"The Miracle of a Brother's Song"
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that
another baby was on the way, she did
what she could to help her 3-year-old son,
Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They
found out that the new baby was going to be a
girl, and day after day, night after night,
Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He
was building a bond of love with
his little sister before he even met her.
The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an
active member of the Panther Creek
United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee.
In time, the labor pains came.
Soon it was every five minutes ...every three....
every minute. But serious complications
arose during delivery and Karen found herself in
hours of labor. Would a C-section be required?
Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little
sister was born. But she was
in very serious condition. With a siren howling in
the night, the ambulance rushed the
infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St.
Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The
pediatric specialist regretfully had to
tell the parents, "There is very little hope. Be
prepared for the worst." Karen and her
husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial
plot. They had fixed up a special room
in their home for the new baby - but now they
found themselves having to plan for a funeral.
Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let
him see his sister. "I want to sing to her,"
he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked
as if a funeral would come before the
week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing
to his sister, but kids are never
allowed in Intensive Care. Karen made up her
mind, though. She would take Michael
whether they liked it or not! If he didn't see his
sister right then, he may never see her alive.
She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and
marched him into ICU. He looked like a
walking laundry basket. But the head nurse
recognized him as a child and bellowed,
"Get that kid out of here now! No children are
allowed. The mother rose up strong in
Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared
steel-eyed right into the head nurse's
face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving
until he sings to his sister!" Karen towed
Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the
tiny infant losing the battle to live.
After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-
hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You
are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me
happy when skies are grey---"
Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The
pulse rate began to calm down and become steady.
"Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with
tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how
much I love you, please don't take my sunshine
away." As Michael sang
to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained
breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr.
"Keep on singing, sweetheart!!!" "The other
night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I
held you in my arms..." Michael's little sister
began to relax as rest, healing rest,
seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on singing,
Michael." Tears had now conquered the
face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You
are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Please don't, take my sunshine away..."
The next day...the very next day...the little girl
was well enough to go home!
Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a
Brother's Song." The medical staff
just called it a miracle. Karen called it a
miracle of God's love! NEVER GIVE UP ON
THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY
POWERFUL. |
