God Doesn’t Waste a Hurt: Pt. 1
Most days, my google alert system is pretty ho-hum, because it only finds content with my key words in it when I put up a blog post. But once in awhile, google helps me find new friends and great new blogs.
A Day in the Life of 4 Kids and a Dog
Not too long ago, google introduced me to Mama Kat and her blog A Day in the Life of 4 Kids and a Dog. A mutual blog friend, Victoria Nelson, had recommended Different Dream to Kat, and the google alert I received was her review of the book. Reading her words, I was amazed by how completely our family’s experience with a baby in NICU in 1982 resonated with her daughter’s PICU stay in 2010. I knew we had to talk and left a comment about her post.
Meet Mama Kat
A day or two later, the identity of Mama Kat was revealed when an email arrived from Kathie Carlson. We arranged a time for a phone call and talked for almost two hours. Over and over she said, “If only your book had been available when my daughter Tara was born. I felt so utterly and completely alone.”
Meet Tara
The story of her daughter, Tara, was amazing. I’ll give the highlights, and if you want to know more, go to www.carepages.com and type in “taracarlson.”
- Tara, the Carlson’s fourth child, came so quickly she was born in the hospital bathroom. Kat’s husband was trying to help her collect a urine sample and caught a baby instead.
- The baby was healthy, but a week after birth wasn’t eating well. Kat made an appointment with the lactation clinic. After checking Tara’s vitals, she picked up the baby, ran out of the room and told the receptionist to tell the ER a blue baby would soon arrive. She ran across the street and into the ER. A team of doctors met her and within 15 minutes, Tara was bagged. Within 20 minutes, they knew she had spinal meningitis.
- Tara spent the next three months in the hospital PICU with multiple viral infections. At one point, seven of her organs were failing. She was septic. She had to go through dialysis.
- No one expected Tara to live, but she did. She’s now 2 1/2 years old and lives at home. She wears a heart monitor at night because of her congestive heart failure. She does quite well, but has to rest more than other children her age. And the smallest cold or infection results in another hospital stay. Since she came home a little more than two years ago, she’s been hospitalized nineteen times, the longest stay being two weeks.
Meet Tara’s Family
A host of other complications enveloped Tara’s family while she was hospitalized. The Carlsons were supposed to move two weeks after Tara was born. Their church family stepped in and packed their belongings for them. But their new house purchase fell through, and the family was homeless. So Kat’s sister took in Tara’s three older siblings. Kat and her husband Jim lived at the hospital.
Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? But Kat’s response to her family’s experience, which will be the subject of the next post in this series, is even more incredible. You won’t want to miss it.
Jolene
4 Responses to “God Doesn’t Waste a Hurt: Pt. 1”
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- God Doesn’t Waste a Hurt: Pt. 2 | Different Dream - [...] the first post in this series, you met the Carlson family and learned about Tara,their youngest daughter, and her ...
The incredible people and their experiences tell how much your book and web site are needed. You can’t do yesterday but you are still needed today.
Blessings be with you, especially when you get tired!
Muriel Baron
Wow! What a beautiful introduction to the Carlson family. I can’t wait to read Part 2 to this wonderful family’s journey with Tara. Kathie’s faithfulness and joy in the midst of trials is so contagious…we are lucky to have met them along the way.
We love you Carlson family.
Jolene, our network of families in blogworld are all so grateful for you, and your inspirational book…for helping us along in this oh-so-different dream =)
Much love,
Victoria
Thank you for the encouragement, Muriel. Discovery House just approved my latest proposal for a second book, a practical guide for parents raising kids with special needs. Writing it will be tiring, but I won’t quit because you’re right. There are so many parents who need it.
Jolene
I had so much fun interviewing Kathie Carlson. Her faithfulness and joy came through the phone line. Someday I hope to meet her and you and Amber. You are all amazing women.
Thanks, too, for spreading the word about A Different Dream for My Child. Slowly but surely, it’s getting into the hands of parents who need it. But there are so many more who need hope!
Jolene