Precious in His Sight: Joshua's 9th birthday!

Friday, May 8, 2015

Joshua's 9th birthday!

We just celebrated Joshua's 9th birthday this week! Cinco de Mayo :) As I write we are on the way to take the birthday boy to a lake for a little fun!

A year ago we went into the PICU with balloons, gifts and cake to have his 8th birthday in the PICU. He was almost home but had been delayed there due to insurance issues, and not being able to find in home nursing right away.....but we were able to celebrate as he had come so far!

We are continually AMAZED by how well Joshua is doing. There was a time there when we didn't think we would see his 8th let alone his 9th birthday. When we were preparing to say goodbye. I remember praying with all my heart to God to please give us more time with him and that I would do WHATEVER it takes to help him. Gtube....okay, vent....scary but I could learn (and we did!), trach change and care....You will help us! But I got to the place where I accepted whatever His will would be for Joshua. I knew without a doubt that if the Lord took him, that he would be perfectly happy and free of all his physical/cognitive impairments.....so I knew that might be His will.

Yet we prayed....and wow, so many people were praying for him from all over...and we dared to hope. And God gave him back to us....he started responding, his vitals stabilizing, oxygen improving, and he got stronger. He even weaned off that vent that we spend so much time learning to manage and came home later in May with out a vent at all, much to everyone's surprise. I'll never forget our doctor commenting that Joshua was one of his top 10 miracles he's seen during his career.

Here we are on his 9th birthday....no trach, no oxygen since he got his trach removed, off several medications (all his respiratory ones), and pretty much himself. Back then I often would visualize him doing better and us going to a park as a family again (as a anxiety management technique ;) ....and sometimes I just marvel that it has become our reality.