In celebration of Jaden...a little story about faith.

This little cutie turns four today.  I seriously can't believe it....FOUR!  Someone once told me that when you are raising children the days go slow, but the years go fast.  I could not agree with that more. 

This week we are celebrating Jaden and all that he is and means to us (pictures to come soon), but every year around this time I also celebrate something else....God's miracles.

As some of you know just 3 years ago this month we received some pretty devastating news regarding our little guy...and in the days that followed watched God's hands at work on our little man.  Some of you know this story, but some don't so I thought on the day we celebrate our little boy it would be appropriate to share this little story with you...

When Jaden was one I took him in for his regular one year appointment.  The doctor noticed he was not gaining weight as he should be.  I had noticed he was thinning out but thought nothing of it because he was just learning to walk - kids always seem to thin out when they start walking.

The doc thought he may have Celiac disease or something of the sort so he ran a battery of tests.

We waited and waited...and waited...for the results of the tests.  It seemed like the doctor was dragging his feet a bit and that had me worried.  When the doctor did call we were in the for the shock of our lives...the doctor said he did not have Celiac disease or anything like that...but that his alkaline phosphates were off the charts.  Alkaline phosphates have to do the with the liver, kidneys, and bones.  The doctor said Jaden's liver and kidneys were fine and he was waiting for the bone section of the test to come back.

Again, we waited...and prayed...this time feeling more anxious about the whole thing.

When the results came back in the doctor called us and basically said it didn't look good.  Jaden's numbers regarding his bones were off the charts.  The doctor had never seen numbers this high.  I was instantly in a state of panic.  I can't even put into words how I felt.  The word "scared" is a complete understatement.   I had a sinking feeling in my gut - just the sheer sound of the seriousness of the doctors voice put me in a tailspin.

I am not sure exactly what put cancer in my mind, but I gathered my courage and hesitantly asked, "Could this be cancer?"

His response was, "I don't know what else it could be".

No...no...not my baby.

He went on to tell me the type of cancer he thought it could be.

I listened and hesitantly asked, "Is it treatable?"

Silence.

After what seemed like forever the doctor timidly responded, "it can be."

No....no...no...not my baby.

The doctor said he would be contacting Riley's Children's Hospital and that they would be contacting me on Monday to discuss our next step.

I hung up the phone and cried.  My baby boy may have cancer.  I couldn't even wrap my mind around it.

 I started calling family members and friends.  Between sobs I asked them all the same thing...pray. 

Please please please pray for our little boy.

During the course of the weekend Matt and I just held Jaden and cried and prayed....and continued to spread the word to everyone we could possibly think of to pray for our son.

We had originally planned on having Jaden dedicated at our church on that Sunday.  As difficult as it was we went through with this plan.  On Sunday we walked our son up in front of our whole church and dedicated him to Christ.

I will never forget our Pastor's words that morning.  He stood in front of us, looked us straight in the eye, and said, "God gives us these children to love and care for....for as long has HE allows."

We spent the remainder of the weekend surrounded by friends and family....and we continued to pray.

What happened next still blows my mind...the power of prayer just took hold.  Together with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends we spread the word and people literally all over the world started praying for Jaden.  We had prayer chains going across the country, prayer groups were forming at churches we didn't even attend by people we had never even met, even in other parts of the world.   Complete strangers were praying for our little boy.

We prayed like we have never ever prayed before.

We prayed that God's healing hands would touch our little boy.  We prayed that His protection would encompass Jaden's little body.  We prayed...and prayed...and prayed.

On Monday morning the phone rang.  It was our doctor.  I took a deep breath and prepared myself to talk with him.

"Hello?"

"Jamie, this is Dr. Yoder.  I have nothing but good news for you....I have spoke with Riley's Childrens Hospital.  We have gone completely through Jaden's test results....and Jaden is absolutely fine.  It seems that the irregular blood tests were a result of a growth spurt."

It was the most amazing news I've ever received in my life.  Again, I can't even put into words what was going through my mind.

Now, some may think that this whole thing is just an example of mis-read tests or something of the sort, but not me.

I believe in miracles....and I feel certain that God's healing hands were on my little boy.

I've always been a spiritual person and I've always had a strong faith, but this experience took it to a whole new level.  I have seen first hand the power of prayer and I know that God works miracles. 

This little guy is all the proof I need.



I love you Jaden Stone....more than you will ever know...and I thank God from the depths of my heart for loving you even more than I can fathom too.

"God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them."

--Unknown