Baby William Update
by Douglas W. Phillips, Esq., September 4, 2003
Despite a sustained barrage of pressure from physicians to let their child die, home school parents Josh and Noelle Goforth continue to fight for the life of their baby. As thousands pray for little William, he has taken a stunning and seemingly miraculous turn for the better, utterly confounding the medical professionals overseeing the care of the baby, who unanimously predicted that William would die, be condemned to a vegetative state, or be incapable of living apart from a machine. Even after it was clear that little William might survive physically, many sought to have the Goforths remove life support on the basis of the fact that they believed the quality of his life to be of minimal benefit, and the existence of a severely handicapped child would pose a great burden on the parents.
Additional pressure has been directed at the Goforths, including highly coercive meetings by social workers, to receive state welfare money to help provide for present and future expenses surrounding the care of the baby. Because of their biblical convictions concerning socialism, the Goforths have declined such programs and are seeking to provide through other means. Please remember them and their precious baby in your prayers and consider supporting the Life and Liberty Fund.
The following is a chronology of reports on baby Goforth:
06/08/05
Many of you have inquired about the latest on our dear son, William, for which we thank you.
William has been seeing two physical therapists usually weekly. He has an eye therapist as well, who he sees about once every other month. We work with him in-between days. His is making progress in small amounts that don’t always appear to be significant, but are nonetheless steps in the right direction. Things that we concentrate on are visually focusing on things, learning to balance on all fours (so he can learn to crawl) and holding his head up with control.
He has had no problems with seizures or spasms of any kind since his last episode. He really has no persistent medical problems that we are required to deal with. Overall, we are very pleased with how he is progressing and are grateful to the Lord for how healthy he is.
01/22/04
The Wheeler and Goforth families had a delightful occasion to celebrate yesterday, January 21, 2004 — our grandson William’s 2nd birthday! Everywhere we travel on the Mantle Ministries Trail, we are still asked “How is Baby William doing?” Even from dear ones who have never met William face to face. I doubt if we will ever truly comprehend the breadth and the scope of the Lord’s plan to garrison so many Prayer Warriors for this length of time on William’s behalf.
To answer some of the many thoughtful questions we receive, here is an update from William’s mother, our daughter Noelle Goforth:
William has been such a blessing to our family in so many ways. Though his physical progress is slow, we are encouraged over every little improvement we see. He can scoot forward a few inches and in circles. He doesn’t hold himself up very well so we are working on trying to strengthen his neck and upper back. Whatever physical challenges he has, he makes up for them with his personality. He has a contagious smile and has a few limited but jolly cooing sounds. His daddy can get him to laugh like no one else can and it makes you laugh too!
His mental progress seems to be improving very well. He is very aware of things — especially where food is concerned. As soon as we ask, “Are you hungry?” he brightens up and starts working his tongue. He’ll give a squeal of delight at the sound of the microwave or a jar opening, and whenever we put on his bib.
One of our primary prayer requests still is for William’s eyesight. At times it seems he can see, but other times there is no response. The vitrectomies were successful in that his eyes technically are looking great. The ophthalmologists have diagnosed it as CVI - Cortical Visual Impairment (relating to the brain.) The encouraging thing about this is that he can learn to see. So we take him into a dark room and stimulate response by showing him bright objects, one at a time. He definitely has responded to this.
Yesterday, January 21st, marked William’s 2nd birthday! William truly has been such an incredible blessing to our family — a priceless gift from the Lord. How he brings our hearts such joy through his huge smiles, twinkling eyes, sweet coos, and wholehearted laughs. Two years ago I would have never thought to ask God for a special-needs child and the heart-wrenching months of trial and tears after his birth. But now, I would never trade William for ten thousand “normal” babies! As for the difficult trials, God has proven that His grace IS sufficient and that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. It blesses me, nearly to tears when so many people still tell me that their children still pray daily for Baby William! What an encouragement that is, to know that so many of you care. Sincerely, and humbly I would like to thank you. I know God has great plans for our little Miracle Baby. — Noelle Goforth, January 2004
9/27/02
ANSWERS TO PRAYER! William is 7 months and 4 weeks old today! (adjusted age: 4 months and 4 days old!)
