The majority of these blogs in this series will not be written by me (only edited by me for this series), but by the parents of Baby Cash, who is only 2 months old. His parents entered their worst nightmare when they learned less than a week ago their son had a large hole in his heart which will very soon (within the next few weeks) require open heart surgery. Fortunately there is an excellent hospital for infants and children, CHKD (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters) in Norfolk, where Cash will have his surgery. But still, the prospect of open heart surgery is a scary thought for both those of us who have loved ones going through it, or who are going through it ourselves, no matter what our age.

His parents, Coleman and Ashley B are very good friends with our daughter and son in law. Baby Cash was born just ten weeks after our granddaughter Rachel, and the babies already seem to recognize each other as soon as they’re together, as you can see in the picture above.

This post was written by Cash’s mom the night after they received the diagnosis, when she had finally had a few moments to herself to think about the events of the day.

Part 1 of their story can be found here.

A Prayer For My Son

Dear Lord, your gifts are many.
I’m grateful for everyone.
One of the greatest gifts you’ve given
is the gift of a wonderful son

Thank you for his life dear Lord.
Watch over him I pray.
May he be safe and free from harm,
as he goes about each day.

Bless him through life’s trials.
Help him choose right from wrong.
An example be for all to see.
Standing tall, and proud and strong.
By Ron Tranmer

“Yesterday our world was flipped upside down and for the first time ever in my life time stopped, and there were no words.

Today I found this prayer which, is something I couldn’t have needed more after finding out our son has a severe case of Ventricular Septal Defect, a very large hole in his heart which we are told will require open heart surgery.

Our hearts our broken, but our little boy is strong. I think he is stronger then his momma. He was hooked up to wires and had an echocardiogram performed on his heart for over an hour, the whole time cooing and smiling, or holding my finger while closing his little eyes and fighting not to go to sleep.

I can’t help but keep wishing it were me instead of him. I’m a firm believer in miracles and the power of prayer. Thank you to our family and friends who have checked in on us. Keep the prayers coming. Love on your babies a little extra tonight, and mommas, always trust your gut instincts. If you think something isn’t right with your child, don’t stop questioning until you get answers.”

Ashley B
October 4, 2016