July 28 ~ Please forgive me for taking so long in updating pictures. As you can imagine, it's hard going through them. But, I wanted you all to get to see what a beautiful boy Judah was . . . and especially to see the pictures of his sweet face, without all the tubes.
July 17 ~ Thank you, everyone, for all the love, support & prayers. Nothing really takes the pain away, but having the incredible support shown here has been such a comfort.
The services were beautiful. Rachel requested we do a slideshow to a song that's been special to here throught everything, and I thought I'd post the words here, since it was so fitting for Judah's life.
I was sure by now, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again I say "amen"
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you".
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives, and takes away.
CHORUS:
And I'll praise You in this storm,
and I will lift my hands
that You are who You are
no matter where I am.
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand,
You never left my side.
And though my heart is torn,
I'll praise You in this storm.
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raise me up again
my strength is almost gone, how can I carry on
if I can't find You?
And as the thunder rolls,
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you".
And as Your mercy falls,
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives, and takes away.
CHORUS
I lift my eyes unto the hills,
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.
I lift my eyes unto the hills,
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.
CHORUS
I don't know how she did it, the Lord must have given her special strength, but Rachel also got up and shared with everyone something on her heart. I can't say it like she did, but she wanted everyone to know to not be angry with God . . . that it might seem like Judah's life & death was senseless; why would God create something, only to take it away so soon? But she said, "God created Judah for eternity". It's not just our life here on Earth that matters, but Judah is with God forever. And yes, it hurts those of us left here unimaginably. But like the song says, we praise God anyway.
Judah's name means "praise". God was very clear while Rachel was still pregnant that that was to be his name. At first I thought, it would be praise for a miracle that He would do, and heal his little body. I see now that we praise God not because of what He does, but because of who He is. What an impact this little life has had! I think about the nurses who were there at the hospital when Judah died . . . did they know where the strength came from to sing songs of praise as he drew his last breath? God was seen through Judah.
Services for Judah will be held Sunday, July 16th at Community Bible Church in Central Point at 3:00 pm.
July 14 ~ Just to add a little to what Rachel wrote . . .
Judah's passing was very peaceful and beautiful. It seems strange to say it was beautiful, but it was. Rachel & Matt were able to rock him in their arms, so Judah was able to just go straight from one pair of loving arms to Another. He was surrounded by those that loved him so much. We sang a few songs, and his Aunt Ashleigh wrote a beautiful song for him that she sang, too. Several people there were given pictures of either God singing over Judah, or angels surrounding him, or him being caught up in the arms of Jesus and waving to us. It is so hard to be here without him, but we know the peace that he has now is beyond what we can imagine. What a testiment his life was to the love & peace that only God can give. Rachel had a little verse over his bed, and at the bottom it said, "God is well known by Judah." I think that says everything . . . nobody who knew him or Rachel & Matt could have any doubt of that.
We will post later, for anyone who is interested, details of services to be held.
July 12 ~ Hello again everyone. I was brought to tears today to get on this web page and realize how many people are holding Matthew and I up in prayer. Thank you! Judah went to be with Jesus today. He is there right now praising our Father and resting in his arms. Thank you for your prayer and I know you will continue to be praying. We will need it! God is right here with us and giving us the strength to get through this. Judah was so beautiful and I know he touched many lives and I praise the Lord for that. We love all of you and will be home soon.
Love, Rachel
July 10 ~ Hello everyone (this is Rachel)
First off I want to say thank you to everyone praying for us...we appreciate all the prayer we can get. We definitely need it...there is no way Matthew and I could get through this and keep our sanity without God's grace and peace. Today Judah's Dr. came and talked with me about where things were at. She was very gracious and informative but she finally at the end told me straight what she thought, and that was, in her opinion...she doesn't expect Judah to make it. I stood there and heard every word she said...and it was hard. God held me in that moment though and reasured me that if Judah lives....it will be a miracle and that is exactly what we all have been praying for. I felt in order for that to happen at some point the Dr.'s were going to realize that they can do nothing more for Judah. God will be the only explanation of Judah's recovery...and He will recieve ALL the glory. Matthew and I don't know God's plans...but we are trusting them and continually asking for His peace that passes all understanding. Please keep those prayers going for little Judah and for our family...we will get through this!! God is gracious and He is our strength. We love all of you.
