This is a continuation of a series every Friday where I will be highlighting the growth and healing of one of my readers, a new reader each week. These, my sweet ones, are their brave and vulnerable stories. Take heart…you are not alone.  -Elisabeth

My first child was born on September 14th, 1987. He was a beautiful baby and easy to care for. I couldn’t have been more thrilled at being a brand new mom!

In January, 1988, I heard him coughing and noticed he looked a bit gray. Mothers’ intuition, I made an urgent appointment with his pediatrician.

When I arrived, the doctor held a stethoscope to my son’s chest and suddenly he called the other pediatrician to have a listen. The sense of panic and urgency was blatant!

The next thing I know, I’m heading down the freeway across town, while calling my husband to inform him that our baby has a heart condition that is life threatening! He met me at the pediatric cardiologist’s office. I was in a state of shock.

Turns out my son had Super Ventricular Tachycardia, otherwise known as SVT. This is where the heart beats, and echos like all hearts, but it echoed twice and his heart beat twice instead of once. Every echo doubled so every heartbeat multiplied. My son’s heart was clocked at 260 beats per minute! And worse, it was random and intermittent.

At the time, there was no cure, no heart monitors. We had to shock his heart out of this rhythm, with a wash cloth, soaked in iced water and placed over his face! I would have to keep him close so I could check his heart frequently. It was a guessing game. The doctor said he had a very severe case.

Our lives as we hoped for were altered that day. My life was consumed by hovering over my son for the next 5-1/2 years.

During those years, there were countless ER visits, hospital stays and many sleepless nights. I was consumed by the hope for a cure. I was on my knees most days in tears asking God to heal my boy, to provide a cure for him. This was my daily, hourly and minute by minute heart’s cry.

In 1993, I received a call from the pediatric cardiologist. A doctor at UC Davis had developed a cure! Since my son had a severe case, he was at the top of the list for surgery. They set me up with the surgeon to make an appointment! This was April of 1993.

The scheduler told me that she only had April 9th open that week, “and you won’t want that, it’s Good Friday.” I jumped on it! I knew it was a gift from God! I asked when he could come home. She told me it would be on the 11th, Easter Sunday!!

What an amazing thing God was doing! I saw in my spirit this was parallel to Jesus on the cross and the Good News! My son was put under for surgery that Good Friday, and came home on Easter Sunday with a brand new heart!!! Today, he’s 30 and thriving!! This taught me perseverance and to never give up on God to answer prayer.

-Judi

If this sweet woman’s post resonated with your heart, please know that you are not alone. Here are a few resources for you:

If you would like to find out more about coaching with me, fill this out.
If you would like to join my closed Facebook group called Hope & Healing, you can find it here.
If you’d like to receive my free e s-book, You’re Going to Make It Through, you can get it here.
If you need a nudge in your healing, I would love to work with you! Join me for one of my coaching courses.
If in a difficult marriage: Surviving in a Difficult Christian Marriage is available as a PDF/e-book: www.elisabethklein.com/books
If separated/divorced: Unraveling: Hanging onto Faith through the End of a Christian Marriage is available in paperback/e-book: http://tinyurl.com/phowp95
If a single mom: Moving on as a Christian Single Mom is available in paperback/e-book: www.elisabethklein.com/books