Timothy Carney
An awful loss, a beautiful life, a daunting task
My sister-in-law Elena and her husband Pat brought JP home as soon as possible, and began the 24-hour a day job of keeping him alive. Someone was always at JP’s side, monitoring blood-oxygen levels, suctioning mucus through his tracheostomy tube…
Daily saving the life of an immobile kid with a fatal disease raises some fundamental questions. What is the point of such a life? Which raises the prior question: What is the purpose of any life?…
More than 500 people attended the beautiful funeral. One non-Catholic mourner was moved so much by the Mass she told Pat, “Now I understand why you’re Catholic.”
John Paul, who never spoke a word in his life, was the greatest evangelist of love, faith, virtue and hope I have ever met.
Blowback
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Oh dear, bless his tiny little heart. May God hold John Paul in His arms and comfort the family.
Amen
L
letget on February 25, 2013 at 1:06 PM
We are blessed to know a family from our church who have a child that constantly needs care and will probably not live much past young adulthood. One of their doctors recommended aborting him, but the parents couldn’t and wouldn’t do that. Some technicians/doctors commented that they’ve never seen a brain like his – abnormalities. He cannot talk and barely responds. He has constant seizures and is basically like a new born and will always be thus.
Yet he is a blessing, to his parents, to his younger sister, to family and friends.
Logus on February 25, 2013 at 1:07 PM
Oh my… how tender. In spite of all the brutal and decadent things we see and hear about day after day, this one beautiful story brings to the forefront God’s love in all of us.
.
Thank you, so much.
ExpressoBold on February 25, 2013 at 1:18 PM
My heart and prayers are with the family of this dear child.
ColtsFan on February 25, 2013 at 1:27 PM
I have a co worker whose Daughter has SMA. She is 14 years old this year.
She is a miracle.
portlandon on February 25, 2013 at 1:29 PM
How wrenching. Literally every day a battle for life.
My darling GF was a miracle baby herself, and at least one previous sibling was stillborn…I’m a little more attuned to these stories now.
MelonCollie on February 25, 2013 at 1:39 PM
…and the liberals throw away these lives on a daily basis…
right2bright on February 25, 2013 at 1:46 PM
That’s not all. They throw away babies without any kind of special need whatsoever, that wouldn’t have needed a thing besides milk and diapers and regular TLC. Pure convenience and irresponsibility are their only ‘faults’.
Liberals don’t even have the most threadbare excuse.
MelonCollie on February 25, 2013 at 2:15 PM
A very stirring story and example. Thanks.
theCork on February 25, 2013 at 2:35 PM
On a tangential note about abortion and special needs… or lack thereof:
http://www.lifenews.com/2013/02/14/teen-who-survived-botched-abortion-now-a-successful-wrestler/
Logus on February 25, 2013 at 3:10 PM
Why do we glorify this?
Why can’t we be honest with ourselves?
Seven Seas on February 25, 2013 at 4:36 PM
I’m not sure what you mean?
For people that value all life, there is no dishonesty in highlighting a family that chose life (despite the struggle) and feels blessed.
It would be dishonest to pretend that there was no hardship involved, that it didn’t take additional time and focus or that it wasn’t incredibly painful to lose their child.
However, to discuss the pain but also say that they found the sacrifice to be worth it and feel blessed? I can only take their word for it that it is the truth of their situation.
JadeNYU on February 25, 2013 at 4:50 PM
Seven Seas- we are honest with ourselves. My son was born with multiple problems. They thought he wouldn’t live to see 18 months. I’ll never forget the day I watched them put him under for a MRI to take a look at his brain. He looked dead. I thought about how it would be when he was really dead- and I realized how very precious every minute of his life was going to be. So we enjoyed every minute- we loved him, and he loved us. It was like magic. Guess what? My boy lived and is pushing ten. In fact, he is such a crazy kid, he broke his arm last week. We still love him. And all the trials we went through to keep him alive just make him more dear to us. It is folks like you who think these little lives aren’t worth anything that aren’t being honest.
Kristamatic on February 25, 2013 at 6:16 PM