Against All Odds

by Fatherofeight | More from this Blogger

01 Jan 2007 03:06 PM

Tomorrow will be Caleb's birthday. The first child that came into our home will be four. We will celebrate his Gotcha Day on February 5. He spent the first two weeks of his life in a hospital and the next two weeks in a shelter. He came to us from there.

The circumstances of his birth were very grim. He was taken to a hospital six hours or so after he was born. According to the hospital records, the first doctor who treated and examined him was unable to predict whether or not he would survive.

When we received him into our home, he was not well. He was very pale. He did not respond much at all to external stimuli. He could not focus on the person holding him when he was given a bottle. We took him to our family doctor's office. The doctor wept as he examined Caleb.

As I was thinking about what to write today, I noticed a tragic story in the news. On New Year's Eve, a newborn baby was found dead in a dumpster in an apartment development in Dallas. The child's mother, who had apparently kept her pregnancy a secret, put her baby in a plastic bag and placed him in the trash. The cause of the little boy's death has not yet been determined.

One cause could be that our society has become apathetic in regard to human life. One look at any big city newspaper will reveal that we are not a very civilized people.

I am so thankful that the Lord was looking out for my son on the day that he came into this world. The womb had not been a safe place for him. Neither was the place that he was born. Against all odds, my boy made it.

Someday, I will probably have to tell him the whole story. But, tomorrow there will be celebration and rejoicing in our home.

Related Blog:

Child Neglect: A Growing National Problem

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Linda Hansen (1796) 01 Jan 2007 06:15 PM

I just put my 2 year old grandson down and read this story. It wrenched my heart to read what a sad start Caleb had. You are so right Ed. We are a savage group when it comes to the care and consideration of our nation's helpless children. So many of us just shake our heads, make comments then go on about our daily routine. Feeling sorry for these children is not enough! Wishing somebody would help them is not enough! Admonishing their biological parents for the abuse is not enough! It is time for us to stand up, offer our hearts and say I Care, AND DO SOMETHING! Art

rsbg (501) 01 Jan 2007 09:38 PM

I just don't get it..... how can sooooo many people care so little about the life that God created in them? I have not watched the news all weekend, so I had not heard this story that happened here in Dallas. Doesn't that Mom know how many people would love the chance to have, love and raise her baby? I am so thankful that Caleb's story has a positive outcome. Give that baby a great big hug for me tomorrow!!!!! And have a wonderful birthday celebration!

Fatherofeight (2475) 02 Jan 2007 06:20 AM

Well, we are fixing his favorite breakfast as soon as he wakes up, then I am taking him to toy store to pick out whatever he wants, then the wild bunch goes to lunch with Chuck e Cheese. I can not give details, but Caleb is very lucky to have survived his birth. We are very lucky to be able to call him our son.

PATTI (580) 02 Jan 2007 07:59 AM

Dear Ed, Once again, I say keep up the good work. PATTI

Fatherofeight (2475) 03 Jan 2007 08:28 AM

Now the mother of the newborn child that was found dead says that she had been sexually assaulted and was ashamed. That day, an ambulance had to be called for her and the paramedics could tell that she had given birth. She still didn't tell where the child was. They searched and found him, he weighed over 9 pounds. Police are now trying to determine when he died and the cause of his death. There was a total disregard for the life that God created in this very sad case.