Praying For My Katie...

Katie Marie is my youngest, my baby. Born September 15, 1983 at the oldest (at the time) military hospital in the nation, Katie was in such a hurry to meet her Momma and Daddy, big sister and brother ~ she made her precious appearance as I was being transported from the labor room to the delivery room (no birthing rooms way back then). Silly L&D nurse told me to "cross my legs and do not push!" But Katie Marie was so determined, she was not waiting. When I announced "my baby is HERE" the silly nurse actually chuckled. That's when I reached down beneath the military green sheets and gently lifted my beautiful daughter to my chest. Silly nurse quickly wrapped an Army green towel and sheet around my girl, helping me swaddle her~it was all so surreal and seemed like very slow motion~God was right there, allowing me to enjoy every second of the beautiful memory my little Angel and I had just made. My Katie didn't cry, she simply looked right into my eyes as if to say "I'm here Mommy, I'm right here and I am alive!"
When she did finally cry, she sounded like a little newborn kitten at first, then all the sudden "roar!" LOL! To this day, I still get a good chuckle out of that particular memory~as does she. :)

A MIRACLE....my baby girl made it through 40 weeks and 4 days, safely protected, knitted together by God Himself, growing and swimming around in the warmth of my womb. Things were not always so safe, though. In April 1983, I became very ill and just chalking it up to pregnancy related symptoms, I rested more and needed a little extra help caring for my two older children...Jaime, 4 and Timothy, 2. Then one morning I was not able to raise my head upon waking and my legs felt very sleepy. Sounds became very muffled and my vision was blurred. Off to the hospital we went and by the time we arrived, I was limp as a wet noodle. Many tests and two spinal taps later, it was discovered I had meningitis and was immediately admitted to the Maternity ICU. Within five days, another spinal tap would have devastating results~I now had full blown encephalitis, also known as meningoencephalitis, which is often a fatal diagnosis. The first words out of my OB doc's mouth~ "you must terminate this pregnancy." Um, say what?! Though my cognitive state was barely holding on by the tiniest thread, his words struck my heart like a bolt of lightening. No way. No how. Not happening. If God chose to take my unborn little girl Home, then alright, I could accept that even though I would never hope it. Not even when my OB doc insisted terminating my pregnancy would better my chances for surviving the disease, did termination become an option. Only my God in Heaven had the right, the love to make this decision. So~the OB doc does several ultrasounds. My baby girls heart rate was declining...rapidly. Her tiny body...very still. A final u.s. would show my sweet baby girl no longer had a beating heart. However, she had the will to live...and God had great, beautiful plans for my girl......He wasn't done yet.

HOPE~HOPE~HOPE

Always BELIEVE...

My husband rolled me into the hospital chapel, at my request. It was there, God spoke clearly...and quite loudly. Things appeared in that chapel, which only God and I could see and hear. Hundreds of glowing candles, the sweet sounds of a harp, a slight breeze...
and so...much...more. I knew, right then...my baby girl was safe. God truly spoke to me, yes He sure did! He had great plans for my little girl. He continues to have those same great plans...

~*~

When Katie was in kindergarten, her hearing test came back with questionable results. Her 'low tones' lacked clarity, which I was informed could be a side effect of my illness during pregnancy with her. Throughout Katie's childhood, it was unnoticeable~to her and to those around her. She did seem to have more than the normal amount o ear infections, yet not enough to warrant ear tubes to prevent them. (I should have INSISTED!!) In her later teenage years, I noticed she was saying "huh" quite often. She insisted she could hear just fine, just had not been 'listening.' My Mommy-radar told me otherwise though and off to the doc's we went. Once again, low tones lacking clarity, "don't be overly concerned." On Katie's 21st birthday, five days prior to her baby girl turning a year old, Katie was involved in a tragic, freak accident. A drunk driver crashed her car through the building Katie was in and debris hit my girl in the head, face, back and ears. One month later we would learn this accident would leave my Katie legally deaf~for the rest of her life. Two weeks later, Katie heard her own baby girl's voice clearly, for the very first time. She sobbed. We sobbed....and prayed. Three sets of hearing aids later, my girl Katie continues to struggle. The drunk driver who injured my girl barely got a hand slap. Though she was insured, her liability had already topped out due to previous claims. The owner of the building was not held liable. My Katie has faced this tragedy head on, absorbing all costs not covered by her own medical insurance. As luck would have it, this policy does not pay for hearing aids....

