I get anxious thinking about the possibility of a hospital visit. Sometimes I start to physically shake… as I think, I don’t know how much more we can withstand.

This feeling pales in comparison to seeing your baby boy start shaking when he sees the bright fluorescent lights go on overhead and the strangers surrounding him in scrubs. Then, he hears the snap of the blue gloves as they go on each hand, and he crys out … and a stranger holds him down for another blood draw or IV. It breaks my heart that these are the things he recognizes. I have heard its common for children, even babies, who spend time in the hospital to start to experience medical anxiety. I would be lying if I didn’t admit I wish it was different. I can only pray that looking in my eyes or hearing our voices help to calm his sweet soul.

We spent Easter weekend in the hospital. Cardiac babies are so fragile. He was vomiting all day on Friday, and that left his little body very lethargic the following morning. The pediatrician admitted us directly to Phoenix Children’s for further evaluation.

He didn’t have the typical symptoms of a flu virus, no fever, etc. He just couldn’t keep his food down. They started him on fluids and ran several tests. They did numerous x-rays and ultrasounds, all to rule out major illnesses and to make sure his heart was not failing. We are thankful for the team of doctors that look over Kaden, specifically his cardiologists. Wow! Are we blessed. They are so very thorough and cautious with his care. This does take time, patience, and perseverance as a family, and of course Jesus – He always carries us through.

End Result: A stomach virus, and Kaden should be fully recovered in another 5-7 days. Through this process we did find his red blood cell count low, and Kaden got another blood transfusion. This is nothing to be concerned about; our docs are all over it. We will be working with a hematologist who will follow his care over time. We already ruled out all major illnesses, and this is most likely only occurring because he has had so many blood transfusions that his body has not required his bone marrow to produce more red blood cells on its own. We will watch it, and look for trends.

On the way to the hospital, I was listening to the radio. There was a quick message that really resonated with me. They were talking about Christians, and as we witness we tend to think that our lives should be neat and perfect, tied with a bow, because God solves all of our problems. Their message was clear; it is not what is going on on the outside that matters, but what God does on the inside of us that counts. We are all broken, and a good friend recently reminded me that we all need a reason to need Jesus. I am thankful for this message. I am thankful for the promise of a problem-free life in Heaven. I am thankful for hope. I am thankful for Kaden. I am thankful for story. I am thankful for our family. I am thankful for grace. I am thankful for our Savior, and not necessarily in that order 🙂

We were also reminded this weekend that although we weren’t able to spend Easter together as a family, we should be celebrating the death and resurrection of JESUS daily.

Love,

Nate & Erica