Man, it can put your life in perspective in a hurry, can't it?
Posted on 12/12/2004 3:55:37 PM PST by AM2000
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- When most parents have a baby, they spend months dreaming about what their bundle of joy will look like. Will she look like mom? Will he have dad's eyes? But for one local Navy family, the birth of their daughter didn't give them the answers to those questions. Their daughter was born without a face.
When Tammy was pregnant, she knew something was wrong. At worst, they thought maybe their baby had a cleft lip.
So Tammy, and her husband Tom, went to the hospital happy, until the birth.
"The nurse is like, 'We got her stable, we need to rush her upstairs,'" explains Tom, as he recalls every minute of that day. "And the nurse asked, 'Do you want your wife to see her now?'"
Tom says he thought to himself, "Before she gets the shock I did, let me take a picture so she's prepared."
Tammy hadn't seen her new baby yet, because she almost bled to death during delivery. Tammy would be okay, meanwhile, dad went to take pictures of his new daughter.
But no matter what, these new parents had a wish. "That if there was something wrong, she wouldn't be alone. We wanted to make sure she felt loved," said Tom, as he began to cry. "She squeezed my hand."
Little Juliana is missing 30 - 40 percent of the bones in her face.
"She has no upper jaw, no cheek bones, no eye sockets, and she's missing the corner of her ear," explains Tom.
Her birth defect is called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Doctors say it's the worst case they've ever seen.
So, how do you get people to see past all the defects, and find her heart? For mom, it just hurts.
"I just wish people would ask questions. Don't just stare," says Tammy. "I guess the most hurtful thing came not long ago, a little girl said she was disgusting."
Juliana has to eat through her stomach, and she has a trach to breathe. Already, less than two years into her life, she's had 14 surgeries. Doctors say she could need at least 30 more.
Every time she goes to the hospital, doctors make a mold of her head, and then reconstruct her skull to figure out the next step.
It's a life-long process that's draining for Tammy and Tom. Even still, they're thankful and full of love for their sweet child.
"God never gives you more than you can handle. I figure she has a lot to show everyone... to show the world," says Tom.
If you are interested in helping the Wetmore family, a savings account is set up for donations at the Vystar Credit Union in Middleburg.
Donations can be made at ANY Vystar Credit Union to Juliana Wetmore at member number 2102465.
Direct donations can be sent to:
Juliana Wetmore
3018 Hickory Glenn Dr.
Orange Park, FL 32065
Your either or premise leaves no room for another possibility. When God created the heavens and the earth all was perfect. When man decided he knew better than God; sin, death, and every sort of evil entered the world. God never intended for that little child to be born the way she was. It was the consequence of corruption that is now at work in the world. God neither intended it or caused it, but he did allow it. Why? I don't think anyone but the Lord can honestly say.
But I do believe that these people will see blessings like few others because they stand with the Lord, and their reliance on His abilities will allow them to overcome any adversity. Many of us who have perfect children and live what we think are perfect lives, forget who to thank. We give ourselves credit for all the good that comes to us and believe that we control our success or failure. If we don't learn to put our faith and trust in the One who created us, it will bring about a tragedy far greater than the one this family suffers.
I praise God for the courage, trust, and faith in God that Tom and Tammy are showing us all. May His blessings to them be rich beyond measure, and may all who hear of them be encouraged and blessed.
Man, it can put your life in perspective in a hurry, can't it?
It's a free country. We may, someday soon, be able to give her a near-normal life. I think that she deserves the chance.
We do the same life-altering heroics on people of all ages - young and old.
When we try and determine who should benefit from our technological advances based on cost and need, then we've taken the first real step to Hitler's supreme race.
I'm sorry you don't see it that way.
Life-altering heroic...heroic for who? Think about that before you answer.
I'm not clear as to where you are going with this. Are you a mom, by any chance? What would be a better solution, or would have been? There are plenty of children in the world that have the same problems minus the facial abnormalities. These mothers love their children despite the fact that they to do look less then perfect physically. Exactly what in the world are you suggesting?
You think that's compassion? Honestly, operation, after operation...pain, indignity....that's compassion? It's something alright, but it's not compassion.
Hmmm. That's a very good synopsis.
I hadn't thought this further that herioc medical technological advances could be used for selfish means and to mock G-d by man trying to snatch the life/death decisions from Him.
We are getting in to strange territory in the End Times....
This baby just isn't disfigured! She can't breathe, she can't eat. She has no face. I think I made if perfectly clear where I was going with this.
We snatched the life and death decision from Him the minute we invented life sustaining machinery.
Then what is the purpose of prayer?
Yes, I am aware of that and I have already stated that there are many children who are fed through a gastrosomy tube and have traches to breathe some because they were born too prematurely some for other reasons. Are you suggesting we euthanize them all? And I asked you if you were a mother, and you never did answer.
This is all very fanciful and makes for a good yarn. These sorts of events that the parents and child are going through, and will go through, are what ethicists and the medical profession must increasingly deal with. Deciding if severely deformed and/or sick persons should be subjected to unknown futures that may save them or eventually kill them.
If the child survives, I'd be curious to know in 20 years whether she will be praising her parents and doctors, or damning them to Hell for making her live a life that seemed like Hell.
Chemotherapy keeps some people alive. For others, it's heart medication or dialysis machines. Many people do in fact come out ventilators and go on to lead very productive lives. Are you suggesting we no longer make an attempt and eradicate modern medicine?
No, I am not a mother. So, does that disqualify me? (Or only make you feel superior to me?) You can't possibly be that ridiculous. If my baby was born like this I would tell them to do nothing to save its existence (it is not a life). That is compassion.
you have to see this.
Dale's book helped me when my own Down Syndrome baby was
born many years ago. He had a lot of physical problems
and died after surgery when he was six weeks old. His
name was Michael, a gentle soul.
Not at all, but you're saying that this is God's will. I'm saying all these choices we make are our choices, our will. You just made my point.
Maybe that will leave more room for brains; heartless world, so eager to poison the well.
"Then what is the purpose of prayer?"
Easy. Strength, guidance, and comfort so you can deal with a problem yourself instead of asking God for a miracle every time something goes wrong with your life.
Miracles by definition are exceptionally rare.
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