Even though there has been no “e-word” from the “little warrior” in quite some time (due to non-stop activity on the home front)—let it be known that the mighty hand of God’s Living Word has continued to actively answer the prayers of His people on William’s behalf. The most encouraging report to date came from William’s most recent follow-up appointment with his primary neonatal ophthalmologist. After recalling William’s pre-surgery examinations, he stated that William’s eye conditions had been among the five worst cases he had ever seen! Now, after laser surgery, followed by extensive surgery by the Houston specialist to correct the detached retinas, the doctor reported that he would never have guessed that they were the same eyes. Glory to God in answered prayers!
Even though he did notice a pull to the right, the doctor said that it was correctable. In addition, he lent a very helpful frame of reference for us all to consider in respect to his eye development, but also we find it relates to other areas of development, as well. Beyond his actual age or adjusted age, he suggested that we must consider that because of all the procedures and surgeries that William has experienced, that his eye development could be assessed more closely to a one-month-old baby’s developmental maturity. Therefore, he reassured Josh and Noelle that there is still time in the coming months for improved eye functions in regards to tracking and focusing. And we are reassured that he has some level of eyesight by the fact that he squints whenever he is momentarily in bright sunlight.
William’s physical therapist has also given encouraging assessments of his good muscle tone. During her sessions with William, she teaches Noelle a series of “basic training” exercises to be working on daily with the baby for early intervention of any possible CP-related impairment.
A GLANCE BACK — UP TO THE MOMENT. . .
With Josh and Noelle’s permission, we’d like to share the following direct quotes from the doctor’s hospital records labeled, Progress Note Addendum, compiled on William’s 10th day of life this side of the womb, just hours before his departure on a medical transport jet bound for Texas:
”...no spontaneous respirations ” — William has been breathing totally on his own for over 2 months now, and has a robust set of lungs as proven by a healthy, spontaneous “warrior’s” cry, thank the Lord...
“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord...You are the God who works wonders.”
“NEARLY flat EEG [doctor’s emphasis]...no purposeful-movement” — William turns over from tummy to back now and even scoots forward on the floor when placed on his tummy. Recently he has started to purposely hit and spin the rattle on the tray of his swing...
“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord...You are the God who works wonders.”
”...markedly abnormal HUS [head ultra sound] (among the worst I’ve ever seen)” — At William’s most recent visit, the neurologist reported that the shunt is stabilizing the hydrocephalus, and that the baby’s head is growing at a normal rate...
“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord...You are the God who works wonders”
”...many neurologically-abnormal movements, including some seizures” — William remains to date, totally seizure-free, praise God!, and that’s since being totally “weaned” off his anti-seizure medication...
“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord...You are the God who works wonders.”
”...the expectation for this baby’s outcome is that if he survives to hospital discharge, he will never learn language or self care” — Nearly 8 months later, because of their confidence in the mighty God our Healer, Josh and Noelle’s expectation for William is that not only will he learn language, but that he will learn to read language. After all, Josh pointed out, “His first and middle names are WILL REID.” LORD, we pray!!!...
“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord...You are the God who works wonders.”
”...he will possibly never know or interact with his parents” — Not only does William know and interact continuously with his daddy and mommy, he smiles when he hears familiar voices like “Grandpa Bear” over the phone!!! And no matter how hard he’s fusing, he always stops to listen in wonderment to Grandpa’s impersonation of Donald Duck. William also interacts with his toys. He smiles when Noelle asks him, “Do you want your duckie?” And he aims right for its cloth beak to suck on it. Furthermore, he sometimes “coos” to his favorite musical stuffed bunny whenever the tune is squeezed out of him—the toy bunny gets squeezed, that is, not William. ...
“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord...You are the God who works wonders” (Psalm 77:11&14).
PRAYER REQUESTS:
The one strategic area in which Baby William has lost some ground, though, is in the area of weight gain. Because of the frequency by which he would pull out the N/G tube (nasal/gavage tube), and the infrequency by which he would “cooperate” when they would have to reintroduce it (let’s face it, he would wail every time!), they decided to observe his progress without it. Even though he drank a substantial quantity of breast milk, his pediatrician explained that he was using up too many calories for his intake, and therefore not gaining the desirable weight for his adjusted age. This area of weight gain is somewhat involved...
Even though William is now the size of a full-term newborn over 8 1/2 lbs., as a nearly 8-month-old preemie, his required intake surpasses his endurance of bottle feeding at the moment. (Breastfeeding would be even more taxing in this situation.) However, we’re relieved to report that the baby is once again gaining—with partial bottle feeding for the first 20 minutes, every 3 hours, and the rest of what remains, administered by the N/G tube.
