Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
I know this is a long post!!! But it is a long story!! But there are lots of pictures of a cute baby!!!!
I grew up in a small town about two hours from Memphis, TN. At one time I was living in Memphis for work and coming back to that town on the weekends. I was also proud to love so close to Memphis due to St. Jude Children's Hospital. But never was I more proud of that than six weeks after Cooper was born.
Cooper was the first child of a good friend of mine. She was married but only 19. About four weeks after Cooper was born his skin started breaking out and flaking off. They took him to lots of doctors and hospitals around here but no help. One Sunday at church she brought him into the nursery where I was keeping toddlers to change his diaper. As she was changing him I noticed he had sort of a tremor. His mom also told me that he was sweating. Babies aren't supposed to sweat. My mom (who is an RN) told her to get that baby to Memphis as soon as she could. Her parents and her took him to Le Bonheur that night. He was eventually transfered to St. Jude and given a diagnosis of Ipex Syndrome .
Our church decided that this would not be fatal and prayed and fasted fervently. I would go to visit them regularly because I was living in Memphis. My car was actually stolen during one of these visits. I wrote this about what I felt during that time.
Many people at my church have testified about Cooper well add me to the ever growing list. I am okay with being one of many because I have been so touched by little Cooper I have to speak my peace. I saw something this weekend that I feared in my heart many times I would never see. Cooper took five tentative steps from Shanna's arms into Stephanie's. My eyes filled with tears I hid them of course because they think I am soft hearted enough as it is. The thought that filled my mind was about a year ago holding Cooper in arms at St. Jude and feeling him struggle for every breath. His little body was covered by the evidence of his disease. His weight so insubstantial almost as if he had no life within him.
Me holding Cooper at St. Jude
Many times as I visited him in the ICU at St Jude I would be surrounded by huge beds filled with tiny bodies of sick babies. I could almost see the angels watching over them. The barrier between their life and death so thin I could almost imagine the angels scooping them up and taking them to Jesus's side. But not our little Cooper. He is our miracle baby.
Brother Bobby called him our walking miracle and HE IS!!! It truly was like the song says: "When the doctors shake their heads, you don't know my God." The doctors at St Jude I know are amazing but they were baffled so many times and I know that God guided their actions, thoughts and hands.
Sunday night Shanna brought him forth for prayer and it struck me how many times that we as a church have laid our prayers instead of our hands on him and begged God for his healing.
I'd like to say that I knew from the beginning that God would see fit to heal his body. But my faith was insufficient, but God's grace was sufficient and I thank HIM for that. I praise HIM for that. If I had no other reason and HE had done nothing else for me and never would touch my life again, I love and thank HIM for our walking miracle. From despair to victory.
The doctors told us that Cooper wouldn't make it to his first birthday. My friend had actually gone and picked out a casket for him. He was given steroids for his skin. We gave him sugar on his pacifier when he couldn't have fluids. He went on and off ventilators and countless other things St. Jude did for him.
Then he received chemo and he received a bone marrow transplant from an annoynamous donor his parents were told this was his only hope. We patiently waited for the results. He had only donor cells!! None of his sick cells!!
Cooper's first healthy trip to church
Today Cooper is 2. He does have some developmental problems from being in the hospital for a year but he is so smart!! And makes leaps and bounds every day!!! The first time he came to Sunday school I had to fight back the tears!!!
Cooper's First trip to Sunday School
But last week in Sunday School he kept saying over and over "Wal-mart." He wanted to go get a toy!! He is such a miracle baby.
Cooper last week with his baby sister:
