Fathering in Faith

Christina had an autoimmune disease called “Wegener’s Granulomatosis.” I remember when she told me about her disease when we were first getting to know one another, and she asked me if it would turn me off from dating her. I responded the opposite, “It makes me want to care for you even more.”

Christina carried around this disease since she was diagnosed as a teenager. But she fought it with tenacity. In some cases, she fought so well that many people would never know her battle. When she was 21, a flair up eventually led to her needing to go to the Mayo Clinic and having open heart surgery for a Mitral Valve Repair.

When she was young, various methods to help with her disease caused future issues with her being able to produce eggs. As many of you know, we struggled with infertility and Christina was a strong light to those who also struggled.

But she fought. And she worked hard to ensure she kept battling for the people she loved.

She fought hard to get to a place where we could adopt embryos and transfer one so she could carry our son, Ramsey. And in our last year, she was pursuing her health with extreme diet and exercise. When the nutritionist asked us what our “why” was for her health plan, she immediately said “That I can live to be there for my son.”

I wasn’t ready for her to go. Three months prior to her passing, she had a similar sickness. She went to the ER and got a breathing treatment and steroids and she was better in a few days. So on Saturday, October 21st, she went to the ER again early in the morning. I told her I love you expecting a similar outcome as three months prior. This time it didn’t happen that way. Breathing treatment didn’t work. After transferring her to another hospital, they performed a procedure to clear her airway. After that procedure, they were measuring an artery in her leg to see if it was large enough to do a heart pump procedure and the artery ruptured which sent her body into shock. Before the surgery was the last time I got to text her. Family offered to watch Ramsey for me to go see her, but knowing her, I text her to make sure that is what she wanted. And you could guess it, she wanted me to care for Ramsey. So I did. And that was the last I got to communicate with her able to respond.

By Sunday morning, she was already not doing well. I got to go in and hold her hand and tell her I love her even though she wasn’t able to respond. There was hardly any progress in her circulation, so the doctors worked hard to improve things, but eventually the Wegener’s started shutting down organs and on Monday she went to be with Jesus.

I know she never stopped fighting. Especially so she could be there for Ramsey. He will know that about His momma. She fought hard. She battled. She loved with everything. And she is the reason He is here and has the life he has.

She would also want Ramsey to know that God made that all possible. That He gave Christina the heart to be a mom. And as much as He took her home early, we trust that His plan is better than ours. And now, Christina doesn’t have to battle anymore. She doesn’t have pain. She isn’t struggling. And we will see her again.