During my pregnancy with my third child, J, I was diagnosed with a two vessel umbilical cord, typically an indication of severe genetic abnormalities.
They pushed for me to terminate.
My family knew what it was like to raise a special needs child. My nephew was born with an underdeveloped cerebellum and was technology-dependent his entire short life. My brother’s medical debt was catastrophic. Yet, I saw the absolute pinnacle of love in the way both my brother and sister in law treated him, how valiantly they fought not just for him to live but to give him a life, and how he loved them unconditionally in return.
I looked at my husband and asked if he was ready to go bankrupt taking care of a special needs child. He replied we would sell it all if necessary; God had given us our son. It was their job to help him come into this world alive and we would take care of the rest.
He’s 16 now, an honor student in high school, kind, funny, physically fit, a good looking kid. Is he perfect? No, he has NCCAH, premature bone maturation, and is sterile. Did his challenges bankrupt us? We braced ourselves for a lifetime of challenges, struggling, and sacrifice because his SOUL was more important than the body that housed it. Instead, we thrived in the years since then and his issues cost us very little.
Trust God, every time.
I am so glad to hear about your family & your son. Stories like yours are the best antidote to the despair I often feel at the current state of America & the world. May God hold your family in the palm of his hand.,