Parenting can sometimes be difficult. But there is always love. And there SHOULD be love with each and every child.
At 20 weeks pregnant, Hannah, of Sydney, Australia, went to her doctor on her own for a pregnancy checkup. Her doctor quickly told her that he wished she had brought her husband, Michael, with her. Because he had some news that should be shared with both of them.
It was detected during a scan, he told Hannah, that their baby had a problem with his brain. He then told her it was something that could not be fixed and if her baby was born alive, it would only live a few painful moments. The odds, he said, were 99.9 percent that, if born alive, the baby would die shortly after birth.
Hannah was in shock. Her doctor was suggesting ending her pregnancy. She had already had a miscarriage and she couldn’t stand the idea of losing another child. She left and, of course, discussed the decision with her husband. With their faith being tested and after many prayers, they decided to continue with the pregnancy.
Hannah carried full term, and it took three days for little Stephen to be born. And he stunned the entire attending medical staff with his loud, healthy cries. Hours passed, and Stephen was still alive, though had some difficulty during feeding.
Hannah was frazzled she knew her little boy was slipping away and she didn’t know what to do. So Michael gently took him and said “Well, mate, you’re still here for a reason. And as long as you are still here, I am going to serve you as best I can.” Then he cradled him swabbing his dry lips. Stephen then started having periods where he would stop breathing… but he started back again.
After several hours of struggling to live, though, the little baby – cradled in his father’s arms — took his final breath… and he was gone. He had lived for 47 hours, and neither Hannah nor Michael would trade a minute of those 47 hours for anything.
