Today is the special day where we celebrate the birth of our 4th son, and remember in great gratitude the many blessings he brings to us each and every day! He is sixteen years old today, and unlike the popular notion of “sweet 16 and never been kissed,” Daniel has always been kissed… and blessed from the heavens above.
Daniel continues to bring many blessings to our family and to everyone who has met him… knows he truly is a miracle. The following is an excerpt that will be featured in the upcoming book, called “Unwavering Strength,” which will be released this September.
Since today is his “birth” day… I would like to share his story now…
Daniel – A True Life Miracle
“Love your children fully, as they are seeds to transforming the world they will need every bit of their strength and leadership ability to right “the damage” that has been done, it is not accurate to say “the wrong” because God created it all, so that all can be experienced. However, people need to become more aware of “the damage” they have done from their own darkness or lack of knowledge. The consequences of this are that some of the wonderful creations of God can be destroyed, and it will take these seeds that he has planted and entrusted to you to help create healing in the world.”
It was 12:10pm in Omaha, Nebraska, and my husband had just ordered lunch with business associates when his pager went off. His first thought was, oh no, what now? He hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before; due to the stress he was experiencing with a major business deal he’d been working on for the past eight months. And after just having moved our family into a new home, one with plenty of room for number four in a long line of brothers expected in mid-July, everything seemed to be riding on the success of this project.
When Dave retrieved his page, he was fully expecting it to be business related. Instead, it was a message I had left him earlier in the day, telling him that our doctor wanted me to go over to the hospital that morning for additional tests on the baby, since my regular appointment earlier that morning had shown some concerns. In that message I asked him to arrange to have our eight-year-old son picked up from school, taken to our house to get his baseball gear, and then brought to his championship playoff game that afternoon. I also asked him to make arrangements for our two-year-old son to be picked up from daycare at 6pm. I had tried to reach our oldest son, who still lived at home with us, to have him help out, but hadn’t been able to locate him so far.
Expect the Unexpected
Dave was in a state of shock. It was tough enough dealing with the business problems he faced, but there was no comparison to the kind of stress that was beginning to take control of his body in that moment. He immediately called our doctor’s office, but found I had already gone over to the hospital (remember even though this was not that long ago, we didn’t have any cell phones or the immediate access as we do today). He then asked to talk to Maynard, who was our doctor and close friend, since he always had a reassuring way of addressing our concerns. When Maynard came on the line he said, “David, I’m sorry…but this is very serious,” and for the second time that day he immediately felt the color drain rapidly from his face. Our doctor then proceeded to tell my husband that he was concerned for both baby and mother. What? Dave wondered, could he be losing both his wife and son? Daniel had a heartbeat, but that was about all. He was totally lifeless and wouldn’t respond to probing or anything else they had tried. Maynard went on to say that for my safety, this baby would have to be taken out within the next three or four days. He went on to say that Daniel didn’t have much of a chance to live, and if he did, he would most likely be severely handicapped.
This was not the sort of reassurance that Dave was accustomed to. After hanging up the phone, he thought about how blessed he’d been to have three healthy boys, born with relatively normal births. The news he had just received was overwhelming. His business associate came over to tell him that his lunch had arrived and that it was getting cold, but he took one look at Dave and knew that he was struggling. My husband assured him that it was not business-related, and he then asked if the baby and I were all right. Dave could hardly breathe, much less speak, but went on to tell him of their situation. Then he felt the immediate need to walk outside for a moment to connect with nature. He walked beyond the parking lot and found some trees to stand under, then completely broke down in tears. It was hard to recall the last time he had cried so passionately. He began praying for strength, and asked for protection to surround both Daniel and I, and sent as much healing love as he possibly could to us both.
Testing our Beliefs to the Core
My husband and I have a strong belief that God gives each of us the power to heal. Some may find it hard to believe in this power, and most live unaware of this possibility, but I have found that we receive energy from the trees and natural surroundings, and in turn are able to use this energy to heal. It is a complete giving and taking experience. I have also noticed that the beauty of our natural surroundings grows stronger and intensifies with the more energy you give and receive. It is a positive energy force flowing in a living, healing way, as nature reaches out and supplies us with God-given energy; an energy that is stronger and more powerful than any known drug or man-made substance. I am so thankful that we were aware of this healing power, as our experience with Daniel put our beliefs in healing energies to the highest imaginable test.
As the day progressed, it was decided I would be taken by ambulance, from our local hospital to St. John’s Medical Center, since they had more advanced neonatal equipment and the specialists required. Our doctor thought it would be best to have an emergency C-section to get Daniel out right away. The outlook was not good and they had little hope of Daniel making it at all; and as he told Dave earlier, if he did make it he would most likely be severely handicapped.
