Healing and Prayer, part 12

Emily and Stan, a young couple, were expecting their second child. Their firstborn was five-year-old Sammy. During the present pregnancy, Sammy would crawl up next to his mother and rub her ever-expanding tummy and sing to his future sibling. It was his way of getting to know the unborn baby. This continued throughout the uneventful pregnancy until labor ensued. The labor was short, yet at the end Emily developed some problems that necessitated an emergency C-section.

The joy and anticipation of the new arrival was somewhat damp­ened by the news that the new baby girl showed signs of an infec­tion. The little girl, whom they named Sally, was taken to the neonatal intensive care nursery in this small hospital to be watched more closely. After a few hours the pediatrician came to Emily’s room and told her that the little baby had taken a turn for the worse. They were going to have to transfer the baby to a specialized nursery down­town for more intensive care. You can only imagine the devastation and apprehension both Emily and Stan felt as they watched their newborn being wheeled into the ambulance for the transfer.

After a day at the new hospital, the neonatologist spoke to Emily as she was visiting Sally. “We are very concerned about Sally,” he said slowly. “The next twenty-four hours are critical, she could turn around, or she could get a lot worse. I just thought you should know to be able to tell any family members to stay close by.”

Emily could read between the lines. She knew that the doctor was telling her that her child might not make it. Then it occurred to her that Sammy had not yet seen his baby sister. She decided that if there was a chance that baby Sally was going to die, she had to get Sammy in to see her.

The neonatal intensive care unit is a very mechanical, sterile environment and small children are not allowed to visit because of the risk of infection. This didn’t dissuade Emily as she dressed Sammy in a little rolled up scrub suit and put on a mask and walked into the unit. The nurses went berserk! But when they realized what was go­ing on they reluctantly agreed to the brief visit. Babies in a NICU lie in beds that are up on pedestals to allow the nurses to work with them more easily. They retrieved a couple of boxes for Sammy to stand on, and he climbed up and peered over the bassinet for a first look at his new sister.

To most, the sight of a little baby with a tube in her throat and IV lines from her arms would be frightening. Not to Sammy. He peered intently at Sally and then spontaneously reached down and grabbed her tiny hand . . . and began to sing, just as he had done to his mommy’s tummy. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please, God, don’t take my sister away.”

The nurses were the first to notice a difference in the baby. That evening Sally’s vital signs stabilized and her temperature became normal. She was able to breath on her own within twenty-four hours and was discharged home two days later, a healthy happy baby sister. The local newspaper that had followed the story called it a miracle; the doctors and nurses all called it a miracle. I call it the healing power of prayer.