Prayers for friends

As I sit in my living room on this beautiful morning complete with sunshine and birds singing, I am thinking of my Gracie and how terribly much I miss her. This week has been a hard and emotional week for me. I haven't gotten much sleep and I'm exhausted from the things buzzing through my head constantly. I've been saying lots of prayers for my friends daughter who is at the same hospital Gracie was at just a few doors down from her room.

I have been following this babies story since February (she was born Jan 25) and last month I went to visit her and her Mommy. She was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome but after her first surgery the left side of her heart actually started growing and they diagnosed it as Unbalanced AV Canal with small left ventricle. This change in diagnoses would mean that she wouldn't have to have any of the other 2 surgeries on her heart. This was fabulous news! On April 25th they finally got to bring Nalia home. She had a great week and on Sunday night she was brought back to children's by ambulance and put back on ECMO (heart and lung machine) with full support. This was so devastating to hear. I cried so hard and prayed for little Nalia. The doctors are not sure what happened but this sounds like the same exact thing that happened to Gracie. She had the best week of her life and then she just all of a sudden crashed. Nalia thankfully hung on long enough to be put on ECMO, Gracie could not. I reached out to Nalia's mom, Ashley, and asked if there was anything I could do or bring her and she asked me to just keep her company at the hospital. I went down on Tuesday and just sat and prayed with her and her husband and kept her company. There were no words I could say to comfort her but from experience I know how much it means to just have someone there with you that has gone through the same situation. It's comforting. Ashley asked me how I could be so strong and come down to see Nalia like this, I told her that it was hard, really hard, but I have become the type of person that doesn't shy away from these things. It may scare me and make me sad, but I think letting myself be in these types of situations is good for me, it makes me a stronger, more brave person then I have ever been. I wanted to be there for her and I wanted to pray for them.

Friends I need you to pray for a miracle. This baby girl is fighting for her life and really needs your prayers. Will you please take a moment out of your day today and say this prayer?

Dear Lord,

I come to you now to pray for baby Nalia. She has been so strong through her short life thus far but she needs extra strength now, strength that only you can give her. Lord, I just pray that you will have your hand on her in the upcoming weeks and that you will guide these doctors to make the right decisions.

I also pray for Nalia's family. That you would give them comfort in knowing that you're there in that room with them. I pray that they can be brave and not get overwhelmed by the machines and the chaos. I pray that they can get the sleep they so desperately need. Give them hope Lord, give them strength.

I am praying for a miracle for little Nalia, that her heart will beat on her own and that she will be in her Mommy's arms gazing into her eyes once again very soon.

Through you all things are possible! Thank you for all this!

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thank you for saying a prayer for this beautiful and blessed family. I have fallen in Love with Miss Nalia and her Mom has become a good friend. They may not know it but they are a huge blessing to me. Please keep them in your prayers.

Nalia's Facebook page is "Nalia's Heart"

Thank you Ashley for the beautiful note on Facebook this morning. It touched my heart! :-) (attached)