did something to make you crazy or want to pull out your hair, take a breath, count to 10 and then go hug them and embrace them, then thank God with your soul that you have them.

When I meet people like this young girl (and my other friend Johanna) that would go through anything to have a child, and here I am (like many others) that are given healthy children (even through our circumstances with the boys), I feel guilty. I tell ya though, reading stories like this and being made aware of all the devastation people face with failed pregnancies and losing babies, it makes me so grateful for the immense blessing God has given us in our five children.

I am sorry to share such sad news today. Please do keep this family in your thoughts today and say a prayer for Kristi and Darren as they travel this horrible storm.

1 comment:

Avery Tales said...

I am SO sorry to hear this news. I know the heartache of losing one child to preterm birth and I can't fathom the thought of losing 3, especially after 2 long months in the NICU. They are in my prayers. I pray that He will sustain them through this horrible reality.

I also know Johanna, we were introduced through a mutual friend. My heart aches for them as well.