Prayers for Matt & Sarah (Sanctus Real)

I cried all the way to work this morning after you played the conversation you had with Matt from Sanctus Real.  I know the punched in the gut feeling he and his wife must have felt that day in the doctor's office.  My husband and I lost our baby in January to a brain defect.  Her brain did not form properly, and there was no way she would survive outside of the womb.  Like Matt's baby, we were told she would develop normally in all other ways, but she would most likely be still born or only live for a few minutes.  She was still born, and we were devestated.  It's been 2 1/2 months and we still hurt everyday, but we know that God is holding us.  

There are days when I feel like every song on K-Love is for me.  It seems like most of the songs played now are about going through pain and relying on God for strength or knowing that a day of joy will come.  There have many times when I didn't want to hear those messages, when I felt like God had truly deserted me.  But He hasn't!  I know He's with me every step of the way.  I don't know why my baby was taken from me.  But I DO know that she has been made whole and is celebrating with Him in heaven.

I just gave for the first time.. I've listened to K-Love for several years now and made every excuse why I shouldn't give... Well, I was listening this morning, and heard them talking about a lady pregnant and her child having heart problems already... Well, my husband and I went through the very same thing.. In fact, my son (with the heart problem) will be graduating High school in a few weeks..and praise God he is wonderful to this day with NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.. "The HEAD PHYSICIAN, TOOK CARE OF OUR CHILD) I just wanted to share and say "THANKS TO K-LOVE" it gets me going in the morning before and after work.. God Bless you and your ministry-

Andi Bandy
Focus Bank
JOnesboro, AR  72401
870-273-2292 (Cell)
870-972-8400 (Work)
Abandy@focusbank.com

Hey everyone there in k-love..My name is Jose, i just want to encourage Sarah and Matt to start declaring healing upon their child..That is a God's child which means that nobody or anything nor sickness will touch your child..i declare in the name of Jesus a complete miracle in the life or your kid..Amen..

You guys are in my prayers and it touched my heart deeply. I had recently read a book called A message from God by Retha and Aldo McPherson. It can help you in dealing with situations like yours. It's an awesome book and it will touch your hearts as well. It talks about how God calls us to put him first before all of our loved ones and even our children. He will ask us to sacrifice our children to even. When we are willing to sacrifice to him what is most important to us in our lives he blesses us and gives to us back. In this story God asked this woman if she was willing to sacrifice her son to the him. She said yes that she would as a test to her from God to show her faith... he gave her, her son back. He till this day talks to the Lord and his angels.The Lord put the word of God in him and  told Aldo that he will preach to the world. God is sooo amazing and merciful. Glory to God! He is going to bless you as well, for your faithfulness.  God Bless You Amen.

I also heard the stories this week with Matt and Sarah looking forward to their ultrasound appointment and listened this morning as Matt described the last few days. I work in an OB/GYN office and it seems that since we see babies born everyday, it becomes somewhat routine.  But I am often reminded what miracles we are blessed to see every day.  A baby conceived, developing and born is a true miracle of God.  How can we actually look at our make-up, our DNA and question how big our God is?  We serve an awesome God and He is big enough to heal the heart of this baby.  My prayers are with Matt and Sarah and this baby.

Hi Matt and Sarah. Sorry to hear about your baby. I can't really do much but pray for it, but i can offer some advice. The medal of Saint Benedict is the second most powerful medal in the whole Church. It has many powers and capabilities, and one of them is help with a pregnancy. If you want to, go buy a Jubilee Medal and have it blessed. It should help. There is also a prayer to Saint Benedict. Give that a shot. Just look up Saint Benedict's prayer on Google. God Bless.

I wanted to share my testimony with Matt and Sarah!  My baby brother was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrom in 1991.  The doctors actually didn't catch the heart defect and sent him home stating that he was perfectly healthy.  To make a long story short my mother had called the doctors several times regarding things that she didn't feel was normal with my brother (as far as coloring and so forth) and just 9 days after my brother Derek was born and friend of the family stopped by to see him for the first time.  As she took him out of his crib she stated that it seemed he was having a hard time breathing.  We immediately took him to a different hospital and they knew right away that he had hypoplastic left heart syndrom and would need a heart transplant.  They then life-lined him to Riley where he underwent 2 days of testing to make sure that there were no other organs effected.  Being 11 DAYS old he was placed on the transplant donors list waiting and praying for a heart.  NINE HOURS after being on the donors list we were informed they found almost a perfect match!!  A MIRACLE for sure!  My brother just turned 19 last month and has never had any rejection or issues concerning his new heart!  I want to encourage you that God knows what's best, my brother now preaches and has a testimony that not many people can share!  Be Encouraged and Keep the Faith!  Thoughts and Prayers

My son has HLHS.  Matt and Sarah, we sent you an e-mail with more details..please know we are in your corner and so is Christ, no matter WHAT happens...He is in control and has a purpose for everything.  Lots of love to you guys and your family!

My nephew was also diagnosed with this condition, we found out about a month before he was born. We were told they would life flight him downtown to Dallas from Plano when he was born. This was the first grandchild on both sides of my sister’s family. We were all stunned. It was such a stressful month, and one with loads of prayer. Our families at the time weren’t big prayer people, and not big on spirituality. I was one who wasn’t either at the time. However the day they induced my sister, we all tried to figure out who would go downtown, and who would stay with my sister. When he was born, Ben my brother in law brought him to the waiting room, knowing that that may be the only time we see him. 2 hours later, we were all staring at him through the nursery window. He was sleeping peacefully, with a full heart. He didn’t have any signs of murmur, holes, or anything abnormal. His heart was normal and was fine, there wasn’t a rush downtown, there wasn’t last rights given to our newborn nephew. He is alive, well and a healthy 10 year old.

