My little one survived his major surgeries

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Linda Craig

690 Overlook Dr.

Wintersville, OH 43953

Dear Birth Parents,

Wow! So you're going to have a baby. I guess you already

have a baby, though. It is so awesome to be a mother. I

heard that your baby might "have something wrong with it",

and I want to encourage you - DON'T BE AFRAID!!!

I know that sick-at-heart feeling that your baby might not be

accepted, and the worry that it will be even harder to take

care of a sick baby than a baby born without troubles

already. My second child was diagnosed with Down's

Syndrome, a gaping hole in his heart, and duodenal atresia.

(That's a tight spot where the small and large intestine meet,

so the food can't pass through.) I had read an article about

a baby who was left to die because there was just to much

wrong with him, and guess what that little guy had? The

same thing! Thanks be to God, I did not have to fight with the

doctor to take of my little one when he was born.

And you know what? It was really hard. It was hard when I

couldn't hold him after birth; it was hard when I had to leave

him three hundred miles away in the hospital for six weeks;

it was hard pumping milk and storing it. It was hard when

my family didn't know what to say or how to feel. But I did

it. I took the best care of my little sweetie that I could. And

a love grew in my heart that I never knew before. It didn't

hurt me in a way that caves in and gnaws forever. It hurt

like a growing pain. Like seeing your baby crawl for the

first time, knowing that life will never be the same again,

but so grateful for life and it's mysterious coming together

and moving apart.

My little one survived his major surgeries. And I survived his

major surgeries. And as time goes on his health gets better

and better, and he does better and better at school work,

and I know forever and ever that my son is not a birth defect

or a syndrome, or a burden to society. He is a real person,

and I love him and he loves me.

You might think you just haven't got what it takes to go

through with giving birth to a sick baby, and raising a sick

baby. I know I didn't have whatit took. But at the very

moment when I needed it, God gave me the courage to do

what I knew was right, the stamina to persevere, the tears

to release my sadness, and eventually, the happiness of

seeing my son learn to read.

Everything your baby needs will come to you. Please, don't

worry. If you can, I would like to even encourage you to

enjoy this brand new life that God designed. For a long

time I longed for Jude to be healed of his Down's Syndrome.

I took him to healing services, I begged God to make him

normal, but you know what he told me? He said Jude is

healed. He didn't look a bit different to me. Then I heard

him ask me if I wanted to remove the reward my son would

enjoy for all eternity in heaven for carrying this heavy burden

on earth. Really, what could I say?

If I could do it all over again, the one thing I would change is

that I would accept my son's limitations (compared to other

children) as part of life, his delays more like waiting for the

mail to be delivered than a failure, and keep one eye always

on what is good about my child, and what about him will

last forever. I used to think, well, if God won't cure him here

on earth, in heaven at least he won't have Down's Syndrome.

And the thought came to me, why not? And I realized it

doesn't matter at all. God made him just the way he is.

God loves him just the way he is. I love him, just the way

he is. God loves me just the way I am. He loves you just

the way you are and your baby just the way he designed

your baby. Any suffering is more than worth the truth of love.

Congratulations to you for the great gift God has trusted you

with. Trust Him to take care of you and be with you, no

matter what. You can really trust him.

IIf you want to write to me, please do. I'll write back.

Couragio!

Linda Craig