With Wings as Eagles
A Letter from the Janecek Family
by Annette Janecek, January 5, 2002
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Goforth and Vision Forum Ministries,
I wanted to thank you for your lovely letter and update on baby William’s life. It was such an encouragement to our family. We had prayed for little William when he was in the hospital and we are so thrilled to know that he is doing so well.
Janeceks{right}
Your letter touched us deeply because we also have lived through a similar situation. Our sweet little boy Jonathan was born on Nov. 7. He was born four weeks early and suffered severe brain damage because of a lack of oxygen. During his birth he internally suffered a brain bleed and swelling. The doctors in the NICU unit at the children’s hospital let us know that his chances for survival were next to zero. They did not expect him to live through the night. Jonathan could not swallow, he did not posses a gag reflex that would allow him to eat or suck. His legs would not move because of a spinal cord injury and his eyes were fixed and non-responsive. His hearing was abnormal amidst other problems. Yet, when we looked at our sweet boy, we were in awe of God’s beautiful creation. Johnathan was precious in His sight. As a lady visited him, she exclaimed, “He looks like he has been bathed in prayer!”
Very early on, the doctors made it crystal clear that Jonathan’s life would not be good quality. As they put it, Jonathan struggled with every breath. (Because of the secretions he was not able to swallow. In turn, we learned to suction his throat and nasal cavities with a special machine throughout the day and night.)
The doctors gave us the option to not reintubate him if and when he needs to go back on ventilation (and he did need to be reintubated). It was chilling to know that others in our situation had chosen to let their sweet babies die. We knew that God was the very giver of life and death and that He alone would choose whether Jonathan would stay here or go home. It was never an option to us. We let the staff know what our feelings were and where we stood. Even through they respected our family, we felt the disapproval. So we prayed and other faithful believers prayed. Over the next six weeks we began to see some changes taking place. The once overly and “to the point” gloomy rounds with the staff and doctors started to change. They had watched our family intently throughout the weeks. Our nine- and ten-year-old home schooled children read books, did projects, and loved their little brother with all their hearts.
The staff knew that we all loved Jonathan deeply, whether he was “whole” or whether his brain was permanently damaged. They knew that we considered his life to be extremely precious. We believe ... we know that God was glorified through Jonathan’s life.
Every night we would gather around Jonathan’s isolete and pray. Our nine-year-old daughter, Abigail, would pray, “Please, Lord Jesus, let Jonathan run and not be weary, walk and not grow faint.” It never ceased to make me cry.
The days passed slowly and after many weeks, to the staff’s amazement, it was time to take Jonathan home. One of his doctors actually broke protocol and hugged me and cried! We felt so blessed. God had broken down the walls and worked everything together for good. We knew that our road would be long and difficult from that moment on. But, we had accepted it and resolved to love our little boy and care for him with all our hearts. We took one day at a time and God supplied just enough grace to get through each day.
One day, as I was caressing my baby’s cheek, he smiled slightly. He looked content, something he had never done in the hospital. Another day, he actually sucked on my finger (remember, he had no ability to suck)! Although it was weak, he was trying so hard. Those memories are so precious to me and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. God was showing us that Jonathan knew that he was loved.
Christmas Eve was a tender family time for us. David read the Christmas story and we snuggled on the couch together admiring Jonathan. When we put him to bed for the night, I lingered, telling him how precious he was and how much I loved him. I kissed him goodnight for the last time. Early on Christmas morning, my husband woke me up early saying that the baby wasn’t breathing. As I was performing CPR on our precious boy, I told the Lord that I loved this child so much. I had waited nine long years for this blessing, but if it was His will, I would give him back. My “mother’s heart” didn’t want to give him back, but I knew that God would do what was best. I knew that God had been so faithful through all of Jonathan’s journey. He would continue to be our God through whatever would lie ahead.
The sheriff’s department arrived and took over. They were crying and down deep I knew that Jonathan had gone home. On the way to the hospital, God threw a blanket of peace over us.
When we arrived at the ER, the chaplain met us and took us into a side room. He said that he was praying and that the only Scripture that he could think of was, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow faint.” Little did he know just how impacting that Scripture would be to us! God had answered Abbey’s prayer.
David asked if he could pray before they “called” the time of Jonathan’s death. So, with many ER staff gathered around the room, our family joined together and David prayed and thanked God for Jonathan’s life. He thanked God that we would someday see Jonathan again. Afterwards, we held him in our arms for several hours. We repeated the Scripture, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. BLESSED be the name of the Lord!”
We don’t always understand why things happen the way in which they do, but God always works things together for good to them that are called according to His purpose.
Through Jonathan’s life, we were able to witness God’s great love for each of us, and through his death, we were able to witness of God’s great love for each of us! The nurses and doctors and others saw Jesus. We are a light to this generation. While they would choose to snuff out the life of a child who was not “perfect,” we held on and waited for God’s timing. Through God’s timing, relationships were built, God’s plan unfolded, and His purpose was completed.
Our arms are empty now, and they long for the sweet bundle they once held. But, knowing that he is in the presence of the Lord — our great and faithful Heavenly Father — we take comfort. We also are thrilled to know that Jonathan is running now!
With Thankfulness, David, Annette, Josiah, and Abbey Janecek
PS: The photo was taken at the hospital. A very special memory for all of us.