Today’s blog has been heavy on my mind. Last week was personally and professional pretty tough. I can’t help but share and I am hoping it helps keep you pushing forward especially when you feel like you can’t.
Tuesday morning I woke up to an exciting email that my niece was going to be making her debut into this world that day! I was so excited my brother and sister in law were expecting their second daughter and in a few more months we will welcome our baby boy. It has been so fun to see my brother as a dad and to see him in this stage of life and to have our kids around the same age.
I waited all day to get the news that she was born and sure enough at 12:11pm Natalie Kay was born!
Then everything shifted.
We quickly learned that everything was not ok and she was not breathing.
We had not learned this yet but in the course of that day/night Natalie was sent to St. Vincent Women’s, then off to Peyton Manning’s Hospital NICU in a matter of hours.
Wednesday morning we went into the gym for our normal workouts and as soon as I was finishing, I got a call from my brother with news of she is not ok and we are not sure if she will be ok.
Devastated, concerned, and scared were all the emotions running through me and my family.
Amber is not yet released from postpartum and now separated from her baby. She never got to hold her and is stuck in the hospital around other moms and their new born babies.
I kept calling my brother every other hour hoping this all was just a nightmare or mistake. All while still at work and heading off to service one of our Corporate Client’s.
Text messages were flying back and forth all day, phone calls between client meetings and we still have no idea what was happening with Natalie.
After leaving our Corporate Client’s boot camp, I race to Peyton Manning’s Hospital and I just needed to hug my brother and sister in law. I met them in the waiting room and just squeezed them hard. I asked Amber are you even supposed to be vertical right now.
No.
She show’s me a picture of this lifeless baby girl hooked up to every single machine possible. Natalie was medically paralyzed and the doctors were doing their best guesses to help her live.
Thursday comes and we learn that her left ventricle is not working and the procedure they are doing is to bypass her heart and lungs so they can heal then slowly try to see if she will function on her own.
Waiting…trying to keep focused at work and on our clients, not knowing if this baby girl is going to make it.
Friday we are in the same boat and seeing small glimmers of hope but nothing conclusive.
We get up, get a workout in and I just can’t keep focused. I can’t imagine what my brother and sister in law are facing.
They bring Lindsay back home and explain the best they can to a 4 year old that her sister was born but is very sick. Thankfully the hospital has people who can help navigate these conversations and help give you some guidance.
Saturday we are mentally exhausted as a family, still unsure of our little girl’s progress. More phone calls with about as much info as we had the day before.
Waiting…
We went to church Saturday night for Easter and the service was about Hope. It was not your normal He has risen, He has risen indeed service that I remember as a kid.
The minister had a way of helping you understand how we have so much uncertainty in our life and sometimes all you have is hope.
Man this was hitting home.
We have all had days where we did not think it could get any worse, and then it does.
The whole time I am watching my brother and sister in law experience this and I am currently 6 months pregnant, holding this little guy still in the womb tight. I don’t even know him yet, but I can’t imagine not holding him the second he came out and then the uncertainty of if he will live.
I know this is a lot but I have to keep going back to the message of hope.
When life is handing it to us what makes us push forward?
We set goals in life:
Health
Fitness
Career
Financial
Relationship
The path to achieving these goals is always anything but straight. Have you ever tried to achieve something and you just can’t seem to get there. You may get knocked down a few times.
But…you get back up, because you have HOPE.
Saturday night our hope came in.
I got a video text with Natalie’s eyes opening and closing to the sound of her mother’s voice, then squeezing her father’s finger.
With bypassing her heart and lungs the left ventricle was able to begin to work and function on its own. Slowly they lowered the machine’s setting down allowing her tiny 5lb body to do the work on its own.
By Sunday it was truly a miracle and Natalie was getting some great progress reports.
Tuesday she was getting the best news to be moved to a less intensive unit and back to St. Vincent Women’s hospital where she needs to work on her nutrition, respiration, etc. and get back to being a new born baby.
Hope.
By definition: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
What are you hoping for?
If you are getting kicked around by life and you can’t seem to find the right solutions, especially when it comes to your health and wellness we can help.
We help people find Hope.
You don’t have to go through life alone in your journey. No matter what you need, find the right people and surround yourself around them. See what they do, how they act, sacrifices they make.
Life is anything but easy but you have Hope in your journey.
Each day you have to get up, dust yourself off and have hope.
Reach out if you need more help, we are here for you, Request a Free Consultation Today!
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