Ezra the Lion Hearted

We've been asked to share Ezra's testimony with our church family.  I need to write it out first, so here's my thinking process.

When I was 25 weeks pregnant with Ezra, he was diagnosed with premature atrial contractions, and a hole in his heart.  At a routine OB appointment, we heard his heart skip several beats, then speed up, repeatedly.  That same week, we followed up with a pediatric cardiologist. Walking into the office was scary; as a parent, you’re thinking to yourself that places like this shouldn’t exist, then you realize your child is the one who needs this place, and you’re grateful they do exist. The cardiologist talked with us extensively, then she did an echocardiogram to look at our baby’s heart. She referred to Ezra by his name, and did her best to calm our fears.  The fact that she used his name and didn't refer to him as a fetus, or any other term, was important to us.  It meant that she saw him the way we did--a real person.  It also helped knowing she is a mom too.  When your child’s health is a concern, you start thinking and worrying too much, often imagining the worst case scenario.  You don't want to think about any reality other than a good one, but your mind goes there anyway.  Hearing the missed beats was one thing, but watching the screen as his heart repeatedly stopped, then sped up, was another frightening thing entirely. Throughout the next weeks and the diagnostic process, God gave us Ezra’s first name, Jonathan, which means Gift of God, and He also gave us his life verse, Isaiah 41:10—“Fear not, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  That verse became our strength.  We had one more appointment with the cardiologist before Ezra was born, we notified our pediatrician and our OB required a NICU nurse to be present for his delivery.  Ezra’s heart did not handle the stress of labor well, so we had to have an emergency c-section.  He immediately saw the cardiologist at the hospital, where he had a third echo, and his first ekg.  Bringing him home was scary; we watched him like a hawk, always vigilant for any changes in his breathing or behavior.  At our appointment with the cardiologist when he was a week old, he was diagnosed with a murmur, in addition to the previous diagnoses.  A fourth echo showed the hole still hadn’t closed, nor had the PACs resolved.  We took our newborn home with a 24 hour monitor that day. We were given statistics meant to comfort us, but when you’re talking about your child’s heart, few things give you peace.  We leaned on God, relying on Him to heal our child.  God had seen fit to give us this miracle child in the first place, and we had to know He would make sure Ezra would be okay.  Ezra had so many people praying for him during this time, we knew he was well covered.  It was all in God’s hands.  This past week, we had another follow up with our cardiologist, and we received amazing news! More tests showed the hole in Ezra’s heart is closed, the PACs are gone, and the murmur was undetectable. Right there on the screen was a perfectly normal and healthy beating heart.  Just like that, it’s over.  His heart is healthy and healed. No more tests, no more cardiologists, no more worries.  Once again, our greatest healer took care of it all.  God has given our sweet little boy an amazing testimony, and he’s only 8 months old.  We are so grateful for this healing, and so grateful to all who prayed!  Most of all, we are grateful to serve a loving Father who still performs miracles and keeps His promises.