His Name is Jehovah Rapha

Soon to be 30 years old, I was ecstatic about being a first-time father. My wife and I had enjoyed six years of spontaneous road trips, binge-watching VHS movies (remember them?), and the freedom of a life with little structure. But we were settled and anxious for more tax deductions.

Sandra became pregnant and scheduled the first ultrasound as she approached week 18. I was recovering from a cold and didn’t go with her.

I knew the moment I saw her that afternoon. When you’ve known someone half your life, you complete their thoughts and read volumes in their eyes. 

I fell to the ground like dust. 

“What’s wrong with my baby?” 

She knelt down and wrapped her arms around me, and we cried together.

Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (C-CAM)

Our baby had a condition called Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (C-CAM). It’s a benign lung lesion that appears before birth as a cyst or mass in the chest. Our case was fatal, according to Sandra’s OB/GYN, Dr. Gurley. 

I will always regret Sandra making the 45-minute drive home alone that day. She is definitely the stronger one in our marriage.

We returned to Dr. Gurley’s office the next day so he could speak to both of us. The ultrasound revealed massive tumors in our little girl’s chest cavity, which prohibited normal lung tissue growth and smashed her tiny heart. The prognosis was that our baby’s heart would stop beating any day due to the stress on it. If she made it full-term, she’d gasp for breath and die on the delivery table without lungs. 

Praying for a Miracle

In 1997, there was nothing doctors could do for C-CAM. But Dr. Gurley was a Christian and believed in the power of prayer. After delivering the difficult news, he gathered Sandra, his assistant Becky, and me in his office, and we held hands as he prayed for a miracle.

The next day, we visited a neonatal specialist who performed his own ultrasound and saw the same thing. In his opinion, abortion was the wisest and least traumatic choice. He explained that Sandra would likely carry a baby who had already died in the womb until her next appointment.

That night, we had dinner with our pastor and his wife, and he suggested the strangest question. “Do you mind if I pray for a miracle for your baby?”

Larry Stinson, the school principal where Sandra taught, also said he was praying for a miracle.

Within a few days, three men of faith were praying for our miracle—and encouraging us to do the same.

Over the next two months, Sandra and I returned weekly to both doctors. Each ultrasound showed the same devastating picture: cysts, no visible lung tissue, and a heart barely able to function. Yet the heartbeat continued—defying expectations.

The specialist continued to recommend an abortion.

By this point, God had given me Romans 8:28, 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I didn’t take this Scripture as God’s promise to heal our baby girl of C-CAM, but instead, I knew we’d be okay either way. He had us. 

So, we kept praying for a miracle and stopped going to the neonatal specialist. God has the power to take our baby’s life, not us. 

A Trip to Duke Children’s Hospital

Around week 27, we scheduled a visit with specialists at Duke’s Children’s Hospital. We were praying, and our church was united in prayer, because God often works through people.

The Duke specialists reviewed the earlier ultrasounds and prepared us for the worst. Then they performed their own scan.

Incredulous. 

That’s probably the best word to describe their findings. 

But Not With God

Keely’s (we had already named her — that’s another story) chest cavity revealed two perfectly formed, healthy lungs, a vibrant pumping heart located in the right place, and only a few cysts in the lower left lobe of her lung! The doctors told us to plan for a normal delivery.

Three weeks earlier was a completely different, sad story, and the Duke doctors agreed that this C-CAM transformation was impossible. 

But not with God.

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.”Luke 18:27

Keely celebrates her 29th birthday in a few months.  

His Name is Jehovah Rapha — He heals. 

And He still heals.

---

Thanks for reading this article. If you got value from it, would you consider subscribing to receive emails when I publish? In return, I’ll commit to consistently writing content that never wastes your time.