Brandon’s Shield

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy;
and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.
Psalms 5:11-12

On a Thursday evening I get a text from my son, saying he was not feeling well.  I ask him to describe his symptoms and I also get his step-dad involved.  We think he needs to drink something to help ‘clean’ him out.  When he does get the bottle of nasty-tasting stuff, he can’t keep it down.  He tries to sleep that night but not very well.  The next morning,  he asks that I call one of my friends who is a nurse practitioner and get him an appointment.  At 1:15 pm he goes for the appointment.  After the exam she determines it could be appendicitis, and sends him for a CT scan to get better information.  Brandon calls to say he is going in for the scan at 3 pm.  I am praying this whole time asking for God’s help in evaluating the situation quickly.  Brandon calls after the scan to say he is going home.  I suggest that he go over to see my friend/nurse practitioner, Julie, for the results. By the time he gets to the office she has called me to say he has appendicitis and for us to go to the emergency room.

I reach Brandon just as he is getting out of his truck, and tell him to meet me at the ER… that he does have appendicitis…and they will be operating today. I ask him to call his dad and I contact my husband, John.  I managed to get there before Brandon and tried to get paperwork started but he had to be there.  Once he arrives, he checks in.  This is about 4 pm. John arrives around 4:05 and we all sit down.  At about 4:15 we are called back to a room where everyone has a job and are asking Brandon questions.  They begin putting in an IV and drawing blood.  Julie had tried to reach the surgical group she knew that were very qualified to work on Brandon, but could not reach them.  When she spoke with the ER doctor, he said he would take care of reaching one of the team.

By 5 pm Brandon was being wheeled up to the surgical suite to begin the process. This was my first time experiencing emergency surgery on my child (who happens to be 23).  I was a nervous wreck, but Brandon had peace about the whole situation.  From the time he was hurting to the time we left the hospital, he had a peace about him.  I kept looking at the clock in the waiting room.  The surgeon had said it was a 45 minute procedure and recovery would be about an hour. A friend of ours came out who had assisted with the surgery.  Her name is Rose, and she has a sweet, sweet spirit.  It was then I knew Brandon was well covered in prayer while he was being operated on.  God is so merciful!

The surgeon came out and said Brandon was doing great!  Brandon would have to take it easy for a week to 10 days before he could go back to work.  I was just so happy to hear that he was fine!  I stayed the night with Brandon at the hospital and neither of us got much sleep.  Saturday around noon he was discharged; and we went to my house where he would stay with us for a couple of days.  He is a little sore, but moving around.  He is such a trooper…not asking for attention, just wanting to get better and get back to work.

Through this whole adventure, I can see how God shielded and protected Brandon.  Brandon was wise enough to listen to his body—the way God designed us—and knew that something was not right.  And from the CT scan we learned that Brandon was born with just one kidney that is functioning.  I know God has this covered, but we are now going to get a little education on what he should and should not do.

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Father, thank You for taking care of my son.  Thank You that I will be able to have many Christmas, birthdays, and other celebrations with him.  I thank You for Your mercy and Your shield.  I thank You that You give us mom-hearts to pray every day for our family and that we have great pray-ers as friends. I pray Your protection around those today who are hurting and seeking You. May someone give them a word of knowledge and comfort from You.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

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