Life is Beautiful, Life is Fragile

Today we should be going home from the hospital. We’ve had a 4 day/3 night stay and we’re ready to go home with our new baby boy, Aaron Zachary Lim, born 1.08.08, 9:07pm, weighing in at 7 lbs. 6 oz. Beautiful boy. Calm, good sleeper, good eater. He looks just like our oldest when he was a baby. At times we even forget and call him by his brother’s name. It’s as if we’re reliving our days w/Micah because he had jaundice and we stayed a couple of extra days in the hospital then. We’re savoring every moment with Aaron b/c this will definitely be our last child and we know how quickly these infant days pass. Life is beautiful.

While Sarah was in labor (it progressed slowly) I had a chance to read an update from a friend of mine who is currently battling Brain Cancer. It was a lengthy email and all he could talk about was his two children – how precious they are to him, how he is frustrated with chemo b/c it prevents him from spending time with them, how he fears that they will grow up w/o him. Reading the email brought tears to my eyes and well as Sarah. Life is fragile.

Labor was fairly smooth. We thanked our doctor and nurses and they left the room. We were both in good spirits and weren’t too tired. Since Sarah was feeling good, I was planning on heading home at midnight. We called our parents and told them the good news. Sarah was hungry so I stepped out to pick up some food.

Forty-five minutes later I returned with burritos in my hands to step into a scene out of an episode of ER. Multiple nurses rushing in and out of the room, doctor giving orders, a lot of hushed whispers, everyone ignoring me, and blood. Over the next couple of hours Sarah would be in excruciating pain, lose a lot of blood, undergo a CAT scan, and go into surgery. Our OB and anesthesiologist were busy with other patients so we were frustrated at having to wait, other doctors were called into get 2nd opinions, and I witnessed a lot of worried looks from the nurses. Meanwhile I walked the halls with Aaron b/c there was too much commotion in our room. Sarah and I both prayed a lot that night, and at 3.15am I shot out an email to friends asking for prayer as they wheeled Sarah out of the room.

By 11am Sarah was out of the OR, surgery was successful, and Sarah was in stable condition. She has since been recovering well. I checked my email and read message after message from friends saying that they were praying for us. I called my parents and my dad said that when I called he and my mom were praying for us. Throughout the day I received several calls from friends asking how we were doing and how they could help.

My friend battling cancer has said on several occasions how grateful he is for all the prayers and support. I think I know what he means.