A Christmas Miracle

Close friends of Jennifer's family from their days in St. Louis recently added a new member to their family. Steve (Jennifer's childhood friend) and his wife, Natalie, recently had a son named Luke. The following tells of his birth and first days on earth as narrated by his grandparents (Jim & Becky) who are close friends of Jennifer's parents. Jim & Becky will be sharing this at their church during its Christmas celebration.


During this time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I believe you'll find yourself glad that you took time to read this story of Luke's birth...

WE HAD BEEN ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF OUR 5TH GRANDCHILD AND WE KNEW THAT OUR SON STEVE AND HIS WIFE NATALIE WHO LIVE IN PHOENIX WERE HAVING A BOY. THE SURPRISE WOULD BE HIS NAME. NATALIE HAD GONE TO THE HOSPITAL TO BE INDUCED. THE FAMILY HAD A GROUP EMAIL GOING, WHERE WE’D BEEN HEARING ABOUT NATALIE’S PROGRESS AND WE’D BEEN SENDING ENCOURAGING WORDS BACK TO THE COUPLE. AT TIMES THE COMMENTS WERE LIGHT HEARTED AND FUNNY, LIKE WHEN STEVE SAID THAT NAT DIDN’T APPRECIATE HAVING HIS PEANUT BUTTER BREATH IN HER FACE. NATALIE HAD BEEN IN LABOR ABOUT 24 HOURS AND STEVE’S LAST EMAIL HAD BEEN AT 6 AM - SHE WAS 6 -7 CM DILATED AND THE DR. WAS HAPPY WITH HER PROGRESS. ABOUT 11:00 I GOT THIS TEXT…. “DON’T HAVE TIME TO EMAIL, PRAY FOR HIM HE WASN’T BREATHING AND ISN’T DOING WELL”

DURING THE NEXT HALF HOUR I PASSED THIS NEWS TO OUR FAMILY. OUR DAUGHTER IN LAW, BEE, SAID, “LETS PRAY RIGHT NOW ON THE PHONE” AND SHE BEGAN …”LORD WE’RE ASKING YOU FOR A MIRACLE FOR THIS LITTLE BABY, WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT’S WRONG, BUT WE KNOW YOU CAN HEAL HIM AND MAKE IT ALL RIGHT. WE ARE BEGGING YOU TO DO THIS SO THAT WE MIGHT GIVE GLORY TO YOUR NAME AS WE TELL THIS STORY IN THE YEARS TO COME.” JIM AND I ARE STANDING HERE TODAY TO GIVE GOD THE GLORY FOR LUKE’S MIRACLE.

AS STEVE GOT THE CAMERA READY TO TAKE THE PICTURE OF LUKE’S BIRTH AND NATALIE LEANED FORWARD IN ANTICIPATION, THE SCENE THAT UNFOLDED WAS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN THEY EXPECTED. LUKE CAME OUT BLUE AND TOTALLY LIFELESS – THE DR AND STAFF WORKED QUICKLY AND EXPERTLY BUT STILL WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF LIFE. ONE OF THE NURSES CAME CLOSE TO STEVE AND NATALIE’S AND SAID … “IF YOU ARE PRAYING PEOPLE, NOW WOULD BE THE TIME TO PRAY” AND HER FACE LOOKED SO GRIM STEVE JUST STARTED PRAYING OUT LOUD … “DEAR GOD HE SAID PLEASE BE MERCIFUL” AND NATALIE SAID SHE THOUGHT OF GOD’S MIRACLE WITH LAZARUS AND ASKED GOD TO BREATHE LIFE INTO HER SON.

STEVE IS A MEDICAL PHYSICIST IN THE ONCOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT THE HOSPITAL AND KNEW THAT THEIR NURSERY ICU WAS WELL REGARDED, BUT HE WAS ABOUT TO FIND OUT FOR HIMSELF. AFTER THE MEDICAL TEAM TOOK LUKE DOWN TO THE ICU, STEVE FOLLOWED AS SOON AS HE COULD LEAVE NATALIE. WHAT HE SAW BROKE HIS HEART. THEY HAD PUT LUKE ON A BREATHING MACHINE, AND AT THAT POINT HE WAS STILL NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF LIFE. IT WAS ABOUT THEN THAT I CALLED BACK FOR AN UPDATE AND STEVE SAID THAT THE SYMPTOMS INDICATED THAT LUKE HAD BEEN WITHOUT OXYGEN FOR A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF TIME AND THERE WAS BRAIN DAMAGE. IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE FURTHER DAMAGE, THEY WERE GOING TO PUT LUKE ON A COOLING BLANKET AND LOWER HIS BODY TEMPERATURE TO 92 DEGREES AND HOLD IT THERE FOR THREE DAYS.