Matt, Rachel, Asher and Judah
July 10 ~ The eco for Judah's heart has been postponed, once again. They say it should be done tomorrow. It had something to do with his lungs not being open enough. He is doing a little better today, though. He seems to have good days, then bad, then good. Like being on a yo-yo. But, like Rachel said, "It's good to have the good days."
Matt seems to be coming down with something, so he isn't able to see Judah right now. We're praying he gets better soon & the rest of the family doesn't get the bug.
July 9 ~ Judah was doing a little worse today. He is on medication to increase his blood pressure, another medication to make his heartbeat stronger & another medication to increase his urine output. They said there are different levels of care babies can recieve on ECMO, and Judah is on the highest right now. Tomorrow is supposed to be the day they do the ecocardiogram & check his pulmonary pressure again. Keep praying!!!
July 7 ~ The nurses said Judah had a good night last night, which was encouraging. Also, his body blood pressure looked better today & they were talking about lessening his dose of the Dopamine. They said they could see more of his lungs, too . . . I'm not sure of the details on what this exactly means. I'll look into it to explain it better tomorrow. Tonight when Karen talked to the nurses, they said he was awake enough to open his eyes!
July 6 ~ They switched Judah to a new ECMO machine this morning. There's a risk of clotting to stay on the same one too long, so they put him on a new one as a preventative measure. The doctors warned that it can be very traumatic to the baby, but when Rachel called to see how it went they said it went great & he tolerated it well. Way to go, little man!!
Also, looks like Rachel may just have allergies, so she's getting to see him today!
July 5 ~ Well, they said Judah's heart is sounding better. However, there is still a lot of extra air in his lungs & his pulmonary blood pressure (blood pressure in his lungs) is too high. This was the reason he was put on the ECMO machine in the 1st place, so we're really praying it will go down. They'll check it again on Friday. Friday also marks the day he's been on ECMO for 1 week, and the nurses & doctors say they don't usually keep babies on this machine for more than 2 weeks.
Also be praying for Rachel; she's been feeling like she's coming down with a sore throat so she hasn't been able to visit with Judah as much as she'd like. It just isn't worth the risk of getting him sick.
July 3 ~ Still no word from the cardiologist. They've decided to postpone doing the ultrasound of the heart for a few days, since it wouldn't change his treatment right now. I think the less they bother him right now, the better.
July 1 ~ When Naomi, Anna, Miriam & Bekah heard Judah was being put on ECMO, they made plans to visit ASAP. They spent Saturday & part of Sunday morning with Rachel, Matt & the 2 boys. The procedure to put Judah on the ECMO machine went smoothly. It's a huge machine, almost takes up the whole room. We have to be very careful visiting him, not to bump anything. They also have to keep as much light from his eyes as they can, so Rachel handmade a beautiful little chamis with his name embroidered on it, to cover his eyes.
The cardiologist did a ultrasound of his heart, and said that instead of beating like it should, it was just quivering. If I understood right, this can be a result of being on the machine . . . he said he expected it to take care of itself within 48 hours. Also, they were concerned about not having any urine output on his catheter (could indicate the kidneys were shutting down), but as it turned out there was a clog in the catheter. What a relief!! The doctor said it's a "wait & see" thing, as Judah is in the fight for his life. What a
brave little boy! We're all praying VERY hard for this "little lion".
June 30 ~ Judah had been doing ok enough for the doctors to think of weaning him to a lower-grade ventilator, but he crashed today. Doctors are now getting him ready for the ECMO machine. (For more info on the ECMO machine, go to this website:
http://www.sph.unc.edu/oce/phnceac/babyguide/ecmo.pdf )
June 27 ~ Judah arrived around 8:30 am, via C-section and weighing 5 lb, 15 oz. The delivery went well & Rachel is recovering amazingly fast (wanted to walk that evening). Judah has a condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) - pretty much, a hole in his hernia allowing organs that should be below to squeeze up & not allow his lungs to develop like they should have. For more info, go to
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/info/chest/diagnose/diaphragmatic-hernias.htm
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