By Sandra Bost
Standing in the emergency room in a foreign land, holding the lifeless body of my 9-month-old is an image that still haunts me nearly 25 years later. I remember it almost like it was yesterday.
Our son had not been well for weeks. Usually a happy boy, he just seemed a little fussier than usual. I had taken him to the doctor several times, and even tried a new doctor to see if she could help us figure it out. All they came up with was an ear infection. When I asked about his weight loss, they said he was just losing his baby fat. Since he was around 30 pounds, nobody really worried about that. Except for me.
I remember the day I decided to plant myself at the doctor’s office until I had an answer. We had been at the pool that April morning. Our son had fallen asleep in the stroller, so I laid him down in his crib when we got home. He was breathing so hard and fast, just laying there. I called a friend nearby to watch our daughter (which I NEVER did), ordered a taxi, and phoned my husband to meet me at the hospital.
Doctors’ offices in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were housed inside the hospitals. I did not have an appointment this particular time, but I made my way to our doctor’s exam room anyway. I knocked on the door and his nurse asked me to wait. She must have seen the panic on my face because she sent the doctor out to us right away. He took one look at our boy, and checked his blood sugar. The glucometer lit up, “High.”
My husband had just arrived as we were being sent to the hospital across town to the pediatric endocrinologist. That 20 minute car ride felt like forever as we were trying to wrap our minds around what was happening.
Upon arrival, we were tasked with filling out paperwork and paying a ridiculous amount of money, because in Saudi you have hospital specific insurance and this was not our hospital. While my husband was calling friends to help with the financial situation, I was sitting there, helplessly holding my baby. All I could do was pray. I don’t even know what I prayed for, but as I prayed, courage came over me. I remember barging into the treatment room with my baby in my arms and crying, “Can someone please help my baby.”
A doctor took one look at his limp body and said, “I will help your baby.” He took him from me, and I watched, in horror, as a team of doctors and nurses tried to get an IV into his dehydrated little arms…feet…anything. By this time, he had even stopped whimpering. He just laid there while they poked his little body. Their attempts for an IV were unsuccessful. Minutes before they came to take him to surgery to insert a picc line, another doctor walked into the room, and asked if he could try. We were desperate. Miraculously, with one stick, this doctor inserted an IV into our boy’s left arm. We were so grateful, but we forgot to ask his name. When we asked about him later, nobody knew who he was.
Over the next few days, we would learn that our son had Type 1 diabetes as the risks of his critical condition were explained to us. By the merciful grace of God our baby’s body responded well to the treatment. We took a crash course in counting carbohydrates and checking blood sugar in sweet little fingers and toes. And we practiced giving shots to an orange.
In those scary days, a few things stood out to us. The first thing was the presence of the unknown doctor who just happened to be able to get an IV in when no one else was able. Another thing was the presence of Filipino nurses who were Christians. They knew we were Christians because our son’s first name is Joshua (the English name for “Yahweh is Salvation”). These nurses faithfully prayed over our boy whenever they came to check on him. We also found out about their secret church. Immediately The Lord formed a bond between our hearts. He would later use us to bring Bibles, music, and other teaching materials to these people.
This experience taught us that even though we do not understand God’s ways, He never wastes one tear or trial. Romans 8:28 reminds us that He is always at work for our ultimate Good and the Good of others. And, for that, we give Him glory!