In the meantime, Dave had taken the first flight home from Omaha and arrived at the Los Angeles airport at 5:30pm, right in the heart of rush-hour traffic. During the flight he had received the following inspired message:
“Daniel will be born tonight and will amaze everyone. He will grow strong and wise. Cathy will come through this just fine. Keep sending healing and love. Love your wife with all you heart. She is fine and your baby will make it. Keep the faith. He will bring great joy. See the strength in him, as he miraculously grows strong and wise.“
Not knowing how to proceed, he wrestled with the idea of telling the doctors that Daniel could not wait three or four days. He needed to be born tonight. Upon arriving in LA his pager again went off and he retrieved the message that told him that in fact the emergency surgery would take place that evening. Thankfully that was no longer a hurdle. Dave took the coast route and made it to the hospital at 7:20pm, just as I was being rolled into the operating room. After having a few moments to speak with me, the doctors pulled him aside to have a word. The doctors told him that I was just not accepting the severity of the situation; that I just didn’t understand. But in those short moments we had together, Dave could feel my strength and heard my words that everything would be fine. And what Dave said in response to the doctors was, “No, you don’t understand. Everything is going to be fine.” He had grabbed onto my strength and believed in it. Neither of us knew what the future would hold, but Daniel was about to be born and we would have the strength to handle whatever lay ahead for our family.
What the doctors did not know was in recent months I’d just read an autobiography by Della Reese. She is the gal who starred in the “Touched By An Angel” television series. All throughout her life, whenever she had faced what looked like an insurmountable situation, she would pause and ask God to take over and to take care of it for her. An act of surrender. This was somewhat of a foreign concept for me, as all of my life I had achieved pretty much whatever I had put my mind to. I had not felt the need to turn anything over for assistance, and been very much self-reliant and capable. But this was bigger than I; this was life or death as the case might be. This was one of the many gifts that my son Daniel had come to deliver. This was an opportunity for me to discover and experience a deep surrender; a surrender into love.
The Power of Love and Healing Grace
When they took Daniel out, he was deep purple and lifeless. As five specialist doctors and four nurses struggled for several minutes to bring life into Daniel, I told David to go over and help our little Daniel. He asked the doctors if he could touch him, then reached his hand in and placed it on his tiny leg. He told Daniel to “feel the power of his love, and to feel the power of God’s healing grace” come through his body. At that precise moment, Daniel opened his eyes for the first time, and looked directly into David’s eyes, if only for a moment. He then began to breath and started his life in this world.
We know that Daniel couldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for the great work of the highly trained professionals who worked on him. But we also know that the power of God’s healing love, which passed through my husband and into Daniel at that moment, also saved his life. The doctors didn’t give Daniel much of a chance of making it through the night, and if he did there were many possible complications. Our older son, who was in third grade at the time, asked the next day for his class to pray for Daniel. They started that day and prayed for him many times over the course of the next days and weeks. As little Daniel kept defeating the odds that were against him, prayer groups all over the country were praying for him, while the doctors couldn’t explain his miraculous recovery. Day after day there were hurdles to overcome, and day after day we experienced the miracles of Daniel’s birth.
One of the nurses who cared for Daniel in the intensive care unit said that in her 27 years in intensive care, she had never seen a baby recover like this. Daniel not only lived, but all body functions began to work normally, one by one. As Daniel was taken off the various life-support systems, he began eating on his own, which the doctors didn’t feel he would ever be able to do. He only got stronger and stronger with each new prayer and each new day.
After just two weeks, Daniel was allowed to come home from the hospital, even though they originally thought he would need to be there for at least three months. Daniel defied all odds. He represented what a true “champion” was. He reminds us each and every day what life is truly worth living for. He reminds us of how to be happy.
I know, deep down in my heart, that the power of prayer and love that poured out for Daniel literally saved his life. To all those who showed concern and prayed for Daniel, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Having prayer, a part of each and every day of your life truly can, and does, make a difference. Expect miracles and be amazed when they occur. And always remember to surrender into love, as my sweet little Daniel taught me how to do.
This is a story of what a true life miracle looks like, and how the power of faith, trust, and surrender can show up in our lives. Daniel Austin came into this world with a bang, and continues to remind us of what is really, and truly important. And that is to… create love, be love, and to share love.
xxoo
Release Date: September 30, 2014 – Judy O’Beirn and friends – Unwavering Strength: a compilation of stories to inspire others to find strength and comfort in the journey’s others have taken through experiences of grief, loss, trauma and heartache.
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