Thankful

Today I am thanking God for my little girl. I am amazed at medical technology. I know not every parent has the option of taking their child to the hospital when they are sick. I am aware that if I did not have the resources such as doctors, clean water, and oral rehydration drinks such as pedialyte to give my baby, my little girl may not be here today. Did you know 10,000 children each day die from dehydration? That is about 7 children each minute. Think about that.

Reese has been throwing up and having diarrhea for several days. Yesterday, I walked in her room to wake her up. When I looked in her crib, she was lying in vomit and diarrhea. Her skin was colorless. She had a bluish tint under her eyes. When I picked her up, her eyes half-opened and her body was limp. She was breathing, but was obviously distressed. I packed her things, had family pick up the other 2, and headed to the ER.

She was dehydrated. In fact, so dehydrated that after an hour and a half of holding her down to find a vein for an iv, it was decided to put an iv in her scalp. She cried the entire time and not even 1 tear fell. It was scary. All I could do was cry. Many tests were performed and it was decided she probably had a nasty virus that her little body couldn't handle.

Yesterday was tough. Watching her go through many painful tests was difficult. I felt helpless. I wanted to punch the nurses in the face. However, after 10 hours of receiving iv fluids, she was rehydrated and sent home. She is not quite yet healthy. She is still drinking very little, but we are working on slowly introducing bottles. If she becomes dehydrated again, I will take her to the ER. I will go buy some pedialyte. Most likely, something or someone can help her.

Obviously, I am praying for my child. It does not take any conviction from God to do that. It is natural. Since our time in the hospital, God has continued to convict me to pray for all those parents that don't have the resources to do something so simple to help their children. It must be awful to watch your child suffer. They must be exhausted. They probably wonder why babies like Reese get a chance, but their baby doesn't.

Please join me in praying for those 10,000 children that will die from dehydration by the end of today. Pray for their parents that have to helplessly watch them suffer. I can't imagine the pain.

I am blessed to hold my baby girl today.