“You got your miracle.” Those words still echo in my mind as though I heard them just moments ago. You see, my 19-month-old son, Alaster, has DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS)—a chromosome deletion. Because of this, he has experienced numerous physical challenges.
Alaster was scheduled for surgery for an infected, clogged tear duct. The issue, while common in newborns, was a special concern in his case due to the shape of his head and the position of his tear duct. It was determined that surgery was needed to correct it. We went as far as checking him in to the outpatient surgery center at UCLA before his surgery was postponed due to a conflict with another medical issue.
Because Alaster has a condition that puts him at risk when he is administered general anesthesia, he can’t use outpatient facilities; he has to be at a hospital that is equipped with an intensive care unit in case of any complications.
We left the outpatient center a little disappointed, as Alaster had been dealing with the tear duct issue since birth. But as my husband and I began to talk, we realized that Alaster hadn’t had his necessary eye drops in three days. We took a moment to connect with the doctor to let him know that Alaster’s eye actually looked good that day in light of our recent discovery—it wasn’t red or swollen, and it wasn’t weeping.
The doctor told us: “I’m not beyond a miracle! There is a reason for the delay—so let’s give it a week, and we will either meet again at the hospital for surgery or at my office to rule out surgery.”
In John 5, we read about the lame man that was healed at the Pool of Bethesda. What stands out is that Jesus healed him. What lies beneath that miracle is that the man waited 38 years, watching person after person get in the water before him and receive healing—but he experienced healing without getting in the water! He didn’t know, until it was revealed to him later, that it was Jesus who had healed him.
For one week we watched and waited, trusting that God was at work and contending for the miraculous in our little boy’s life. We knew all of the statistics, and everything pointed to surgery as the solution. Even more, we knew that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that He is our Healer—Alaster’s Healer.
We returned to the doctor’s office to hear those four precious words, “You got your miracle.” Jesus didn’t use “the pool,” the obvious way of surgery, to heal Alaster; Jesus had Alaster “get up and walk.” Jesus did it His way and in His time.
We learned that Alaster has DiGeorge 14 months ago. In that time, he has had three medically documented healings. Some doctors can’t explain it, while others declare it from the rooftops with us. We know that Jesus is at work in Alaster’s life, and that He is the one that is telling him to “get up and walk.”
By: Lisa Penberthy, operations director for the Foursquare National Church Office
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