A Hunter Update.... "Your Son May Never Walk..."

(If you're new to Hunter's story and the miracles of his life, please start here and then head over here)

10 weeks premature.

Hydrops.

Resuscitation at birth.

A fatal heart condition.

Cerebral Palsy.

If the heart condition didn't kill him, a rare metabolic disorder that would.

If you know Hunter's story, you know that this list has changed significantly over the past 18 months... Hunter's heart condition is gone and he doesn't have CP or a metabolic disorder. Hunter's miracles.

I know I've said it before but... we were ok with that list.

Yes. It's a scary list. Yes. In a way, we signed up for it. Yes. We were terrified.

But our fear... it wasn't for us. It was for Hunter.

The lessons we've learned over the past 18 months... the numerous ways we've been stretched and challenged and tested... are life-changing.

The miracles God has preformed in the past 18 months... the one's He continues to shower down on our son... are life-giving.

I have never known someone as hard-working, as determined, and as hard-headed as Hunter. His work ethic would be considered unheard-of for a middle-aged, successful adult. His determination and his fighter instinct are why he is alive.

You see... when your life begins as Hunter's did, nothing comes 'natural'. That word just doesn't seem to exist in his world.

Eating never came naturally. Sucking on a pacifier never came naturally. Rolling over and sitting up never came naturally. Crawling? Pulling up? Squatting? Going from crawl to sit or sit to crawl or crawl to pull up or pull up back to sit or ...

everything he 'shouldn't' have ever been able to do....

they didn't come 'naturally' to him.

We have seen him work for every single thing that he does; from breathing.... to sucking on a pacifier.... to breathing and sleeping at the same time... to using a bottle... to breathing and sucking from a bottle at the same time... to holding a bottle... rolling over... sitting up... crawling... using a spoon... chewing... pulling up...

The effort it takes, the amount of time his amazing therapists spend with him, the painful crying when his body fights his will to learn and do better...

When he succeeds?

I've never seen such joy... so much unashamed and well-deserved pride... on someone's face.

The thing about Hunter?

He always succeeds.

Every. Single. Time.

He has help, yes... from us, our family, his therapists... but his will, his hard-work and determination are what get him there....

where no one ever thought he would go.

And, friends... he's going places....



Just 18 months ago, only moments after meeting our son for the first time... completely overwhelmed and intimidated by the 3 pound precious baby boy in front of us... was the first time that we heard, "Your son may never walk or play sports and his activity may have to be limited, which will be hard for a little boy. If he does ever walk, it will be a struggle."



 I've learned that miracles can't be defined by something super-natural.... sometimes we have to physically fight for them. And maybe it's not the end result that is the miracle, itself... maybe the miracle is the determination we have to fight, that can only come from something super-natural; from our Heavenly Father.

I don't have the strength and determination that my son has. I can't help but think that I would have given up a long time ago if I ever had to go through even half of what he has. Hunter fights for the 'natural' part of his life every day. The biggest lesson he has taught me? He's taught me that miracles never come out of our fear.... but often, they do come from our willingness to fight.

I spent time just watching Hunter walk today and was completely humbled by the miracle I saw in front of me.... he is a walking miracle ;-)