From time to time, I'm going to try and post items that may not have much to do with the overall theme of this site...or then again, they may everything to do with it.
This is an amazing story from Samoa, and deals with the uncompromising love of parents for a child, as well as G-d's love and compassion for the least of his children.
The only child of a young Samoan couple crawls around happily, cries when she's hungry and - like any other baby - is absolutely adored by her parents.
But this child was born with such serious facial deformities that doctors didn't expect her to live, and the hospital didn't even admit her existence until the parents pressed the issue.
The two month old,called Baby Miracle by her parents is thriving.
They took her home after three days from the hospital in Falelatai because they didn't believe the hospital was feeding her, convinced she would die.
Before that, they secretly fed her at the hospital, dripping milk into her mouth.
Now, her mother has to squeeze food and milk through a special straw into Baby Miracle's mouth to keep her alive.
The miracle continued when the Auckland, New Zealand based producer of Samoa TV, Taufau Aukuso, launched an appeal to raise money to bring Baby Miracle and her parents to New Zealand to get medical help for her. So far,the appeal has raised about $5,000 NZ since Ms. Aukuso aired a documentary on the baby.
"It's hard on the parents. They're young and don't have much money. This is their first child and the first grandchild for the family."
Ms Aukuso said the hospital initially denied Baby Miracle existed.
"They hid it in Samoa ... It wasn't until after the documentary that people talked about it."
Middlemore Hospital in New Zealand has offered to treat Baby Miracle, as soon as they get all the medical records from the the hospital where she was born, while the Survival Foundation in Apia is now helping the couple care for her.
Moreover,sympathetic Kiwis actually set up fundraising for Baby Miracle, in conjunction with Westpac Bank.
In an age when healthy babies are routinely aborted because they're inconvenient,the devotion of these parents to their child and the outpouring of support from others is definitely one of G-d's small miracles.
If any Joshua's Army members wish to donate here's a link.
Or if any of my New Zealand readers can go to any Westpac branch and mention Baby Miracle.
This seems to me like a good argument for abortion. If we want to decrease the level of suffering in the world, then we would do what's best for the parents and the child. If the parents don't want the child, then they will suffer, and so will the child from parental neglect or abuse.
ReplyDeleteCall it convenience if you must, but it makes sense to me.
Hi Nazar,
ReplyDeleteRespectfully, I'm not sure you read the article carefully.
These parents love and want this child, however deformed and are fighting to get her treatment and keep her alive. It was the HOSPITAL
that tried to keep her existence secret from the parents.
The miracle here is the love these parents have for their child, G-d's help in keeping her alive and the wonderful spirit of love that has prompted strangers to get involved.
And yes, I do contrast that with the way many `fetuses' are vacuumed out of the womb ( or worse in the case of partial birth abortion) simply because they're inconvenient.
Is your argument that Baby Miracle shouldn't be allowed to live, regardless of the parent's wishes? I hope not.
ff
I read the article through and through. I fully agree that the parents' love for this child is truly remarkable. My only argument is that perhaps both the parents and the child would have been better off had she not been born in the first place, thus making it a good argument for abortion. The hospital was way out of line in trying to end the baby's life, though.
ReplyDeleteI hope that clears it up.
Nazar,
ReplyDeleteSo you want the hospital making the decision,no matter what the parents' wishes??
As for whther the child and the parents would be `better off' are you G-d and do youknow what the future holds for this family and this child?
This reads much harsher than I intend it to..I just want to be sure you've thought out the implications of what you're writing.
Again, FF, I wrote that I don't agree with the hospital on this one. The parents' wishes reign supreme when it comes to making decisions for their children.
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not God and I don't know what the future is for this family. This child's life will be made all the harder by her condition, and I think we can both agree that she will experience a great amount of unnecessary suffering because of it. Because of that, I put forth that perhaps she would be better off had she not been born, for her own sake.
Maybe I sound heartless, but all I want to do is decrease the amount of suffering in this world.
And what if her facial disfigurement is curable?
ReplyDeleteStill feel the same way?
That's what I meant by `the future'.
I appreciate your compassion, but I have a feeling that Baby Miracle's parents would find it extremely misplaced.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteSorry cant help but just want to say, that the parents were unaware of the deformalities of their child until it was born. Regardless, its up to the parents. The love that the parents have for their child is overwhelming. I do pray and hope for the best for their daughter.
Hi anonoymous,
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly my point.
They still loved her even after they knew of her infirmity and are fighting to keep her alive and well.
An dan even bigger miracle is the way this has touched strangers, like yourself..
Hi,my prayer and blessing goes out to baby miracle and family by overcoming adversity. The parents has such unconditional love for Miracle, witch GOD will reveal himself on the operating table that
ReplyDeletewill prove the critics wrong, and show favour to miracle and parents. There is nothing that could separate baby miracle from the love of GOD. Doctors will only be doctors they were only voicing their opinion, but the parents has the final say, thats why they were able to stablelize baby miracle without any strict restriction order by documantation. I 2 is 11/2/67, GOD BLESS..