A Child Shall Lead

I'm not even sure where to begin with this one.  As a mom, it's just overwhelmingly emotional.  I suppose the beginning would be a good place.  Several weeks ago, a friend of mine told me about a high school friend of hers who had just learned his third child, with whom he and his wife were still pregnant, had been diagnosed with Anencephaly. Because of their convictions, when the doctor asked the parents how they wanted to proceed, they answered their son, already named Solomon, deserved a chance.  And as his parents, they deserved a chance to hold him, to show him how much they love him and just be with him.  My friend kept me updated after Solomon's birth, and I wept with every single update.  His arms were tiny, but his reach was so wide and so amazing. Our world is so small; another friend was listening to a nurse friend of hers talk about this little baby boy and his amazing parents at the hospital where she is a peds nurse, and yes, it was Solomon.  Neither of them knew of the connection before the nurse friend started talking.  He lived for 6 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes, and every single second of it was beautiful.  Solomon and his parents have borne witness to so many people, many of us they don't even know.  They have testified to so many of us through their love for their son.  I cannot even begin to imagine where these parents are coming from.  Shawn and I hold the same convictions as Solomon's parents, but neither of us have been able to comprehend having to make such decisions about our child(ren).  It is so difficult for me to understand why, when all Solomon's mom and dad wanted to do was take their baby home, they knew from the beginning they would not, and yet there are so many babies born to parents who don't want them.  I suppose it is just not for me to understand, but only to appreciate and learn from.  Solomon's parents are most certainly mourning, even in their knowledge that their newborn son held such an amazing purpose while here on Earth.  So many of us are mourning with them, but we are grateful for this child's life, his parents, and the way they have all touched our lives.


I really feel this final update deserves to be reposted.  I've removed any identifying names and personal information from the original posting.  Solomon died almost 11 hours after his mom posted this, after leading a more awe-inspiring and illuminating life than many of us could ever hope to.


Update on Solomon. April 19, 2012, 11:34pm - Solomon turned 6 days and 12 hours old. We are still at F.O. Hospital, in the Pediatric section, where the nurses are caring for Solomon with love and compassion.

A dear friend of ours sent us a message last week after holding Solomon in her arms. She said thank you for allowing her to "hold a miracle."

When we arrived at F.O. hospital six days ago on April 13, we didn't expect but a few brief moments with our little boy. The word "miracle" was not really in our vocabulary that day. God had other plans though. In His sovereign wisdom, our Lord has been using little six pound baby Solomon to reach out and show His Light and His love to this world.

Solomon's diagnosis has not changed, he does have anencephaly. Depending on the literature you read, the rate of occurrence for anencephaly is between 1 in 8,000 and 1 in 10,000 here in the United States. Because of the anencephaly, the large majority of Solomon's brain and skull are not developed. The brain stem that is present controls basic life functions such as breathing and heartbeat.

Solomon's prognosis has not changed. Anencephaly is always fatal, with most children passing away in the first 24 hours. Only 5% of anencephalic babies live 6 days or longer.

Despite the odds, here's what our little Solomon can do:
- He can swallow on his own, and he sure does love mommy's milk!
- He can burp, just like his daddy!
- He can cry when he is uncomfortable, so we know when to help him.
- He can smile, especially when you rub your hands on his cheek.
- He can make cooing sounds, like when you hold him close to you and squeeze.
- He can giggle, especially when you tickle under his chin!

Now for the really amazing part. God has used Solomon...
- To bring people closer to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
- To convince one father that he needed to hug his own sons a little tighter at night.
- To help one mother want to become an even better mother to her kids.
- To reconcile a marriage between one husband and wife.
- To help one husband and wife come to closure over the loss of their own child.
- To lay on the heart of a nurse to pursue becoming a doctor.
- To show a young lady that she is truly loved despite her life choices.
- To bring nurses, doctors, staff members and friends into an impromptu praise and worship service in our hospital room.

These are only the stories that we have personally heard or seen. God's scope goes so much farther than we will ever know, and we are so very humbled to have been just a small part of His vast plan.

We believe that it is a "miracle" from the Lord that Solomon's life has been longer than expected.
We are enjoying this beautiful gift of time that we've been given, but we know there is a greater purpose behind the miracle. This has been an opportunity for God to make Himself known in a real and meaningful way to so many people.

The time will come that the Lord will welcome Solomon into His waiting arms, after he has accomplished everything he was intended for here on earth. We know this will hurt unlike anything we've ever had to go through. But, we've been praying for peace. And we feel peace. When we look at everything that God has accomplished along this journey, we can only give Him thanks and praise.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

With Love,
Solomon's Parents