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We want to bring God's miracles closer to our children by telling them biblical stories. In this way, we try to plant faith deep in their hearts. But what happens when we are struck by illness or accidents? What happens to our own faith then?
Abnormalities detected during ultrasound
We were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our seventh child. But during the ultrasound, the gynecologist discovered abnormalities. She said that children with Down syndrome often exhibited such changes and referred us to a specialist for further diagnostic testing. There, they found another sign that pointed to this genetic defect. My husband and I left the doctor's office deeply worried.
Although we accept this child, just like the healthy children, as a gift from God and would love it just the same, the diagnosis weighed heavily on us and raised many questions. We laid our concerns at Jesus' feet in prayer – He alone knows our worries, desires, and questions. Nothing is impossible for Him. He alone is the one who performs miracles.
At the next prenatal appointment, the gynecologist mentioned the unusually thick umbilical cord, which was another indication of Down syndrome. This time, fear didn't overwhelm us; the peace of God filled our hearts, and our trust in God's help was greater than our fear of the future.
Not the expected diagnosis
Finally, our son Amael was born healthy on August 13, 2019. There were no signs of malformations or Down syndrome. Thank God!
Amael was developing well and was a healthy, slim toddler. But at the beginning of March 2022, I noticed that something was wrong. I could barely pick up the two-and-a-half-year-old. He had gained a lot of weight and weighed as much as his four-year-old brother.
One morning his eyes were very swollen, his socks left marks on his unusually thick legs, and his stomach looked bloated and hard. So I immediately took him to the emergency room. There, they performed an EKG and an ultrasound of his lungs. The latter confirmed the suspicion of fluid retention in his body.
A test showed a very high protein level in the urine. Drawing blood was difficult because the excess water in her body made it hard to find the veins. After several attempts, and even trying to draw blood from her head, we paused. I sent a message to my husband and our families, asking them to pray for the next blood draw attempt. God answered our prayers. This time, the doctor found the vein immediately and drew enough blood.
We didn't have to wait long for the test results. The diagnosis: Nephrotic syndrome. It occurs in kidney diseases where the kidneys' filters don't function properly, and valuable substances, such as proteins, are excreted in the urine. As a result, these substances are lacking in the blood. Normally, they retain water in the blood, but now it is increasingly being drawn into other tissues, leading to fluid retention.
Amael was prescribed cortisone, medication for high blood pressure and thrombosis, as well as diuretics. After seven days in the hospital, we were finally allowed to go home. I was glad that the medication was working and that we would soon be over the illness.
One relapse after another
After two and a half months came the shock. Amael was unusually tired and moody. A relapse? Indeed, we were able to detect increased protein in his urine again using the home test strips. This time we managed without hospitalization, but he was prescribed cortisone for six weeks. Two months after stopping the medication, the next relapse occurred. It was a constant cycle. With every minor infection, the symptoms returned and were treated with cortisone.
In January 2023, our eighth child was born prematurely in the 30th week of pregnancy. The time after this birth was very exhausting for our family. Every day, I drove early in the morning to the hospital, 80 kilometers away, to be with the baby and didn't return until late afternoon. My husband took care of the other children and the household during this time. This routine gradually became established.
At the beginning of February 2023, we noticed another change in Amael. In addition to a runny nose, he developed symptoms of kidney disease. He cried a lot, was constantly tired, and we could already see signs of fluid retention. The urine test finally confirmed it. We prayed for him to get better and tried various home remedies. But nothing could stop the disease; the fluid continued to accumulate throughout his body. Amael even started to squint. He also began making unusual breathing noises.
One morning we finally split up: I drove to the baby's place and my husband took Amael in the other direction to the children's hospital. Amael was hospitalized there for five days. However, no sooner had the cortisone treatment ended than the next relapse occurred. The intervals between episodes of illness became shorter and shorter.
Despite everything, Amael was a cheerful child and woke up with a smile every morning. He made this phase of our lives much easier by submitting to all the checkups without resistance. Even during the numerous blood draws, he never cried or resisted.
The power of prayer
In the meantime, I had contacted several desperate mothers whose children had received the same diagnosis. The fate of one young man in particular frightened me. He had a kidney transplant, but even that didn't bring about any improvement, and he still needed dialysis – that's how serious the disease was.
We asked our families for prayer support, and the church community also prayed a lot for Amael. The prayer group added our need to their list, and the brothers offered prayers with anointing of oil for our son.
God laid it on my heart to kneel by Amael's bedside every evening before going to sleep and pray for him once more. One often hears the parable of God providing a bowl of varying size for each need, in which individual prayers are collected. The thought that this very bowl must be completely filled with our prayers before healing can occur troubled me. And so this special prayer became my nightly habit.
In the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in a prayer group. There, too, I asked the brothers and sisters to pray for Amael. God showed one of the brothers a vision: Jesus dipped His finger into a bowl and held it over Amael. A drop fell from Jesus' finger onto Amael's head. A prophecy stated that the healing would occur in time, but differently than we might imagine. Was this the bowl I had been trying to fill with my nightly prayers?
When will God heal?
Not long after this revelation, the next relapse occurred. We waited hopefully for the promised cure, but there was no improvement, and the cortisone was used again. The treating physician considered taking it a step further and intensifying the treatment, as the relapses were becoming more frequent.
At the end of 2023, we again detected an increase in protein levels through a urine test. Shortly afterward, blood was drawn at a follow-up appointment to determine the exact protein level. Fortunately, it was borderline, and we didn't necessarily have to start cortisone therapy. The doctor asked us to do another urine test the next day. If the level was elevated, we should begin the cortisone treatment.
The next day, the urine test showed that the protein level had not risen. We were grateful that we could postpone the cortisone therapy as long as possible. Every day, my heart pounding, I tested, hoping that the protein level hadn't increased.
After a few days, I noticed that the color on the test strip was lighter than on previous days. This meant that the protein level in my urine was decreasing, and all on its own, without any medication. Day after day, we tested and were gratefully amazed by the steadily improving results. Then came the day when no protein could be detected at all. It had all receded on its own and never returned. Completely without any further medication. Thank goodness!
Praise and thanks be to Him forever.
The check-ups in February and June 2024 showed no signs of a relapse. In August, we contracted whooping cough. The three youngest children had a severe case, and Amael suffered greatly as well. However, even with this infection, we couldn't detect a relapse of the kidney disease. In September, the doctor finally said that no further check-ups were necessary.
It was a difficult period in our lives, but this time strengthened our faith and our trust in God. Our family prayers were very fulfilling and brought peace to our hearts.
We are very grateful to God for granting us grace and healing Amael. We are also very grateful to our families, the church, and all who prayed for us. May God reward us!
Nastja Borell
Municipality of Bremen-Mahndorf