Losing a child has to be amongst the hardest things that a parent can endure. Not only do children bring joy to our lives, but they are extensions of us and they become so much a part of us that it is impossible to imagine what life was like before we had them. With that said, even the thought of losing a child can be traumatic.
Katie and Josh Butler were like most couples and they had longed to start a family of their own, so when they discovered that Katie was pregnant, they were ecstatic. They quickly began planning their future with a new baby.
But, when Katie was 20 weeks pregnant, the couple got some very unexpected news. During an ultrasound, the technician noticed that the baby wasn’t growing normally. Doctors looked into the issue and while they had a whole list of diagnoses that it could be, they were unable to pinpoint exactly what it was.
Contrary to the perfect pregnancy that Katie was fantasizing about, she ended up having to go to the hospital every week so doctors could monitor the baby.
When baby Dewey was finally born, doctors were prepared to treat him right away. They immediately took him to the NICU at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, where he spent several weeks. When Dewey was only 132 days old, he needed to be fitted with a feeding tube and while undergoing the routine surgery, he passed away, as his little heart wasn’t strong enough to survive the procedure.
As to be expected, the Nashville, Tennessee couple was devastated and they were prepared to start grieving the death of their newborn.
“I felt so guilty for thinking of this but there was also a sense of relief, he was finally healed and I know I’ll see him again,” said Katie.
The couple began healing with the help of God and suddenly a miracle happened. A nurse called them and told them they had a baby on the 5th floor of the hospital who was in desperate need of a mother and father. A baby boy named Brax had been born prematurely at 27 weeks and now at 11 months old, he had never left the hospital. He had chronic respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, and was trach-vent dependent, but, unlike Dewey, his health had a chance of improving with age.
“I had been praying that I wanted another baby. I had tasted for the first time what it is to be a mother,” said Katie, who didn’t think twice about adopting Brax. The couple was propelled by their faith and knew that God led them to this little boy while they were in their darkest hour after losing baby Dewey.
“Once we brought him home, his health started to improve,” said Katie. He still needs oxygen but his movement and feeding has improved so much. He knows us and he smiles at us and can identify us. Our family has really taken to him. We have all this love because of Dewey and want to pour this love into Brax.”