Being the single Mommy of two little girls has it's challenges, but Katie has always worked very hard to support her little family...on her own. Giving up her dream of becoming a RN was very difficult, but without being able to hear, the nursing programs would not accept her applications.
She loves her job at our local hospital, in the sleep lab where she is a Polysomnographer. The pay is good, benefits nice and she loves the patients as they do her. BUT~ it appears as though her job is now in jeopardy, because of her hearing impairment. Even though the hospital was well aware of her situation and disability (I can't call it that in her presence!) they are just recently treating her with very little respect. Just yesterday one of her co-workers made the remark~ "wow Katie, you really are deaf, aren't you?!" Followed with laughter...LAUGHTER!! Another co-worker takes it upon himself to let Katie's patients know, "she is hard of hearing, so you have to talk very loud." I know there must be some discriminatory protection available for my sweet girl... Her hearing impairment does not interfere with her work performance...

'Oh Lord, please hear this Mother's prayers...
may my girl Katie someday hear
the sweet sounds of nature...
her children's laughter...

I BELIEVE...
in Your
MIRACLES, oh Lord...'

Well....my baby girl may be twenty-five years old, but she's still my baby! I BELIEVE my Katie is an 'old soul.' When she was barely two years old, she would tell me about all the Angels she had met in Heaven, especially her elderly lady friends. She spoke of 'bi-focal's, silver strands of thinning hair, holding and gently rocking the smallest Angels while singing lullaby's.' She often expressed how sad her Angel friends were when it was time for her to make her earthly apearance and how they hugged 'good-bye for now.' Though one would imagine these conversations being sad, they were anything but. My girl glowed as she clearly spoke her truly emotional testimony. She frequently spoke about her visits to Jamaica and how she healed little children. At 15 years old, my sweet girl did indeed visit Jamaica, during a missionary trip, even though she was three years below the qualified age to go. While there, on the very first day, she was bitten by a very poisonous spider which would normally include a fatal ending. BUT~this spider didn't know who he had bitten~and my girl didn't even tell me about it until she returned home from the mission! To this day, Katie and I have a spiritual closeness which goes beyond our Mother/Daughter relationship. I thank my God eternally for this gift He entrusted unto me. To think back on what could have been, had I followed medical orders, words of loving family and friends.....let's just say I do not visit there often.




This Momma will do whatever it takes,whatever I can, to help my children. We've looked into surgery...not eligible. Researched Cochlear Implants...not eligible. The only hope we were told could even remotely help would be continuing to use stronger hearing aids, until the day nothing worked. Continue the weekly ENT visits, when inner-ear infection is present, to have Katie's ear canals suctioned which is horribly painful. Prepare for complete and total deafness, learn sign language.....basically, it seems as though they have given up all hope. HUH? No, no, no!! Have these medical/audio/rehab folks not heard of Prayer?! Do they not understand, my Katie will never give up? Her Momma will never cease praying? Do they not know, our God is not finished with my Katie, that He continues to have great plans for her? Do they not realize God follows through with prayer, creating MIRACLE after MIRACLE, every single day?Silly people.....

Please....would you pray for my girl Katie....
and her precious little girls....
BELIEVE with me?
God continues to have great plans
for my Katie Marie...

He's going to surprise my girl someday...
I
ALWAYS
BELIEVE....
Photo taken on St' Patrick's Day '09
while stopping by Mommy's work for
Irish Lovies...
Sadie (L) is now almost 5 months
Josie (R) will be 6 in September

~*~

Thank you so much, with all my heart!

G'Ma~rella