Since this is the top priority in prayer for him right now, we call upon all our prayer partners to please remember him whenever the Lord brings him to your mind. (In the center of our kitchen table we have a baby bottle right next to the salt and pepper shaker to remind us to pray for this particular need at our mealtimes.)
Today we would ask that you would join us in trusting the Lord God our Healer in His abundant mercy for...
the baby to continue to gain substantial weight and soon be totally bottle-fed once again.
a total healing from the common cold he presently has, so that it will not advance further in his lungs nor compromise his immune system.
continued muscle control and neurological maturation for improved eye functions and eyesight.
continued healing and strength to all his body muscles for normal gross and fine motor coordination and movement.
WORD FOR THE DAY:
Ever mindful of Baby William, one day during our daily Bible reading, the following Scripture stood out as a prayer to God our Healer, the Son and sun of righteousness. “But for you who fear my Name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you WILL GO FORTH and skip about like calves from the stall” (Malachi 4:2 NAS). And in the words of our pastor, Doug Phillips, interceding for Baby Will, “...a prayer goes up to Heaven that this little boy will run and dance and shout and sing the very praises of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
7/9/02
Recovery Report and Update for William Goforth
RECOVERY REPORT:
Last Wednesday, William had his first follow-up appointment with the specialist in Houston for his most recent June 20th eye surgery. The doctor gave a favorable report about the right eye as to its healing progress from a previous surgery, and he was encouraged about the left eye as well. The surgeon’s report was reassuring to Josh and Noelle as he explained that since William is on an entirely different developmental time table (due to his premature birth) and that in his case, the proper functions of the eye, like fixating and tracking should actually only start developing between now and the next 6 months. His eyes still respond very definitely to light, but to what extent his vision has been preserved is not yet known. Our prayer is that the Lord would, within time, grant a total healing to his vision and all other functions of his eyes.
UP TO THE MOMENT... Today William is 5 months, 2 weeks and 4 days old BST (“Birth Standard Time”)!
Come to think of it, according to his May15th due date, he is really just 1 month, 3 weeks and 3 days old GST (“Gestational Standard Time”). Yet another way to measure his age is from the date of his June 3rd release from the NICU, in which case, he is only 1 month and 6 days old HST (“Home-light Savings Time”). We better watch what we say—William may expect 3 different birth-day celebrations when he grows up. :-)
And as far as the baby’s weight goes, a new way of measurement was introduced to us by way of a creative Vacation Bible School teacher who thought of a way to tangibly illustrate Baby William’s delicate birth weight of only 1 lb. 4 oz. to her classroom of children who were praying for his needs and who contributed to a special gift for him—a baby scale. Ingeniously, she measured out a bag of flour weighing 1 lb. 4 oz. so they could hold it and feel how very light he weighed at birth. Well, I’m happy to report that at his last follow-up exam, William weighed well over six “VBS” bags of flour for a grand total of 7 lbs. 10 oz.! You might say he’s our honorary little Pillsbury Dough Boy now. :-)
He has already experienced his first “home school graduation” from a preemie bottle to a regular sized baby bottle along with nursing. But the most encouraging progress is that all his feedings are by mouth now, and he has been doing well, thus far, without the NG tube (nasal gastrointestinal tube.) His dad and mom are monitoring his weight to make sure that he continues to gain steadily. The other hindrance to his feedings had been the frequent occurrences of reflux. However, that seems to be steadily improving by way of diminishing, and we pray that his system will continue to improve without the need at all for surgery to correct it.
Take a good look at this photo of William, for it may be the last one we print with the adornment of his nasal cannula. :-) Yes, it is Josh and Noelle’s expectation, and our prayer, that he will soon have no further need of it. The oxygenation is now turned down to its lowest setting and he has been doing quite well that way for some time...UP TO THE SECOND, UP TO THE MOMENT!: Noelle just called and informed me that William has been satting...(remember(?) that’s a term for the saturation level of oxygen in the blood, not a grammatical error or baby talk.) :-) Let’s start over again. Noelle reported that William has been satting well in the 90s all day (and that’s great!) without the aid of supplemental oxygen. That’s the latest answer to prayer and praise be to God!