WE LEFT FOR THE AIRPORT IMMEDIATELY AND ARRIVED IN PHOENIX ABOUT 8; WE WENT STRAIGHT TO THE HOSPITAL AND AFTER A GROUP HUG, WE WENT INTO THE NURSERY ICU TO SEE OUR NEW GRANDSON, WHO WE NOW KNEW WAS NAMED LUKE ROBERT (AFTER MY DAD). WHAT WE SAW WAS A 8’…22 ½” BABY WITH TUBES AND SENSORS EVERYWHERE, HE WAS SOMEWHAT BLUE FROM THE LOW BODY TEMPERATURE, BUT NO LONGER LIFELESS. HE WAS WIGGLING HIS ARMS AND LEGS AND TRYING TO CRY OUT, BUT COULDN’T BECAUSE OF THE TUBE DOWN HIS THROAT.
STEVE SAID, “ THE NEXT 72 HOURS WILL TELL.” SO FOR THREE DAYS WE STOOD VIGIL IN SHIFTS HOLDING HIS LITTLE ARMS SO THAT HE WOULDN’T TEAR OUT THE TUBES, - AND WATCHING; KNOWING THE TORMENT HE WAS SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THE EXTREME COLD AND THE BREATHING TUBE. I DON’T THINK LUKE SLEPT AT ALL DURING THOSE THREE DAYS.

ON MONDAYAFTERNOON THEY WARMED HIM UP AT ½ DEGREE PER HOUR AND ON MONDAY NIGHT STEVE GOT TO WRAP HIM IN A WARM BLANKET AND WATCH HIM FALL ASLEEP. ON TUESDAY MORNING, LUKE WENT DOWN FOR AN MRI. THE NEONATAL DR. SAID THAT THE MRI WOULD DEFINITIVELY TELL WHERE THE BRAIN DAMAGE WAS AND HOW SEVERE. THEN PLANS COULD BE MADE FOR HOW TO DEAL WITH THE FUTURE. STEVE USES MRI’S EVERY DAY TO PLAN RADIATION TREATMENTS, SO HE WENT WITH THE RADIAOLOGIST TO REVIEW THE MRI’S. HE CAME BACK TO THE WAITING ROOM WHERE WE WERE GATHERED AND REPORTED “THEY WERE PERFECT”. NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE. I CAN’T DESCRIBE, OR FRANKLY EVEN HOLD IN MY MIND, THE EMOTION I FELT AT THAT INSTANT. WHEN WE CALLED OUR DAUGHTER SHANNON, SHE SAID, “I WANT TO FALL ON THE FLOOR AND WEEP FOR JOY.” WE ALL DID.

WE KNOW GOD HAD HIS HAND ON LUKE AND WE THANK HIM FOR HIS LOVING MERCY. WE ALSO THANK OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO SURROUNDED LUKE IN PRAYER AS WELL AS STEVE AND NATALIE. A FEW HOURS BEFORE LUKE WAS BORN SHANNON AND BEE HAD WANTED TO SEND A VERSE TO ENCOURAGE STEVE… GOD BROUGHT THE REFERENCE DANIEL 4:2 & 3 TO HER MIND AND SO SHE READ IT… SHE WONDERED A LITTLE ABOUT THE MESSAGE, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD AND SHE SENT IT TO HIM IN AN EMAIL, BUT NOT UNTIL THE WHOLE STORY WAS LIVED OUT DID WE KNOW WHAT A GIFT THOSE VERSES WOULD BE. IT READS:
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE MIRACULOUS SIGNS AND WONDERS THAT THE MOST HIGH GOD HAS PERFORMED FOR ME. HOW GREAT ARE HIS SIGNS HOW MIGHTY HIS WONDERS! HIS KINGDOM IS AN ETERNAL KINGDOM, HIS DOMINION ENDURES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.


Amen.