Today is the 2nd birthday of my niece, Natalie. Her story is a miraculous one and I want to honor her today by telling it.
First, I should start off by saying that this is my sister's second child. Kimberly is my only sibling and we are only 16 months apart. For several years, after getting married, she was unable to get pregnant. I know that this brought a lot of pain and heartache to her and Jeremy, her husband. I remember so vividly, like it was yesterday the day she miscarried. She was driving up to Eugene to welcome our final child, Joshua. It was during this trip to meet her second nephew that she miscarried. The birth of a child and the loss of a child all within hours. I can't explain the many emotions we were all feeling.
20 months later, we received the wonderful news that they were expecting again. Many people were praying for this pregnancy and 9 months later they were blessed with a very healthy baby girl, Isabella. We have all heard stories of how God works in mysterious, funny ways. I know that God has a sense of humor because three months after Isabella was born, Kimmie found out she was pregnant again! After 7 years of no children, could it be possible that She was to have two kids one year apart, or even closer?
Sure enough, on March 11, 2007, Natalie Rae decided to present herself to this world, 6 weeks early. Kim told me tonight when I called her to get all the facts straight that it was daylight savings time - so, Natalie even came earlier.
Natalie weighed in at a whopping 4 lbs 4 1/2 ozs. For being early, she had a very high apgar score of 8 points, and all seemed well. She was taken over to the Salem Hospital because Silverton didn't handle preemies. Kimmie and Jeremy remember holding Natalie for only a handful of minutes before they whisked her away to the hospital in Salem.
Shortly after Natalie was taken to the Salem Hospital, the doctor detected a heart murmur. They decided to do an echo gram which was done by a technician and not a doctor because the only heart doctors were in Portland. They did four echo grams on her and found out that Natalie had: Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), which is a hole in her heart. She also had Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Patent Ductis Arteriosus(PDA). I am still unsure what these last two are.
Kimmie felt very uneasy about Natalie being in a hospital that didn't have a heart specialist. She called our Pediatrician Grandpa, Natalie's Great Grandpa and talked these concerns over with him. Grandpa encouraged Kim and Jeremy to push for Natalie's transfer to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland where they were more skilled in dealing with heart defects. It has been so nice having a Grandpa who is a doctor. We have all utilized his expertise at one time or another. I drove Kimmie up to Portland behind the ambulance. We were so scared and in shock of how fast things were moving. Looking back I am so grateful that I was with my sister that day.
Once at the new hospital, many test were done on little Natalie, who was just a few days old. The test results came back that she was indeed dealing with these multiple problems and one other major one, Coarctation of the Aorta. This is the narrowing of the Aorta which is what causes heart attacks. The Aora was so narrow that they said she could die at any time.
Surgery for this was immediate. In fact, all the other patients that were scheduled that day were pushed back to give Natalie, who was just over a week old first priority. It is very rare that they do a surgery on a baby under 4 pounds, unless it is life threatening because of the risks involved.
Natalie's Pediatric Cardiology Surgeon was Dr. Iguidbashian. We remember him having such large hands for having to do such an intricate surgery on a newborn. He also ended his sentences with, okie dokie? Kind of funny and quirky huh? Kimberly said tonight that this doctor is "one of her best friends," if you know what I mean. Someone she and Jeremy will never forget and will always be thankful for.
Natalie came through the surgery and all had thought that now she could recover and get well. Yes, there was a huge road ahead with other possible surgeries but the worst was over. Or was it?.
The doctors were hoping to wait until Natalie's 2nd birthday to perform the other surgery that needed to be done but the four days after her first surgery she steadily got worse. Her breathing became more labored and it was imminent that they would have to go in and do open heart surgery on such a tiny baby under 4 pounds and close the hole that was in her heart.
We were on Spring Break and I was outside of Mo's Restaurant in Newport when I got a call from my sister. She finally broke down with me on the phone and shared that the doctors gave little hope for baby Natalie. Can you imagine hearing that? I was starting to plan a funeral in my head and preparing for the worst. We drove to Portland to be with them and family while Natalie was in surgery.
I was amazed at how strong my sister was handling it. Here she was, just days after giving birth by C-section, pumping every 2 hours so that Natalie would have a great supply of breast milk and Kimmie wouldn't lose her milk, and living at the McDonald house with Jeremy and Isabella their 10 1/2 month old. She told me later that it was just before the second surgery that she went by herself to the chapel and was able for the first time to pray and pour out her heart to God. She also decided then and there that no matter what happened to Natalie she would continue to trust and follow God. It was God who was giving both her and Jeremy the strength so they could be strong for Natalie. It is through hard times like this that one's faith in God is not only tested but can be strengthened.
Fast forward a bit. Natalie ended up being at Legacy Emanuel for a month before being transported back to Salem. She was at the Salem hospital another two weeks to recover until she was a certain weight, temperature and proved to be eating well. Natalie's total hospital stay was 6 weeks. Natalie was able to come home on April 21 which was her original due date.
Praise the Lord that they were able to bring home their little miracle. The first couple of months of having Natalie home proved to be challenging. It is always a major transition when a baby has spent it's first few weeks of life in the NICU, but the JOY of knowing your daughter is on the road to recovery greatly out ways the challenge.
Now I get to tell you more about this miracle baby than just her medical procedure.
Today, Natalie is a very active, curious, talkative, lovable toddler. Kim and Jeremy call her Curious George. You would never know by looking at her that she had such a rough start at life. This firecracker is the BOSS. Yes, even the NICU nurses at the hospital saw that in her and named her that. Natalie is so very funny and boy does she have a little sense of humor. She brings out tons of laughter from everyone who meets her especially her older sissy, Isabella. She loves to be touched and cuddled and is sweet and sensitive. I love it best when she is eager to be held by me, and shows affection by giving me lots of hugs and kisses. She just melts your heart.
Over the course of the 2 years that she has been alive, I have had the privilege to watch her a handful of times while her mommy and daddy go out. In changing her into jammies, and seeing her long but now fading scar, I am reminded of what a miracle she is and that she is truly a fighter. We are all thankful to the team of doctors who performed these intricate surgeries on her. We are thankful to God that he is Sovereign and that He is the Great Physician. He must have a very special life planned out for this girl. I also know that this experience has grown my sister and husband both in their faith in God and in their love for each other. They are such wonderful parents.
Natalie is doing great. However, at her 6 month they found a fifth defect. She has a left bi-valve instead of a tri-valve which is the most important valve that pumps fresh blood through the body. Dr. Kyser from Legacy Emanuel follows her and monitors her progress every six months. In the last 18 months it hasn't gotten better or worse. The doctor doesn't want to do another heart surgery unless things get worse because of the risk of surgery. This may continue like this for many years which means that Natalie needs to be careful with the activities she does, as to not put too much stress on her heart.
We continue to pray that complete healing will come to Natalie, that her heart will be strong and that this last defect will go away. Whether this happens or not, we continue to give much praise and glory to God for bringing this precious child into our lives. She is a living testimony of God's miraculous ways.
Natalie at one year!
Kimberly and Jeremy with Natalie and Isabella