*
ANSWERS TO PRAYER:*
Faithful Prayer Partners, this time we’ve done a switch on you and saved the best for almost last. In preparing this week’s update, I arbitrarily chose an old Recovery Report to use as a guideline. Just as I was about to erase the old prayer request list and start a new one, I felt led to survey all the previous prayer requests as far back as January, and I recalled how they sometimes seemed like such a tall order for this little guy. But then it occurred to me what an amazing God we serve, the Great Physician, Who hears our every prayer, and then answers them in His infinite wisdom, purpose, and time.
Prayer requests from January through June 2002 as we called upon all of you to join us in prayer...
Baby William, as of this time, January 24, 2002, is still alive...Continue to pray, pray, pray.
for continued healing and strengthening of his lungs, heart and nervous system.
for the central nervous system to continue to mature and be totally healed of any seizure-like activity.
for complete healing and maturity of William’s intestinal system to enable him to tolerate his mother’s milk...
that his lungs would continue to heal from the infection and bronchial-pulmonary dysphasia.
that (after brain surgery) William would recuperate speedily and completely.
that he would learn to coordinate breathing, sucking, and swallowing...
that William would continue to steadily increase his endurance and amount of intake for each feeding.
for early release from the (Houston) hospital (after both eye surgeries) and safe passage driving home.
that the supplemental oxygenation via the nasal cannula would continue to be lowered and soon completely eliminated—answer to prayer today!
AND THE LORD HAS BEEN EXCEEDINGLY GRACIOUS IN HIS TIME TO GRANT ALL OF THESE ANSWERS TO PRAYER!!!
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
With William’s present needs in mind, and one in particular, it has been reassuring to us that God is still involved in the near to shear impossible. We humbly call upon you to continue to remember Baby William in your prayers for these ongoing needs for...
continued healing in his eyes for protection and restoration of vision and eye functions.
discernment for Josh and Noelle in choosing the best of the recommended physical therapists for William.
continual improvement in his gross and fine motor skills as a result of God’s healing touch and early treatment with infant physical therapy for any CP related impairments.
steadily increased volume of feedings by mouth and continual healing of reflux.
continued maintenance of healthy satting levels without any supplemental oxygen.
WORD FOR THE DAY:
We can all take heart from reassuring words from the Living Word involving a miraculous intervention of God with another baby, John the Baptist, when the physician Luke reported the angel’s declaration, “For with God, nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).
6/5/02
ANSWERS TO PRAYER! — HAPPY HOMECOMING!
No! Baby William is not “missing in action!” Strike up the band! Hoist the banner and sound the bugle! On Monday, June 3rd, hallelujah!, (on Auntie Aimee’s birthday, by the way) at approximately 2:30pm CST, our grandson, William “the conqueror” Reid Goforth was awarded an “honorable discharge” from the hospital after 4 months and 2+ weeks—the sum total of his entire life on “active duty” in the NICU. His precious discharge nurse, along with the family, took him on the NICU’s traditional victory lap (yes, that’s what they call it)—to say goodbye to all the “special forces”—the dedicated caregivers, who worked daily through the heat of the battle for his survival. And furthermore, in specific answer to prayer, William left the hospital without the aid of the ever-present nasal cannula! Thank the Lord again and again! Please forgive us for having so much fun with this, but we are ecstatic beyond belief!
UP TO THE MOMENT. . .
William seemed to adapt very well to all the attention he received from all the commotion of family visitors on his first day home. The real test for Daddy and Mommy came on his first night home—a sleepless one, at that. He still has his days and nights mixed up, as do so many full term newborns. After all, he’s really only 3 weeks old by BST —“Baby Standard Time.” :-)
After his first follow up doctor’s appointment yesterday as a “civilian” (now that his is no longer in the NICU), it appears that he will need a more gradual weaning from the supplemental oxygen with intermittent use of the nasal cannula until there is further healing and maturing of his lungs.
By the Lord’s grace they were able to have at least two days on “furlough” at home before the next campaign that awaits them...
PRAYER ALERT!
