OUR STORY, PART II

"...our obstetrician explained the test results showing Trisomy 18 - a genetic disorder that usually results in infant mortality within hours to one month after birth."

Abortion was not a consideration for us, so the next three months were filled with prayers, hope, tears, anger and guilt. Under the circumstances, we could not escape the feeling that we were being punished. Our son was born on July 17th and was immediately placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). He looked normal, but had multiple serious medical issues. We named him Daniel, which means "God is my judge."

That night we sat in the NICU, Molly holding Daniel gently, careful not to dislodge his breathing tube or the attached sensors. There were more prayers and tears, with Desmond trying to call on his training in grief counseling to no avail. "Why us?" Molly sobbed. Surprisingly, a voice behind us responded, "Why not you?" We looked and saw a nurse wearing scrubs, about 5'4", short auburn hair with a hint of gray, indeterminate age and unremarkable features, except for her kind eyes. Her name tag read Donna.

"Pardon?" said Desmond, somewhat annoyed at being disturbed. Donna replied, "I asked 'why not you?' Parents have dealing with the deaths of their children for as long as there have been parents and children. Is there something special about you that should make you immune from that experience?"

"That's hardly appropriate ..." Desmond started, but Donna interrupted him: "Listen to me. This child will die soon, and I understand your grief. But your next child will be perfectly healthy."

"How can you know that?" asked Molly. "I know a great deal about you," Donna answered. "For instance, I know that you have been worrying that this child is some form of punishment for your carnal sin of fornication outside of wedlock. And that's nonsense! First, it was not a sin, and more importantly, God does not work that way."

"What do you know of God?" Desmond asked her. "Oh, you could say that I'm a bit of an expert on that subject. I'll be glad to discuss it with you, and tell you the Truth, if you'll permit me to sit vigil with you. All I ask is that you share what I tell you with others." And so, for the rest of that night and the eight that followed, Donna sat with us and spoke of many things - some that were hard to believe at first and others hard to accept." She would appear shortly after the P-shift started at 7:00 p.m., pull the privacy curtain around our small area near Daniel's crib, sit in a worn plastic chair and stay with us until we fell asleep.

On the ninth night Donna told us, "It's time to let him go. The doctors have done all they can for him, and you don't want for them to just keep doing things to him." The next morning, Daniel's breathing tube was removed and he died in our arms. He was buried on a sunny afternoon in late July. We saw Donna standing at the back of the crowd of mourners, but could not find her after the burial. That evening, we called the NICU to thank her, but were told that no one named Donna or fitting her description worked there, or had worked there for years.

We made love for the first time in months that night. It didn't happen immediately, but Molly was soon pregnant again. As promised, our little girl is healthy and we feel blessed. Of course, we named her Donna. We don't know whether it was God who appeared to us in the NICU, or an angel sent to comfort us and deliver God's message. She did not say and we were afraid to ask. However, we do know that it is our responsibility to share the Truth will all who seek it.

Next: The Truth About God