The Land of Ozz

I have to stop for a minute and share with you some inspiration. I am going to post a normal update in a few minutes, but first I want to respond to a comment by Hailey's family on the July 4th posting. If you have not been following Hailey's story, she was diagnosed with DiGeorge and was born in Boston about a month before Caden's birth. She spent several months at Duke recovering from a transplant to help repair her immune system. She is home with her family now and doing good. Here is the comment from her family if you have not seen it yet.

Hi Caden and Family;

im so sorry you had to go through this over the weekend but were glad it worked out for the best (Hank)you know what Caden needs are you keep fighting for it... way to go.

I'm glad you got to see the fireworks for your first time its great. Hailey enjoyed them also you two kids are so special its unbelievable. God has given you kids to us for a reason. We are starting to see what that reasone is. You are special and we cant wait to here how good you are doing.

talk soon

Paul,Chrissy and Hailey
p.s. we talked to Dr. Markert today and told her about Caden if there is anything we can do to help let us know

They nailed it. God does not make mistakes. Hailey and Caden are just two examples of how God displays his healing power. Only God could know which parents could survive through the things we have been through so far. I could have never imagined myself in some of the circumstances that I have been through over the past year. Yes, it has been a year this month since we got the initial diagnosis on Caden's heart. A year ago this week we found out that something was not right on the ultrasound. By the end of July 2004 Caden's life threatening heart defects had been accurately identified.

As far as the healing, some folks like to give credit to doctors and science. I have found that while many doctors will not openly show it, the most skilled and successful ones are often closet Christians. That has been my experience so far with Caden's doctors. Doctors certainly don't wear buttons announcing their faith, but we have found out that many of the key players in Caden's care are God fearing and give credit where credit is due for the skills that they have been blessed with. Caden's pediatrician is a Christian and has enlightened us to the identity of some of these other Christian doctors. Some we had already been interacting with during the first two months in the hospital and before we even met Caden's current pediatrician.

There are several reasons why I got so worked up over the comments from Hailey's family. I have struggled with whether to or how much to air on this web site at times. Sherry and I have openly discussed it many times. I am sure many of you have thought the same, but I tell you that this little web site that gets well under one hundred visitors per day is touching lives including my own. The story of Caden has brought me into contact with people I would have never met any other way. The same goes for Hailey and her family. Sharing their story allowed for me to find them and gain even more joy and encouragement from what God is doing. These kids are living breathing miracles. If you don't' believe it, then ask me to open Caden's shirt and look at the scars that run from his head to his toes. He has one continuous scar from his neck all the way down and around his belly button, not to mention the numerous other scars all over his legs, arms, and head from IVs and central lines. Only about one in every few thousand children and their families experience anything like this.

Now for the other reasons why I am writing this. I have been very moved over the past two weeks through sermons by Shawn Wood and Mac Lake. I was also very moved as I am always by the First Wednesday service at Seacoast. The worship teams from the Family Life and Summerville services led the praise and worship tonight. That was a treat in itself. The other big reason I am posting this is because I want to share my belief that God is about to show again how powerful he is. Caden is still not swallowing and I believe that problem is about to be solved. I say that with 100% pure faith. The botox treatment might be the delivery vehicle or it might be by pure good old fashion healing, but it is about to happen and you will be the first to hear about it. The subject line of the posting will read "I Told You So". Until then. If you haven't got what I got, then you need to get it. That is God and all the gifts he has already given each of us if we will just accept them. The grand prize includes eternal life and the forgiveness of all of our sins through his son Jesus Christ. Other things your get from God with or without believing is his healing power. I get the comfort of knowing it is going to happen because I believe and have faith. I then get to share it with you so that you can have a front row seat to one of God's miracles.

I hope you are as fired up and excited as I am. Please pray for Caden and Hailey. Please thank God for the things that have already been done and ask God to continue to show his healing strength through these two wonderful children and others like them. Thank God for his protection of me against fear through those that encourage me and guide me though the rough days. Thank God for those who sometimes seem like angels to us when we are down or afraid. One family of angels will welcome their fourth child into this world later today. Please pray for protection of mother and child as the child is born later today into the Young family. These angels are among many who prayed with us tonight.

Thank you Lord for the Pastors, Elders, and Friends of our church who where there tonight and the many nights before. Amen

This was originally posted on Caden's Page but I felt it was worth sharing here.