Although Monday heralded a new beginning for the Goforths, with a joyous celebration of William’s release from the NICU, we recognize we are still continually dependent on the Divine Caregiver, our Lord God, and for His attendance to the steadfast petitions of His people on behalf of Baby William... Just hours before the baby’s release, William received one more eye exam, which seemed to confirm detachment of the right retina. Along with the excitement of his discharge, Josh and Noelle were presented with the serious possibility of bypassing home, and flying all the way to Michigan to meet with the recommended specialist, since the Houston specialist was out of the country. However, praise the Lord, after assessing all the alternatives, the hospital arranged for an appointment today, Wednesday, with a specialist in Houston, who will examine him before proceeding with surgery to reattach the retina. That allows us all the more time to petition the Great Physician—our God who specializes in miracles, to do a creative miracle on William’s eyes, before his exam this afternoon. It is our ultimate hope and prayer for William’s eyes to be totally healed.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Today we would ask that you would join us in trusting the Lord God our Healer in His abundant grace for...
total healing of William’s eyes which would eliminate the need for surgery.
traveling safety for Josh and Noelle as they drive to and from Houston with our precious “preemie on board.”
grace, peace, and victory for the Lord’s purpose involving William’s eyesight.
wisdom and strength for the challenges ahead for Josh and Noelle.
WORD FOR THE DAY:
Logic may dictate that we are being unreasonable when asking for prayer for a total healing for the baby’s eyes. However, in our family devotion time this morning we read about the total healing of a certain centurion’s servant. The physician, Luke, reports that Jesus marveled that the centurion, who proclaimed himself unworthy to be visited by Jesus, had the faith IN JESUS to heal the servant from a distance with His spoken word (Luke 7:9). In God’s Living Word, Jesus proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). Therefore, we can put our full trust in the Lord Jesus who specializes in the miraculous and who is not constrained by location. He is able to answer prayers of the faithful even from a distance for He is “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8).
5/29/02
ANSWERS TO PRAYER!
William is 4 months and 1+ week old! and now weighs 6 lbs. 1.1 oz!
Good news! Since our previous update, there has been promising headway as to two specific prayer requests, namely-healing of the baby’s respiratory system (to eliminate all supplemental oxygen) and his gastrointestinal system (to eliminate the need for a permanent G-tube)! On Monday night we received a surprise call from Noelle with the exciting news that William was off all supplemental oxygen (as a trial run, you might say.) Although he was put back on the nasal cannula before the night was up, we are encouraged that the settings were substantially lowered. Secondly, not only has there been vast improvement with the problem of reflux, he has managed to take his entire preemie bottle of 50 cc’s and keep it down (where it belongs). Once again we have renewed hope with evidence of the inner workings of the Lord’s attention to the continual prayer requests that we have often shared with you, our prayer partners. Thank you! and thanks be to God!
UP TO THE MOMENT...
After orientation and preparation, including a CPR class, Daddy and Mommy had a “crash course” this past weekend in Advanced Parenting 101. For the very first time ever since his birth, they spent a continuous 48 hours rooming-in as a family with Baby William in the hospital. Josh and Noelle reported that the baby was quite curious and looked all around at his new surroundings in their unusually quiet, private room.
During this weekend’s “furlough” from the NICU, William was outfitted with a home apnea monitor which signals an alarm whenever a baby stops breathing. We are pleased to report that it did not go off even once. PTL! As is true of so many full term newborns, it seems that even after 4 months “on active duty” in the NICU, our “little conqueror” still has his days and nights turned around. William managed to keep Daddy and Mommy on “night watch patrol” nearly the whole 48 hours. During times of fussiness, in the wee small hours of the morning, he was sometimes satisfied just to hear their reassuring voices say, “Go nigh-night.” But at other times during the all-night vigil, it took a more active strategy of the old reliable, pacifying pats on the back to keep the peace. Needless to say, once Josh and Noelle returned home, they both slept like a baby-a very sleepy baby...
COUNTDOWN TO HOMECOMING!
As it stands, all that remains for William to be released from the hospital is recovery from one more minor operation to correct an inguinal hernia. Since the intestines are still not fully developed in preemies born at 24 weeks gestation, a hernia (caused from a weakness in the intestinal wall), is a common occurrence. William’s surgery is presently scheduled for Thursday of this week. It is our hope that the recovery will be quick and uneventful, and that he would be released as early as Monday. That would be a very special birthday present, indeed, for Auntie Aimee.
PRAYER ALERT!
