Heavy Hearted

Many of you will recognize this sweet face. But for those of you who don't know this beautiful girl, she is Jadelyn Renae, my adorable one year old niece. Her parents, Dan's sister Joanna and her husband Kyle, are both Geologists and came up with the name Jadelyn in part because of the beautiful stone called Jade. But it's her middle name that  has the most meaning to me today. 

Renae. Re-birth.

When Kyle was baptized by Dan, he read this passage from Job: 

      "Naked I came from my mother's womb, 

       and naked I will depart. 
       The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; 
       may the name of the LORD be praised."

Kyle knew that the Christian life was one of Re-birth. We bring nothing into the world, and we take nothing from it, but when we die to our sins and choose life in Christ we are re-born. 

Jadelyn has already brought immeasurable amounts of joy to our family in her 14 months. She is hilarious, focused, and stubborn. I am not her parent, so her stubbornness is adorable. She has the cutest pouty lip I have ever seen, grabs the attention of strangers wherever she goes, and has a definite set list of likes and dislikes...a list known only by her and subject to change at any moment.

On Sunday night Kyle and Joanna were leaving his parents' house. Kyle was holding Jadelyn and she flopped backwards. Thinking she was playing around, he pulled her back up. Her eyes were rolled back, and then she started to shake.

They put her on the floor as she had a seizure and her eyes stayed rolled back in her head. Praise God, praise God that Kyle's mom was there. She is a nurse and brought a level of capability to the situation. Jadelyn maintained a pulse, but did stop breathing, so her grandma helped her breath at times. The ambulance came quickly and by the time they got there she was more with it. They took her to the hospital where a bunch of tests including a CT scan, blood work and a urinalysis came back fine. So at this point there is no known cause. 

As Jadelyn's auntie I am sad and scared. As a parent, and Joanna's sister, I am sick. I truly cannot imagine the fear that must have been pumping through them during this time. 

She will see a pediatric neurologist (one of those people that I am thankful for but wish there was no need for) so we await that appointment.

Now the waiting game begins. Basically, as Joanna said, the task at hand is to live a normal life all the while knowing in the back of their minds that she could have another one.

We are praying, and I am asking you to join us, that this was a one time thing. We are praying fervently for no more seizures, ever. Will you join me?

I am also praying for Kyle and Joanna. They handled it well, both in the moment and the next day as reality hit. Joanna and I had a conversation last week that keeps playing in my mind. We talked about seeing medical issues not as problems that need to be fixed (oh, but we are so glad when they can be fixed!!) but as trials from God. Then we talked through James and how we handle trials. We consider them joy because we know as we go through hard times with God our faith increases.  I cannot help but wonder if God was preparing Joanna for this time.  And Joanna has responded in faith and desires to trust God more and more, even with her sweet Jadelyn.

Joanna said she was going to try to blog when Jadelyn was asleep. Their blog is on my sidebar, called The Kilgores. Stop by and give her some encouragement.