The Miller Family’s Story
It might have been cold, wet and blustery outside that day, but inside it was warm, bright and cozy as we welcomed our perfect little bundle of sweetness into the world.
We’d prayed for her, and now that she was here in our arms, we prayed again, thanking God for a safe, and for the most part, smooth delivery.
After getting a clean bill of health from the doctor, we headed home to begin our new normal as a family of three instead of just two. She was a very content baby that almost never cried, not even for her sponge baths or during the night. Life seemed perfect!
Then we received a phone call that no one wants. We had to go in to re-draw blood for the blood spot testing because some things had been “flagged.” The nurse who helped us couldn’t have been nicer, and assured us that it was probably just because our baby had some yellow jaundice that the blood test had been flagged.
But I knew. As much as I wanted to believe her, and I tried as hard as I could, I knew deep in my new-Mama heart, that it was something more than that.
So a few days later when the results came back, we got the phone call that we’d been praying we wouldn’t get. Some more testing needed to be done, and they referred us to The Community Health Clinic. When we called the clinic to get an appointment, they said we could come right then, even though it was almost closing time when we got there.
All the staff were friendly and caring, even though they were working a while longer just for us, which we really appreciated!
So when all the tests were done (and came back), we found out our little Princess had Propionic Acidemia, something we didn’t even know existed until they told us she had it. As much as we didn’t want that to be written in our story, and as scary as it was, and still sometimes is, the only way forward is a page at a time while leaning on God.
As hard, scary, worrisome, exhausting and being misunderstood by others has been, the staff at the Community Health Clinic have helped us so much! I don’t even want to call them “just” staff, because to us, they’ve been so much more. They’ve become our friends and confidants by listening to our concerns, worries and questions without judgment. Encouraging us, being open with us about all options and treatments, giving us new recipes and meal ideas, welcoming us to each appointment with cheerful faces, and doing whatever they can to help our daughter (and us) be as comfortable as possible.
It also helps our peace of mind that there is someone on call 24/7. As much as we wish we didn’t need their services, we’ve often thanked God for the clinic, everyone who works there, and the people that make it possible for the clinic to keep on running. We couldn’t ask for a better place to take care of our little Princess’s P.A. needs.
She’s an active and smart girl that keeps us on our toes! She loves anything to do with water, being outside, reading books, painting and snuggles in the evening with her fuzzy blanket. Even though our daughter is a couple years old already, we’re still learning, but really, isn’t that what life is about? Learning and growing one “page” at a time, all with God’s help.
The Millers