Hello everyone. It has been quite the past 2 weeks. I had a new cousin born on July 15 down in Hurricaine. My uncle and his wife are almost the same ages as Nate and I, and were having their third child. When Brooklyn was born everything seemed normal, but they found out the following day that there were problems that she needed to be looked at for. It turned out that she has a rare heart defect that required her to be flown to Primary Childrens and undergo a heart surgery that had only been done twice before. Once successfully, and the other one was not. Brooklyn survived last Saturday, and the surgeon said it was a miracle. The next step was to close her chest the following Tuesday, and with minor reactions to the stress, she once again fought through. We pray for her everyday.
They own a business, and have to put it on hold for however long it takes. They are staying at the Ronald McDonald house (which, by the way, I think is amazing!) while they can, and their two older children are staying with Angeline's mom and dad in their camper outside the hospital so that they can be near their parents. Their oldest boy is going to miss his first few weeks of kindergarden while he is up here. And I just found out about an hour ago that Angeline is in the hospital herself with complications.
I am watching this family go through this and just amazed that they are keeping it all together. Not only are they dealing with this trial, they are growing from this experience. I sat down with my uncle in the NICU, and listened to him tell me about how he knows that Brooklyn has a purpose and a plan, and his job is to do everything while she is in his care to keep her safe. But, ultimately it is up to her Father in heaven. The best doctors and the best hospital will not make a difference if it is not what her Heavenly Father has planned for her. As a parent, I know that would one of the hardest things to say. As Brad said these things to me I felt a testimony of it in my heart, and I knew that it was the truth. I am grateful that he shared that with me. That they are opening their lives for everyone to learn from.
Also, by them sharing this with us, it is allowing us to serve them. I want to ask everyone who reads this to pray for the Bailey family. Brad, Angeline, Austin, Kaitlyn, and Brooklyn. If you go to the temple, remember them. Maybe even put their names on the prayer roll. You may not know them, but you know me, and it would mean the world to me to know that they are being thought of by so many people. Thank you all so much, JoAnn.