One serious matter, though, could delay William’s release, and that is a possible reversal in the progress of his eyes, especially his right eye. Results from the most recent eye exam have caused the doctor to be concerned, once again, for detachment of the right retina. At this time, it has not detached, but it appears to be very threatening. Since this would necessitate a trip to a specialist in Houston, we most earnestly covet your prayers for the Lord’s intervention on behalf of Baby William.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Today we would ask that you would join us in trusting the Lord God our Healer in His abundant grace for...
continued healing in William’s eyes to prevent detachment of either retina.
a quick and full recovery from surgery for the inguinal hernia.
continued healing in his respiratory system to eliminate the need for any supplemental oxygen.
continued protection from anything that would delay William’s release from the hospital.
strength for the challenges ahead for Josh and Noelle.
WORD FOR THE DAY:
During a recent home school convention, a mother offered us the priceless gift of encouragement. After sharing a testimony of a life-threatening illness that had caused the doctors to give up all hope for recovery for her precious toddler, she entrusted us with a personalized Scripture note card that she had carried around with her for so long as a comforting companion. It served to remind her of the mercy of the Lord before, during, and after a miraculous healing of her daughter who was totally restored. We pray this for William and for your loved ones in need...”O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me...you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:2;30:11b-12).
4/29/02
RECOVERY REPORT
Today, William is recovering well from Thursday’s laser eye surgery to interrupt the progression of ROP. There has been no bleeding, which is an answer to prayer! Further evaluation as to the outcome of the surgery will have to wait until his next weekly eye exam. We so appreciate your fervent prayer on the baby’s behalf, and we continue to covet your ongoing prayers for favorable results from this surgery.
UP TO THE MOMENT. . . William is 3 months and 6 days old today! (and imagine, he’s not even due until May 15th!):
It was a delight Thursday to enter the NICU and walk right passed William. (You see, sometimes his location is changed from one station to the other.) Why would that be delightful, you ask? Well, I was looking for him in his usual infant isolette or incubator when the nurse had to point me back the way I had come. Lo and behold! There he was, next to his “Prayer Bear”-in a proper hospital crib. Another answer to prayer!-Gran’s prayer. Every “promotion” in the intensive care nursery is a celebrated accomplishment.
Despite Thursday’s surgery, and except for one isolated choking episode, (when the milk went down the wrong tube-his tube), this week William managed to successfully complete his “orientation” to Bottle Feeding 101, with the introduction to-first 3 and then 4 cc’s of his mother’s milk. Then for the next bottle feedings, he tripled his intake for his daddy. Way to go, Coach! Yet another *answer to prayer! It truly is an endurance skill for Baby William. Thankfully, he continued to gain weight, steadily increasing to 4 lbs. 5.9 oz. (even though he probably burned up more calories than usual from all the work it now takes, sucking and swallowing his meals.) :-) He will continue to be supplemented by gavage feeding until he progresses to around 40 cc’s per feeding. (For those of you who missed *Metric Math 101, like me, I’ve been told that 29cc’s = 1 oz.) Therefore, every fraction of an ounce is a triumph.
Now that he is off the Oscillator, the Ventilator, and the CPAP, he is back on the nasal cannula with the oxygenation now turned down to 35%-the lowest setting ever for him. Still another answer to prayer! Without the hindrance of all those other tubes, he is able to spend more quality time with Mom and Dad in kangaroo care, which is a therapy that places the preemie on the parent’s chest-skin to skin. Experts believe it is one of the best strategies to help preemies thrive. We believe there’s one more strategy which helps preemies thrive, and that’s prayer care to the Ultimate Expert, our Heavenly Father. Which brings us to the purpose of these updates, after all, and that is to make our prayer requests known to all of you, our faithful prayer partners...
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Since the “Four Wheelers” are headed out for over a week on a ministry tour, we ask that you would please join us in extended prayer that:
the most recent laser eye surgery would prove successful in preserving William’s vision.
the baby would continue to improve his skill at bottle feeding and eventually at breast feeding.
William would continue to steadily increase his endurance and amount of intake for each feeding.
as the blood clot continues to dissolve, the Lord would completely heal the hydrocephalus, therefore, eliminating the need for a permanent shunt.
the crease in his soft palate would completely heal now that the ventilator tube has been eliminated.
the supplemental oxygenation (via the nasal cannula) would continue to be lowered and soon completely eliminated.
WORD FOR THE DAY:
Along with Dad and Mom’s touch, in the spiritual sense, here’s the ultimate kangaroo care touch...
