Elias is in front leaning on his father

Elias Erik was born on Father's Day 1997. His was named after a great-uncle and, of course, his father. It means "Jehovah is God, ever ruler; ever powerful". We live in Massachusetts, are self employed, and homeschool our 5 children: Ian, Jesse, Cheyenne, Elias and Kristian. Elias is number 4.

A test early in our seventh month of pregnancy indicated that we may be going into premature labor. We spent the next 7 weeks in partial bed rest trying to hold on to him. At last the time came when he could be born safely, a perfect gift for Father's Day.

I am extremely thankful that God placed a pediatrician with a good ear as his on-call doctor. She bent over him with her stethoscope for what seemed to be an eternity, then simply said, "There is something wrong with his heart, I hear a murmur". We thought that this would just go away, it happened with his sister, Cheyenne. In a day or two, the noise would go away and he would be fine. But it didn't.

It took 4 months for the cardiologists to diagnose Coarctation of the Aorta. They said it looked like "a crook to a shepherd's staff". Although his blood pressure in his arms and legs started to dramatically vary, thankfully Elias never failed to thrive. I remember being a bit numb making surgery arrangements at Children's Hospital in Boston. Although it did not bring a great amount of comfort at the time, the doctor said, "If you and your husband had to choose a Congenital Heart Defect for your child, this is the one you would pick".

Elias' aorta was surgically repaired when he was 7 months old. The doctors say that his valves are abnormal, but they work, and trust that they will continue to do so.

In one of many waiting room, I read an article on the bulletin board about what it is like to have a child with a medical problem. It described a family who for years had planned an exquisite trip to Italy; a first class, 5 star, romantic excursion. This is us as we dream and prepare for our families. When the day arrives and we are finally on the airplane, the stewardess announces that there has been a sudden change, we are being diverted to Holland. "Holland", we scream? "We're not prepared for Holland. Where are we going to stay? What should we do when we get there? We didn't bring the right clothes, we don't know the language. What happened to Italy?"

When we land we find that Holland isn't such a bad place after all. There are plenty of places to stay and much to do, the weather is manageable, the people are friendly, and the language can be learned. And best of all, Holland has tulips!

I have always said that where there is a defect in the physical heart of a child, God has made up for it in their "heart of hearts". If you know a child with a Congenital Heart Defect, you know exactly what I mean.