Hannah's Prayer for a Better Quality of Life

This is for my niece but I had my Sister, her Grandmother tell her story so she could give all the details

Our family is facing what seems to be a big mountain right now. I have read in Matthew 7:20 many times, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be possible unto you. I know through this journey our faith will become stronger for we know that nothing is impossible with God.

Being a mother and Grandmother and seeing your children struggle is such a heart-wrenching feeling. I share this story this morning with a burden. Over my years of serving God, I have seen many mountains before me, and faith in God has moved those mountains. I know this mountain is not too big for God to remove it.

My daughter Mindy and her husband shared the news that they were having another baby, which brought excitement, and the news of the new baby rang out throughout the home.

During Mindy’s 20th-week checkup, the Doctor came into the room and told her that the sonogram of the baby had shown an irregular spot on the baby’s brain. Oh, how her heart broke that day in the doctor’s office. This all spiraled into specialist appointments and a trip to Philadelphia for more testing. The test came back that the baby had suffered a brain Hemorrhage. The Doctors painted a dark picture and strongly recommended an abortion, suspecting she would be a vegetable, only having the ability to breathe and suck.

Abortion was out of the question for us, and when we shared that with the doctors, they again tried convincing us, saying she would have no quality of life and termination would be the best decision. We walked out of the Doctor’s office brokenhearted but also with hearts full of love for a baby yet to be met.

At 35 weeks, Mindy went in for her routine checkup and found out she was in preterm labor. The Doctor said it was too far progressed to stop her labor. So, we went straight over to the hospital for a C-section.

Little Hannah Joy, 4lbs 11oz was born. A perfect, beautiful baby girl! Oh, does she ever deserve that middle name “Joy”. She spreads much joy and sunshine everywhere she goes. As far as we could tell, Hannah was a perfect baby with no effects from her brain hemorrhage. It wasn’t until she was 8 months old that we recognized Hannah was not hitting her milestones. After going to the neurologist, we found out she had cerebral palsy resulting from a brain bleed.

Hannah began scooting around on the floor to get where she wanted to go. Doctors didn’t give Hannah much hope of ever walking, but Hannah had determination. Hannah’s left arm and leg were affected, so they fitted her with a brace for her leg. She started physical therapy and, by the age of 4, was able to walk without her walker. It was far from a perfect walk, but we were thrilled she was walking.

Fast forward to 12 years old, Hannah started having difficulty walking and falling, even with her braces and walking aids. Then, Covid hit, and all her therapists and specialists were dropped. Hannah fell through the cracks. She outgrew her braces, and her muscles tightened up. Hannah was to the point of getting embarrassed. However, she never showed this. Her witty personality would say things like “going down” as she fell. This was too much; something had to be done. Mindy finally got scheduled with the Doctor, and they decided her Achilles tendon needed to be stretched. September 2022 that surgery was completed, which did help her foot; however, now they are saying she needs a few other surgeries, one of which is a major surgery. This breaks our hearts as we have tried since she was a baby to avoid surgery if possible. They say that eventually, we won't have a choice, or she’ll be bound to a wheelchair.

I’m telling you our story about Hannah to lead you to this time in our current situation with Hannah. We believe everything happens for a reason. Mindy recently met a family whose daughter is dealing with some similar nerve rejuvenation and muscle issues. They told us about a Doctor in North Carolina who does nerve rejuvenation, who has helped their daughter, and has great success stories. We scheduled a Zoom call with the doctor. Hannah was so excited to hear the Doctor tell us he felt confident he could help Hannah. After speaking to the Doctor, Hannah looked at her parents and said, “I’ve prayed all my life that I could be normal, and I think God is answering my prayers.” Oh, the faith of a child!

They made a trip to North Carolina and scheduled 4 treatments, which would be done over a 2-day period. After the 1st treatment, Mindy and Danny could see some small changes. After the 4th treatment, Hannah looked at the Doctor and said, “You have given me hope!” We could see improvement in her walking and her movement. But Hannah said, “What you can’t see on the outside is how loose I feel and how much easier it is to get around.” To see the smile on her face was such a blessing to Mindy and Danny.

I would like to share one of the visual changes we could see in Hannah with you. From a very young age, Hannah has not had much use of her left hand due to muscle contraction, which leads to her hand and fingers staying clenched in an unnatural clinched position. During her fourth treatment, her mother took this picture. As you can see her left hand is lying flat and spread out in a normal, relaxed position.

The treatments cost $350 each, and the Doctor feels she needs 2 treatments daily. At this point, he wants us to come for a week and a half, which also requires Hannah and Mindy to stay in North Carolina, which would be an additional expense. We are estimating the total cost to be somewhere around $10,000. Financially, this seems impossible for the parents; however, it seems to be an answer to Hannah's prayers. How do you tell your child you can’t afford to give her the hope she’s prayed for? With God nothing is impossible and with your help, we can give Hannah the chance she deserves. Thank you for your Generosity and Prayers.