The Lord brought April's mom, Linda, into my life at a time when he knew both of us were going to need a friend. Linda had never been able to conceive a child and was told by doctors she would not have children so we were all very shocked when she found out she was going to have a baby. My two children and I and Linda (expecting April in April) rented a large 4 bedroom house and became roommates.
I remember our boss was disturbed, as she was like a mother hen, thinking that we would not be able to work together every day and also live together under the same room. But the Lord knew otherwise and our friendship and love for one another grew.
April Kay Mayor was born in the month of April and I was given the honor of becoming her Godmother. Because she was delivered C-section I didn't get to be in the delivery room but I did get to hold her and give her a bath while her mother was recovering. She was a beautiful, darling, precious little girl. April was a miracle and I was holding her in my arms.
The doctors heard a slight heart murmur but were not too alarmed at the time. She was beautiful so Linda bundled her up and we took her home.
It wasn't until April was 9 months old that a friend of ours, who was a nurse, noticed that her fingernails had a slight bluish tint to them. So as not to alarm Linda, she suggested April just be taken in for a look. After some tests and trips to the large hospitals in Portland they found irregularities in April's heart. These defects would need to be repaired and so began the first of 5 surgeries.
During the 16 years of April's life she had 5 separate heart surgeries. Each time she and Linda knew what they had to do and make the best of it. Each time they both knew they were facing death. But their faith in the Lord always gave them the strength to endure. I was amazed each time I visited the hospital and both greeted me with love and smiles. Each time they exemplified to others the awesome power of God to "walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil". Each time April recovered and went on sharing her life, her stories, her faith and her love to others.
April was a Sophomore in high school and knew she had certain limitations because of her heart condition. Sports were not something she could do so she got involved in the girls choir. She loved to sing and the choir performed all around Portland, where they had moved several years earlier. She also had just gotten her first job working at Subway Sandwiches. She was just doing normal stuff 15 year old's do. It was while she was working one evening at Subway that her heart went into cardiac arrest. Though the paramedics revived her heart 2 times while enroute to the hospital the lack of blood supply to her brain had already caused too much damage.
During the next 7 days we all waited for a miracle. We waited for the Lord to wake April from her sleep. He had decided otherwise. It was time for her to go home to be with Him. Linda faced a parents most horrible nightmare. She must take April off life support and see what happens or move her to a care facility hooked to life support, possibly for the rest of her life. Linda had them remove life support and held her daughter in her arms. We knew the wait would not be long as the Lord had given us a scripture to hold on too. Psalms 46:5 said to us, "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn." April drew her final breath at 8:30 am Sunday morning, February 1, 1998 and moved from the arms of her mother to the arms of her Father God.
Though it has been very hard to understand why the Lord would bless all of us with this miracle child for almost 16 years we do not question His wisdom and greatfully thank Him for allowing us to know and love this wonderful child. We truly were blessed by her presence, her love, her smiles and her strength to endure. I for one can honestly say she has touched my heart and my life and I am better off for knowing her. I will thank her with a big hug and kiss when next we meet at the banqueting table in the house of the Lord!!
Please visit April's Home Page made by her Lindaand a couple of other web sites of mothers and fathers who are surviving the loss of their child.
Moms & Dads of Oregon - The Survivors
You are visitor to my page.
Thank you for stopping by!!