When we found out we were having a little girl, we were also told that she had Polycystic Kidney Disease. They said her kidneys were larger than average and covered in tiny cysts. They told us that most couples would know they couldn't handle this. Most couples would realize that her quality of life would be horrible, and save her from that pain. They said that if we chose to keep her, to expect lots of doctors, dialysis, and transplants for the rest of her life. We were told there was a good chance that she wouldn't even make it to birth, and that if she did, we probably couldn't handle it because it would be so rough. We left the specialist's office devastated and heart broken. I knew that abortion would never be an option for me and was so thankful that Josh felt the same way. We were so in love with this little girl. She had a name. She had a family. She had worth. How could they suggest that we abort a little girl we had already fallen in love with, that I had felt kick inside me?
I always wondered how someone could continue trusting God or even believing in God if they had to go through something as horrible as losing a child. That night, I realized that God was the only thing I had left to hold on to. I couldn't do anything about the situation we were now facing. I couldn't save her. He was the only one that could do anything about anything. Instead of losing all hope, I found hope. He was my only hope.
I am not making this next part up. No joke. I opened my Bible, which I happened to be days behind reading. I opened it to the first day of the days that I needed to read, the day that I should have read about a week before. The verse I opened up to was Psalm 128:3. Paraphrasing, it says, "your wife will be like a fruitful vine, producing many children. Your children will be like sturdy olive branches as they sit around your table." I cried and cried that night, but I truly believed this was a promise to me. I took that promise and it was all I had to hold on to. That same verse came up again a few months later, totally unexpected. I was reading again in another area of the Bible and I saw a fly. I swatted it with a piece of mail, which caused the pages of my Bible to flip. It landed on that same verse, but not in the same place I was reading it last time. It was all the way at the beginning of the book. That is when I knew for sure that it was a promise for me and not just a coincidence. (I know that sounds crazy.) I held on to and prayed that verse for the next five months. I wasn't the only one praying either. Hundreds of people prayed for my little girl. People I don't even know!
Months later, near the end of my pregnancy, at one of our million sonograms, the doctor told us he no longer thought that PKD was the likely cause of her enlarged and cystic kidneys. He said that she should have gotten worse, but she didn't. The amniotic fluid should have been gone by then, but it was still normal. He said PKD was still possible, but he wasn't betting on it. He told us that it could be displastic kidneys, some other syndromes, or just normal deviations from their "standard" measurements. We were elated at that news, but I was also mad. I was outraged that they tried to sway us to abort our beautiful baby. What if I had listened? How many women HAVE listened? We knew there were still possible outcomes that we wouldn't like, but I was still mad that they could take away all our hope and later say were probably wrong.
Anyway, we finally had our little girl on April 14, 2014. She does have cysts on her kidneys, but she has FULL FUNCTION of them as well! The doctors said they couldn't have asked for a better birth and that we got the best possible outcome! She is beautiful and perfect! Her quality of life is wonderful! I know some people will read this and will think it was just a fluke or that nothing was ever wrong in the first place. I know in my heart though that God saved my little girl. He heard my cry and answered my prayers. I don't know why he doesn't answer all prayers, and sometimes I feel guilty for getting a miracle. However, I know that he did hear my prayers! And I am so thankful. I can't keep quiet about it. I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone I know that miracles do happen! A situation that I always thought would kill my faith ended up strengthening it. I want everyone to know that doctors are not always right! There is always hope. Don't give up. I don't know what you need or what you may be praying for, but don't give up. If you are a prayer, please keep Evangelina in your prayers.
P.S. She was born with a sixth toe. At first, I was sad about this because I was so worried that people would make fun of her. My friend, Denise, made me see it in a different light. She said we prayed so long that she would have "enough", but God gave her MORE than enough!
I have felt God's love in my life and know he answers our prayers. Evie is a perfect example of his miracles for us!
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