We got our baby boy and we named him after his dad, a junior. From now on he will be known here as KGGJ. He was OK, the doctor said. Another prayer had been answered, but then they rushed him to the nursery. They took me to a room on the maternity floor, gave me a shot and I went to sleep. How long I slept I do not know. But when I woke up I wanted to see my baby.
They said they would go get him but didn't come back. I asked and asked to hold my baby. They finally brought him to me and he was perfect or so I thought. He was a little blue in color. They wanted me to give him a bottle. I tried and I tried and when the nurse came in I told her I could not get him to suck on his bottle. That’s when they told me there was something wrong with his reflexes. I cried. I was so afraid there was something wrong with our baby boy.
Do you remember that I told you they did another surgery on my neck 3 days before I had the baby? Well it got infected and swelled up and was as big as an orange. The doctor came in and took me to surgery and had to lance the incision to drain all the infection out of it. I can remember so plain even today that he told me I would have to move off the maternity ward to the surgical ward, because of the mommy's and baby's.
Then he dropped the big one. He said, “You know this means you have to have radiation". I was numb. I could not talk. Then they packed me up and WH was there and we walked to the elevator. Just as we got in a nurse came in carrying a baby wrapped in a blue blanket.
I said “That’s my baby, WH that is our baby, where are you taking him?” The nurse knew it was our baby so she told me she was taking him to have a spinal tap. “I don't understand. Why?” I asked. “So the doctors can make sure he is OK.” I started crying and praying. You know they say to pray continually. I didn't think it was possible, until then.
There was a woman in the room visiting her husband, and she said very nastily "Why are you crying you have nothing to cry about. My husband has cancer of the tongue." I didn't say anything, just asked God to forgive her because she didn't know. Then I was praying for her and her husband, my baby, WH, and our girls.
Not one time as I went through all of this did I ask God why. God always has a purpose. I was just grateful that I was alive and my baby boy was alive. I could go up to the nursery and see KGGJ from outside the window but could not hold him.
Then a strange thing happened. I was lying in bed and a nurse brought me a package. I wondered who would have sent me a package? So I told the nurse it wasn't mine and she said that there was no one else in the whole hospital with my name. No return address or who it came from. So I opened it and of all things, a silver tray. To this day I still do not know who sent it. But I thought it was a strange gift to give to a woman who just had a baby. I got gifts from so many people nurses, doctors, friends and family.
I am not sure how long I stayed in the hospital that time. But before I went home the doctor wanted to talk to us about the radiation treatments. Here are the choices I had:
1. Go to Cleveland Clinic in Ohio
2. Go to Wilford Hall at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas
Both of these would be for 2 months and away from the girls and baby. WH could take KGGJ home with him to watch along with the girls. Or we could leave KGGJ in the hospital nursery until I got back. Which had never happen before.
3. Take my chances and not have it. But if I didn't have radiation, it would most likely come back again. I had already had three surgeries for it and was pregnant at the time.
WH and I went to the pastor again and talked about it. He said I could be the only one to make that decision. And he prayed together with us asking God to help me make the decision. Whether it was right or wrong, I had to make it. I didn't want to leave my babies for 2 months but if I didn't I would not be here to raise them.
My doctor called and told us to come to his office. He wanted my decision. He told us that I could have the radiation right there in Fort Worth starting next week. I would have to go every Monday- Friday for 2 months so God answered another prayer.
God is good. When I asked the doctor, who was paying for this he just said “I can't tell you but it is not yours to worry about.” So every morning for two months we got up at 6:00 am to get the kids ready and WH took all of us in the car for me to go in and get a treatment while he waited in the car with the kids, took us home and went to work. I will always be grateful for WH to have been in the Air Force and to work in the hospital.
I want to go back a couple of weeks and let you know that I am in a medical book out there somewhere. The hospital asked if they could take a picture of my incision. When I ask why, he said you are the first woman on record that has had surgery for Hodgkin’s while pregnant. That is why they took the picture when I was 9 months along.
to be continued
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