Terry's OB soon referred us to a specialist that had more sophisticated ultrasound equipment. At week 18 they confirmed our baby had Polycystic Kidney Disease in both kidneys.
This is what our OB had suspected and the news was devastating. We were told the morbid statistics of 70% of these children dying at birth because of poor lung formation. We were told that those that survive the first 24 hours only 50% of live to age 1. This disease causes the kidneys to be covered in cysts and to grow incredibly large. In order for a child to have both kidneys diseased to the extent as our baby both parents would have be carriers of the disease and there is a chance that one out of every 4 their children can have the disease.
Both Terry and I had ultrasounds done and neither of us have the disease and there isn't any kidney disease in our family.
Once again this brought us to our knees in prayer. Once again we confided in a close group of friends and family to pray for us. We didnt tell everyone of the disease because we were led by the Lord to keep it to a small group.
What Terry and I soon realized was that the Lord was using this to do a work in us. I began praying for understanding and very soon thereafter the Lord revealed to me that he was trying to mature us as believers. This was confirmed several weeks later when we went up to the front of the church for prayer and a deacon said he had been praying for us and that the Lord told him “I am trying to grow them up fast”.
While Terry was praying she was told by the Lord to read the book of James. Yes the whole book!
Week after week we met with the specialist and week after week the kidneys grew larger and the amniotic fluid volume decreased. The fluid is essential for proper formation of the lungs and as the weeks passed the fluid levels dropped. The fluid is essentially the baby’s urine and used by the baby to form good strong lungs because they use it to practice breathing.
I began calling out to the Lord asking "Why Daddy, why would you give us this burden"? While praying a vision of an artichoke heart came to mind. Each of the outer layers of the heart were things I worried about like finances, health, job, etc. At the center of the heart was the life of my baby. What the Lord was trying to tell me was I want you to trust me with all your cares even with the very life of your baby.
I prayed and prayed and then one day while listening to a sermon of a visiting pastor I heard him say the words “Do you trust me” and they penetrated by heart. I realized the Lord was asking me to trust him.
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