“But Jesus said, ‘Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them...” (Matthew 19:13&14). May God’s healing touch be made manifest to our grand-Baby William and to all your loved ones, as well.
4/18/02
ANSWERS TO PRAYER! William is 12 weeks and 3 days old today!
The Lord has been gracious to answer the petitions of all those who called upon the Great Physician in regards to William’s recovery from not just one, but both surgeries from last week. Despite an expected decrease in his feedings right after surgery, William has continued to gain weight, amazingly enough, and currently weighs 4 lbs. 5.2 oz. Praise be to God! Even though some aspects of the baby’s recovery were tedious, we are thrilled to report that he is now totally off the ventilator and receiving improved oxygenation once again via the nasal cannula — just as he was before the surgeries. Furthermore, currently his vital signs have remained stable even after the rigorous jostling of his bath last night. He seems to be back to his feisty self. Another praise report includes the neurosurgeon’s post-operative report, that after a successful surgery, the right and left ventricles are now equal in size with unobstructed communication of the CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) on both sides. Answered P-R-A-Y-E-R spells relief!
UP TO THE MOMENT. . .
This has been a most eventful week in the life of our Baby William “the conqueror.” Besides regaining ground that had been lost due to, not just one, but two surgeries in a matter of days — Monday, April 15, 2002 will prove to be “a night to remember” for our entire family as we look forward to recalling it for William’s sake in years to come. That night the Christian Boy’s & Men’s Titanic Society, under the leadership of Doug Phillips, took occasion during their annual Titanic Memorial Banquet to honor William’s father, Joshua, as an example of a father’s legacy of heroism for his steadfast conviction to protect the life of his son. Profound gratitude to the beloved friends and families of Vision Forum Ministries will always be remembered — for their sacrificial giving and dedication to the principle of “women and children first,” as well as their vision for the Baby William Fund.
In light of this week’s events, we look forward to another celebration in the near future. This brings us to the most frequently asked question concerning our grandson — “When will Baby William be released from the hospital?” Although the medical staff cannot determine a definite date of discharge for a baby born as prematurely as William, the closest frame of reference we have been given so far is around a preemies’ original due date. For William, this would be sometime close to May 15th. Yes, we have more or less 4 weeks left in anticipation of our precious grandchild’s actual due date, and therefore, his joyous homecoming, even though his birth-day was Jan 21st., nearly 3 months ago. All in the Lord’s good timing and grace.
And as a step toward that celebrated homecoming, there was word today of a new athletic course for William to pass — Bottle Feeding 101. The exciting word is that they are planning to introduce his mother’s milk to him via the bottle for the very first time! That involves the mastered skills of sucking and swallowing while “remembering” to breathe, all at the same time. Go-Goforth! He is presently receiving 38 cc’s of milk every 3 hours by gavage (tube) feeding.
Now that Baby William is totally off the ventilator, we are hoping that the antibiotics he is presently receiving will be effective in completely healing an infection in his throat that they suspect is from re-intubation of the ventilator tube for last week’s surgery. Another area of concern is that, when tested, his right eye does not seem to respond to light with proper dilation of the pupil. The cause could be either neurological, a result of the laser surgery, or it could simply be too soon after eye surgery to tell. With the hope and anticipation of the approaching month ahead, we continue to call upon the LORD for His divine healing touch.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Today we ask you to please join us in prayer that:
William’s right eye will completely heal and respond appropriately to light when tested.
the infection in his throat would completely heal, now that the ventilator tube is no longer present.
he would remain off the ventilator and continue to strengthen and stabilize in all his vital systems from this time forth.
William will successfully learn the skill of bottle feeding and eventually breastfeeding even quicker than expected.
WORD FOR THE DAY:
Borrowing from the Scripture text of a night to remember...”As Thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so Thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). In years to come, may this also be William’s praise...”I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14).
3/23/02
Imagine the joy of a mother to hold her baby for the first time in six weeks. Noelle experienced this joy recently as yet another one of the many tender mercies of the Lord in connection with baby William. The story behind this miracle is as follows: Last week, William’s lungs began to improve and the doctors were able to lower the oxygenation of the respirator. A few days later William “graduated” from the oscillator to the ventilator, which is a less intrusive breathing apparatus. This progression continued and as of Saturday the 23rd, the doctors removed the ventilator and he began breathing on his own for the first time in his life. Given the fact that many doctors predicted a 0% chance of this happening, we have yet another testimony to the power of Christ. This allowed Josh and Noelle to be able to hold their son for the first time in six weeks! Praise the Lord.
