Cyndy's health as a preemie, when she was born was no longer an significant issue after her first month of life until she was close to six months old when she started fighting for her life. There were no other clues that Cyndy health was changing rapidly until she begun to have life threaten seizures with in a week of her turning six months old. In the next few chapters, you will see how the Lord generously helped us through one emergency crisis after another, leading us as a family to grow closer to the Lord in each one of these emergency crises. Our relationship with the Lord had a lot to do with us being able to deal with each of the urgent crises that hurt us the most through Cyndy's numerous of narrow escapes in the years leading to when she went on to be with the Lord.
My mothers' instinct was to fall to pieces when I realized that Cyndy was going to require more nurturing than a normal baby would require, speaking of medically, yet I was not sure if we could give her, the special care that she required. I had been trained to do some nursing skills—CPR, plus added EMT training —but I never thought I would need to use it on a family member, especially on my own child. I kept questioning myself repeatedly in my mind if I remain calm when an emergency would come about would I be able to do what is medically necessary for my very own daughter when she is in a crisis. All of these “what if” questions were answered when it came time to give Cyndy, the emergency medical care needed, I did what I had to do for her, even though I would lose my wits about me after the fact. At times Cyndy's medical problems were too extensive for us to deal with on our own that we constantly had to rely on the tremendous support of the Lord to deal with each emergency as they happen. Numerous of times we found ourselves praying and pleading to the Lord constantly, for the much-needed wisdom and strength to take care of Cyndy with each new day.
In early the dawn hours of one morning in May of 1986, Cyndy had just turned six months old, when we were woken by her blood-curding scream at the top of her lungs. Mark and I assumed at first, she was hungry, yet when we tried to pacify her with a bottle, for a moment she stopped crying before her screaming persisted and her screams had become worst. Cyndy's eyes showed pure terror in them with a blank stare, then without any warning, she started gasping for air. Cyndy's face without more ado got a bluish tinge with the color instantly deepening to a purplish bluish tint abruptly she went limp as if she was a rag doll. Immediately, Cyndy's small body had begun violently convulsing with no end in sight.

When the paramedics had arrived, as they sized up Cyndy's apparent medical condition, they made it unmistakably clear that Cyndy's condition was very gravely. The paramedics in a respectful very direct way explained that Cyndy might not live through the rest of the night with her appearance. Can you imagine hearing someone tell you those very words about your own precious baby no matter what has happen to him or her? Hearing the paramedics telling us frankly that Cyndy might not make it to the hospital, I cried out, “LORD, PLEASE SAVE MY BABY, PLEASE DON'T LET HER DIE”!
In my agony, I cried out to the great Physician, the God over every cell in Cyndy's body, the Lord who preserves our souls from danger. I called out to the only One who could help, realizing it requires a dire circumstance to remind us that we are not in control and that only God is sufficient to meet our most heartfelt needs. What a humbling experience, to watch the almighty hand of God work in a serious situation is so sobering and reassuring. When Cyndy's condition worsened, we were forced to make a choice of stopping at Chesapeake General Hospital to stabilize Cyndy before we could continue on to Norfolk General Hospital.
Looking back at that nerve-wracking morning was one of those significant moments that we knew without a doubt that God was truly with us in our darkest hour. My desperate prayer was on the verge of being answered as the ambulance turned into the hospital's emergency department entrance; I felt an enormous calmness sweep over me giving me a peaceful assurance that Cyndy was going to be ok. This sensation was exactly like someone putting His arms around me while holding me tightly while giving me the perfect encouragement that Cyndy was not going to die she would be fine. No one was actually touching me yet, my Lord was holding me while encouraging me that He was in control along with, He will take absolute care of my daughter. God was calling me to trust Him and surrender to Him, His love completely enveloped me amid of my fear where I knew there was nothing to fear anymore. I knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me while all a long He was holding me when I felt like I was being held to give me that absolute peace of mind in the eye of the storm.
When we are going through trials in our lives that are devastating the Lord wants us as in Psalm 119:145, (KJV) where the psalmist says, “I cry out with my whole heart. Hear me, O Lord.” Our loving Father always hears our prayers and answers them according to His perfect plan. In John 14:13-14, ( ESV) Jesus says, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” Of course, a selfish understanding of these verses would lead us to believe that God does what we tell Him to do. Because of His perfect goodness and mercy, God’s plan is always right, even if it does not match our own wishes. His desires and thoughts are higher than ours are, and we will only know true joy if we surrender to Him.  

                                      
I can see the picture in my mind of that small little precious baby, our daughter Cyndy, in the emergency room after they had placed her on the ventilator to help her breathe the pain that went through me as I watch in horror. The emergency room doctor had worked diligently trying to give her the urgent care that she needed to help stop the life threatening seizures. A peace beyond understanding came over me while the doctors worked meticulously to stabilize her before transferring her to Norfolk General Hospital.
While at Norfolk General Hospital, my heart was breaking seeing her tiny figure laying on the gurney, also while being on the ventilator trying to cry out for help, yet there was no sound coming from her. To see her breathing easier, even though the machine was doing it for her, helped me to breathe easier myself now that the storm was over. Literary I am speaking of both types of storms, while in the mist of this storm we were having a severe electrical storm. Even though it was nighttime in my mind, I could see the refection of a bright rainbow over the horizon figuratively speaking, I knew that everything was going to be all right.
With in a few short hours of Cyndy being sent to ICU on the ventilator, she managed to come off the respirator, where she was breathing on her own and had been moved to the Progressive Care Unit. The Lord had shown me that He had heard my prayers that Cyndy was going to be all right, which was a huge relief, and my heart was finally able to calm down a little! To feel the arms of God in our darkest hours is the most comfortable feeling that could happen to us when we are in the valley of the shadow of death. Looking back on that scary night, I can say that I would not have wanted it to be any other way than in the arms of God during my darkest hours.
We have prayed many times for Cyndy to be healed completely in this particular situation, we discovered that Cyndy had a high fever and an ear infection that had caused her to seizure. The doctors assumed her being sick with a high temperature caused the seizures, even though there were other underlying issues that were causing them, they didn't see the underlying condition until a few months later. None of us knew that this was just the beginning of Cyndy's declining physical state of health, and that the near future held much uncertainty and more health problems that would continue to plague Cyndy during her short life.

This picture was taken in Jan.1987, when Calvary Presbyterian Church, in Norfolk, Virginia had sent Mark and I up to PA. to have Cyndy and Mark Jr. test. Neither of the kids had seen snow as deep as it was up there.

Mark and I owe a big thank you to our Church family who paid for the medical studies done on Cyndy and Mark Jr.  We also owe a BIG THANK YOU to DRS. Jay and Kim Piland who were among our church family that are Emergency Room Doctors.  Many of times when Cyndy would seizure Kim and Jay or one or the other when they knew there was issues with Cyndy were there at our sides to help Cyndy through the seizure and when it came time that they needed medical equipment that they have scooped Cyndy up and went to Leigh Memorial Hospital with her. 

We thank Jay for saving her life the Thanksgiving before this trip when we rushed her there for medical help when we brought her in on the verge of coding.  These two doctors were Cyndy's gardian angels in her toddler years.

Little Mark and Cyndy every night that whole week was tired and ready to go to bed by 7:30 p.m. The looks on the children's face when they were put in the snow was what's this we dont have this back in Chesapeake, VA. The snow by the time it stop snowing was 18 inches and with some snow drifs over three feet.

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