Matthew is 10 – Happy Birthday

Today, 10 years ago, our first born Matthew was born! Even before he was born and before Sarah was even pregnant I had a dream. I dreamt of two little children, one boy and one girl. I couldn’t see faces, but I saw a girl in front with long brown hair. The boy had short brown hair and was standing to the side and behind the girl. But in my dream I knew that all though the girl was in front of the boy, she was younger. She was also taller and bigger muscled then the older but smaller boy was. And even though she was in front I knew she was in front as a protector. I knew that my first baby was going to be a boy, and my second would be a girl – long before Sarah was pregnant with our first.

When he was born, he had such long dark hair. It was around two inches and full and thicker then any guy could wish. He had fuzzy shoulders and arms with his baby hair, he was like a little monkey. He had a small little nose we call the “Barrand nose”, because the Barrand’s all have a small button nose. I counted all of his fingers and toes, rolled him around checking to make sure he was perfect. And he was. I was so proud of my wife and my son. I couldn’t leave them, so we made sure the nurses left Matthew in our room, instead of in the nursery. It was a joyful Sunday evening.

The next morning Matthew wasn’t doing that good. He was having a hard time breathing and the doctors were hoovering around him. We were later approached and told of his congenital heart defect. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Our world become an overwhelming sorrow. Our life had changed in an instant! Our local doctor, Dr Babbel, and our local cardiologist, Dr Walker, we credit saving his life. They told us we had three choices – let him die in our arms a peaceful death, move to a far away city and hope for a heart transplant, where he could die waiting for another child’s miss fortune or to fly away to a far away city to under go a series of surgeries to redirect the blood flow in his little heart. Poor Sarah was so overwhelmed, just giving birth, trying to heal, and now her handsome little boy was near death. I knew I could not look back at that day and wonder what else I could of done. I could not sit there and not try to help him. I choose the latter option and with in hours Matthew and I were on a plane flying to Seattle Childrens hospital with out Sarah. She had to stay due to a traumatic birth. In Seattle, two other hero’s, Dr Lupinetti his surgeon, and Dr Greg Rosenthal a cardiologist, was there waiting for us.

I am so happy we decide to do something and that we have been blessed by our Heavenly Father with a son that has brought so much joy into our life. Matthew has taught us so much about happiness and the blessing of life. And today his younger sister Mckeely is his best friend, and his protector. She is taller then he is (she is 6 he is 10) she is much stronger then he is. I know as they get older that his athletic sister will continue to protect him.

We love you so much Matthew, and Thank You to my lovely wife for bringing my children into this world

Happy Birthday Matthew! 10 years old today!