Where Would I Be?

During his message this week, our pastor posed the question, "Where would you be if God had not intervened?" It reminded me of the miracle that occurred that very day, February 4th, 59 years ago. 

At 23 years old, my mother struggled to bring her first child into the world. The labor was very intense, as they often are, but this one proved to be extremely difficult. The baby was quite big, weighing in at a whopping 11 lbs 5 oz. At that time, the hospital was still small and caesareans were rarely performed, if ever. 

Mama was given pain medicine that left her unconscious. She was unable to push to deliver her baby. She was told afterward that the delivery nurse had sat straddled on top of her to push the baby as the doctor tried to deliver him. The nurse could not come to work the next day because in her dire efforts, she had painfully strained her back.  

Thanks to the delivery team's tireless efforts, the baby was successfully delivered, but he had complications breathing. Mama lost a lot of blood and continued to do so after the delivery. Even after receiving several pints of blood, she continued to hemorrhage. The doctors decided the only thing left to do was a hysterectomy. Performing this procedure on a 23-year-old woman was a last resort, but something had to be done. They could not pinpoint the source of the hemorrhaging. The fear and disappointment she felt was devastating. Her heart was set on a big family.  After she and my dad spent their first Christmas alone in a house that was far too quiet for her, she decided she wanted a house full of children. This option, this dream was about to be taken away from her. 

While in the operating room, as the surgeons were preparing to change Mama's life forever, she told them she was cold. As her doctor turned to look at her, he saw the blood pulsate and realized where the arterial tear was and was able to repair it. During this time, my grandparents, dad, and other family members were praying. God heard their cries.

In that moment, the future existence of 17 + people was decided: myself, my other three siblings, our 11 children, and two great-grandchildren (so far). If God had not intervened at that very moment, as well as sparing our mother's life during the arduous delivery, we would not exist. That brings tears to my eyes. I would have missed out on so much! I would have never met the love of my life, and my own beautiful children would not be here.

Obviously and thankfully, the baby made it too! He is 59 years old with a wife and two adult children. The doctor told Mama she could have as many children as she wanted. She took him at his word and went on to have 4 more big babies, all naturally. God is in this story. May we honor Him and each other with the lives he has so decidedly given to us.