Hi. I am Carla Schaffer, Travis's mom. Travis, and his twin brother, Brandon, were born almost eight weeks early. Even though they were on monitors to keep track of their breathing and heart rate, they developed normally the first few months of their lives. They were the first of our four children, all boys. There is much that I could share, but this is not a book. I will try and bring out the parts that show how I got through the toughest scenario that a mom could ever imagine concerning one of her precious babies.
When the twins were about eight months old, I decided to surrender my life to Jesus. John and I were going to a new church and were excited that the twins were able to go into a nursery while we could listen to our pastor's message. I was exuberant about my new found faith, so much so, that my best friend wasn't sure if she wanted to keep hanging around me any more. Our conversations always headed back to my Christian conversion and the overwhelming joy of being accepted into God's family. I remember feeling rejected by my friend, as well as some family members, which caused me to cry out to God, telling him that I would do whatever it took for my family and friends to know Him.
So, when Travis got ill, at eleven months, I was only a 3 month old Christian. Even though I did not understand why all this was happening, I truly had a child-like faith. Before I became a Christian, I would probably call myself a "worrier" with a capital "W". So I knew that if I started letting my thoughts head that direction, I would be a mess. I decided to TRUST God in the midst of all that I saw.
At first, Travis was just running a fever and seemed to be in a lot of pain. On Sunday, I took him to the E.R. in Norfolk where they checked him over and sent him home. By Monday afternoon, after returning to the doctor's office, a nurse was unable to draw blood from Travis. By Monday evening, an ambulance was sent from Children's Hospital in Omaha to Norfolk. It was a foggy evening, so the helicopter was not an option.
John and I went home, packed a few things, picked up Brandon, and headed to Omaha. By the time we got to the hospital, Travis was considered to be in critical condition. He was in the Pediatric ICU area so he could have constant monitoring. Soon after we arrived, a nurse was working with Travis while John and I observed. Travis rolled his eyes back, the nurse yelled for help and we were whisked out of the room. It was during this time that I spoke from my heart. Our pastor from Norfolk was with us in a little room. I spoke about the goodness of God, how somehow good would come out of this situation, even if Travis was to die, that maybe that is why we had twins, because God knew that Travis would not live long. In between much crying, I tried to trust that somehow we would get through this unbearable time.
Not knowing what they would say, a staff member came into the room and said that Travis had stabilized. We were able to go and be with him once again. He had a respirator tube inserted into his lungs and was put on a drug that paralyzed him. This was so his vital organs could function and that energy was not wasted on what the rest of his body was experiencing. He seemed to be at peace.
After a little while, I went to the restroom to refresh myself from all the tears. It was there that I experienced God's undeniable PEACE, the peace that the bible refers to as beyond understanding. I was reassured that God was there, that GOOD would come from this ordeal, that many would come to know Jesus in a personal way through this experience. Believe it or not, JOY flooded my whole being.
Over the next few days, Travis remained in critical condition, his extremities turning red, purple and eventually black. His fingers and toes hardened and curled. It was eventually discovered that he had a Strepp infection that had gotten into his bloodstream. High doses of Penicillin were administered through his veins. He stayed stable until a surprised setback occurred a week later.
Before the setback, many patients came through ICU and we became acquainted with the parents of these children. Travis also had a lot of visitors, family and friends. God's PEACE remained as I resolved that I would not look at outward appearances but instead trust in the Lord and the Word of God. I literally was able to comfort those who came to see us. My own mother was just sure that I was in shock and that it would soon wear off and reality would hit me. I reassured her that the peace that I was experiencing was REAL. Many tell me, now that they could hardly believe how calm and peaceful I was at that time. There were numerous times that I was able to share my Christian faith and some were very receptive.
Posted by Carla Schaffer (mom)