William is now receiving (by tube feeding) 8 CCs of his mother’s milk every hour. At present he now weighs 3 lbs., 5 oz. We are encouraged that there was a lapse of four full days between the usual daily taps of cranial fluid. Once again, we continue to be hopeful that there will be a steady decrease in the amount of fluid, resulting in a total healing that would eliminate the need for a permanent shunt in his skull. We also received some encouraging information on baby William’s eyesight. The initial concern was that because of the amount of oxygen he was receiving from the ventilator, his eyesight could possibly be damaged. However, last week the doctors’ testing showed baby William’s eyes to be in the top category for his condition. Thank You, Lord Jesus.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Today we ask you to please join us in prayer that:
His lungs would continue to heal from the infection and bronchial-pulmonary displasia.
There would remain an immediate and steady decrease in the cranial fluid, eliminating the need for a permanent shunt in the future.
His brain would be totally protected from any pressure caused by any fluids or dissolving blood clots.
William’s eyesight would be protected.
The Lord would continue to give divine wisdom and supernatural insight to each hospital staff member who attends William each day.
2/6/02
More than 700 letters of support have poured into our office from families who are praying for baby William Goforth, the one-pound four-ounce preemie who has been fighting for his life for almost three weeks now. Notwithstanding the extreme pressure from some within the medical community on parents Josh and Noelle to abandon their efforts, this couple has demonstrated unflappable love and courage on behalf of their son. At every step, God appears to be confounding the pessimism of the medical experts, who had given this boy no hope. Although bleeding persists on the brain, he has begun to open his eyes, to respond to sound, and to move around. Two days ago he survived a successful operation. We know that this is because of the remarkable mercy of the Lord.
Thanks also to those of you who have, completely on your own initiative, sent in checks for the family. Please continue to pray. William has quite a battle before him. He could live, or the Lord could take him at any moment. But all of us here in San Antonio are dreaming of the day when young Will Goforth will laugh and jump and shout the name of the Lord. We do not presume to know the mind or will of God, but all of us have great faith that, with your prayers, “the work of God might be displayed” in that child (John 9:1-3). We know that he “will go forth,” and are hoping that it will be into the arms of his parents and for a life of service to God.
1/29/02
Thank you to the many, many beautiful responses to our request for prayer for the young son of Joshua and Noelle Goforth. Born on the eve of the 29th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, this struggling little one-pound four-ounce child, named William, is testimony to the absolute preciousness of life.
Now in his second week out of the womb, William’s life continues to hang in the balance. Since I last wrote, there has been significant bleeding on the brain that has caused great instability and left him in critical condition. William had to be resuscitated last night when his heart beat dropped below 40 beats per minute, but he is currently stable.
On a personal observation, I have stood in amazement at the utter trust in God, and the commitment to principle demonstrated by Josh and his dear bride throughout this entire experience. In the midst of this heartbreaking circumstance, the couple has had the presence and the spiritual fervor to reject the two great temptations often set before families in their circumstance: 1.) Determining medical action based on a “quality of life” evaluation of the child; and 2.) Subsidizing the care through government welfare. In so doing, they have been a testimony, to many, that we Christians truly do believe that God is in control; that He never makes mistakes; and that every baby’s life, regardless of circumstance, is worth fighting for.
Again, we humbly petition you to remember little William, his mother, and his father in your prayers.
1/22/02
Last night, God brought a precious 24-week, one pound, four ounce baby boy into the world. The baby is beautiful and fully formed, but ever-so-tiny. So tiny, in fact, that he can sit in the palm of an average man’s hand. As you might guess, this little preemie is in need of prayer. He was born to Joshua and Noelle Goforth. (You might remember the couple who were the subject of an earlier e-mail entitled “Never Been Kissed: A Home School Love Story.”) We love this couple very much, and are crying out to God that He will preserve the life of their little miracle baby.
Will you, your friends, and family join me in praying for this baby each day for the next two critical weeks during which the child is considered by the medical profession to be highly “at risk?” How wonderful that we know and serve the sovereign God who alone controls the life of this child in His hand, and who loves to hear the petitions of His saints.