Background - Lightning Strikes Twice

Emma was born in 2005 and incurred brain damage during birth due to lack of oxygen after her mother's uterus ruptured and there were delays getting medical attention. She has severe cerebral palsy and is legally blind, quadriplegic, unable to speak, unable to sit, crawl, or even suck her own thumb, is dependent on a feeding tube and has severe cognitive impairments. One nurse told me, in 30 years of working with special needs children, she'd never seen anyone survive a brain injury as bad as Emma's.


We were warned never to have children again or it would happen again and mother and child would likely die. After a blunder by a doctor who prescribed the wrong birth control medicine we found ourselves in exactly that situation. All the experts insisted we abort the baby but Laura risked her life and carried through with the pregnancy.

11 months after Emma was born the doctors' predictions came  true and Laura's uterus ruptured again. It was just like Emma's birth except Hope was also significantly preterm and, a week later, hemorrhaged on both sides of her brain. The doctor hung his head and told me Hope would turn out just like Emma.


It was so bad they convened a big meeting with hospital staff and representatives from state and county agencies and told us we wouldn't be able to care for two of these children with severe brain injuries and offered to put one of them in a foster home.


Fortunately, the doctors weren't right about everything. Hope has beaten the odds and overcome most of her brain injury and Emma is happy in spite of her disabilities. Some say Emma and Hope are miracles. The real miracle, however, is how such a tragedy could bring so much blessing and joy to our lives.

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