Today is Sunday. I’m a pastor. And I love Sunday’s. I love Sunday’s because it’s the day when we all get together. And they’re always good. But I didn’t know if I had the emotional energy to be with people today. I wanted to go be with my friends at Anthem Church and worship my incredible God, who has shown His great compassion to my family in rescuing my little girl from what I am increasingly hearing from the medical fraternity was certain death, but I didn’t know if I could hug and shake hands with the hundreds of people who love Kiara.
So I thought I’d go to Kiara and see what she thought...
One of the things that I have been saying to her over and over again while she was ‘sleeping’, while she’s been awake, in the morning, in the evening and every time I leave her beside, is, ‘I love you.’
She hasn’t been able to speak back these past 6 days and I have not been sure if she has understood what I mean. But today she had a surprise for me.
I walked in early this morning and said my usual, ‘I love you’, but this time wasn’t the usual smile back of the last 6 days. Today she looked at me with her big blue eyes, full of life and love, and said, ‘I love you.’ I was undone. I didn’t know if I would ever hear those words from her again.
I could do anything after that. Anthem, here I come.
I came out of a beautiful church service this morning and called Jaci (who’d been at the hospital) to check in only for her to tell me she’s busy moving Kiara into a surgical ward. What? 3 days ago we were weeks away from contemplating a move out of ICU. 6 days ago, Kiara was still in a coma.
This is God displaying His healing power in a very real way. I’ve just heard of another doctor who operates in the hospital who saw the multitudes of people praying in those first few days and tried to find out what was going on. He wanted to tell the girls who were praying to go home and not waste their time because the outcome was a foregone conclusion. He clearly has not met my God! He has subsequently said Kiara has defied medical science. Of course she has. Because God is the giver of life.
I am sitting alongside her bed now while she sleeps peacefully in a private room in a surgical ward completely exhausted at trying to process just what it is that God has done.
Daily, what were once possible outcomes, like full time nursing staff at home, to wheelchair access around our house, to private tutors, etc, are being eliminated from the conversation.
I am not ignorant of the journey that is still ahead, but I am also acutely aware that a doctor who wanted to say, ‘go home’ because the conclusion is already determined, has already said what has happened is beyond logic.
So I will #keephopealive as I wait for God to come through for me (Psalm 37:7) and we will keep praying that God does not stop until Kiara is completely restored and He has received His due glory.
Tonight we will go to sleep deeply thankful that Kiara is out of ICU, that she can walk to the bathroom, that she has just used a knife and fork to eat her dinner, and that I got to play a game with her today.
And we will continue to pray that God would protect her from infection, that her speech center would keep progressing until complete restoration, that her swallowing would come easier, and that she will keep strengthening.
Thank you for continuing the journey with us in prayer friends. We appreciate it more than you can know.
PS - did I mention she nearly completed the Rubik’s cube today!