I hope Josh’s story helps you. Please don’t loose your Faith, I know the Dr’s will need to tell you worse case scenarios, but God has this in His hands, and He will do what He does best. Perform Miracles. God Bless you and your family. Your son will be fine. In Jesus Name, we all pray…AMEN.


Margie Crosby

I heard your story on KLOVE...and it touched me personally.  My son was born with hypoplastic RIGHT ventricle in Aug 2005.  I want to encourage you to seek out a support group.  I cannot begin to tell you how helpful it can be to find and talk with parents who have a child with a heart defect.  I've been with a group called Mended Little Hearts, which has chapters all across the nation, who's purpose is to inspire hope in those who care for the littlest heart patients of all. Mended Little Hearts offers resources and a caring support network as families find answers and move forward to find healing and hope.  Visit mendedlittlehearts.org to learn more.
Until then, know that you and your baby are in our prayers!

I was listening to KLOVE on the way to work this morning and the same exact thing happened to me and my husband. I remember that all exciting day, we were almost giddy to find out what our babies would be. We found out we were having a boy and a girl (Grace) and then I will never forget this all the days that I live. The tech shrugged her shoulders and said "it is what it is"  That day was one of the happiest and then the saddest I have had yet. We went into talk to the doctor and when you said the doctor told you that he had bad news, I honestly re-lived the moment it happened to me again with you. My heart sank and I was truly hurting for you. My daughter has Hypoplastic right heart, tricuspid atresia and a leak in her mitral valve. She has had 3 open heart surgeries and hopefully just one more to go. She turned 2 in November and she is doing really well!!

I met a wonderful woman the other day and we were chatting about our families and her son has left heart like your son does and he will be 16 next month. It is so nice when God sends you people to encourage you and to let you know that there are older kids with the same disease that our babies have and they are living awesome lives.

I will pray for you, your wife and your little baby that God has blessed you with. God will guide you through this.

Sincerely,
Brooke McKenzie
Grace Addison McKenzie's mom

We were also told at our 20 week sonogram that my son would be born with HLHS, but instead was born with essentially HRHS.  After three open heart surgeries, a pacemaker, and a g-tube our 3 1/2 year old is healthy and active.  We praise God daily for the grace He has shown us.  Having a child born with a Congenital Heart Defect is devastating and overwhelming, but we know that our God is bigger than those defects.

Matt and Sarah,
Welcome to this wonderfully challenging but beautifully blessed world of CHD's.  My son was born with TOF (Tetralogy of Fallot) but was not diagnosed until a month after he was born.  He had open heart surgery at nine months old, and will likely be having his pulmonary valve replaced in the near future.  I'm sure you have done lots of research, but here are some resources that helped us.  Saving Little Hearts is an organization that is especially for CHD's and offers information and will connect you with other families going through the same thing.  Care Pages (carepages.com) is a safe and secure page to write/journal about this journey that also connects you with other families.  But the one thing that brought me the most comfort was the story of Abraham and Isaac.  Even tho I was reading from my Bible every day, I kept coming back to that story over and over again.  You will be in my prayers!

My husband and I have a nephew that was born with multiple health issues including heart problems.  He was born with no wall between the atrium and ventricle and he has two superior vena cava when there is only suppose to be one.  When he was 5 years-old he had heart surgery.  The surgeon built a wall and had to re-route veins and arteries.  Now he has a healthy heart without defect.  He now plays without turning blue.  He will be 8 in August.  I prayfully hope that they can do something for the baby's heart.  God Bless and never lose hope and sight of God's grace.

Toledo, OH is my hometown, and I want Matt to know that I will be praying for his family through this time! God bless you!

I am a nurse that works in the neonatal intensive care unit. We see infants born with these types of defects, and I am happy to report that most do quite well. The unfortunate thing is that somethings you just have to wait and see how the baby will respond after birth, Depending on the VSD which way the blood is shunting is always an important part of the outcome. I suggest you continue to pray and trust in your doctors and ask lots of questions. Take care

I know what it feels like to lose a loved one like that. I am 21 years old and when I was 16 my mom found out she had breast cancer. She wasn't supposed to live 6 months, but she lived a little over four years. She passed away in November, the Sunday before Thanksgiving and 6 days before my mom and dad's 28th wedding anniversary. She died a few months before I turned 21. I am so glad that she lived as long as she did. I know how it is to lose a parent at a young age. I couldn't imagine losing a child. My mom was only 47 when she passed away.

Hi!  My son as well as HLHS.  He's 14 now praise God. We didn't know he had HLHS, until 2 days after he was born.  We were in the Republic of Panama at the time.  WE were medivaced out on day 4 and on day 9 he has his first stage of the Norwoood proceedure. He had another one at 9 months where they combined the last two stages.  

Your not alone out there.  

Hello, my husband and i went through the same thing. In december of 2007 i was 5 monthe pregnant and we were told our daughter had a severe heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. From that day forward we lifted our baby up to god she was born on April 29, 2008 and had surgery at 2 days old.  She went home to be with the lord 6 months later on November 09,2008. We praise god and thank him everyday for the time we had with her. K Love has helped us through it.  1 1/2 years later it still feels like she left us but the music comforts us. Our pryers will be with matt & sarah. Declare healing god is powerful, although our baby girl Destiny is not here on earth with us our prayer was answered she was 100% healed. God is awesome dont lose focus he will walk with you through it. God Bless Your Family!

prayers, prayers, prayers.my grandpa has a spot on his brain and the doctors don't know what it is. He had an M.R.I. yesterday please pray for him.
I continue to pray for Matt and Sarah and family as the baby is hangin' in there.GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

I an heart broken about your wonderful little boy.  I can only imagine all the things running through your mind.  I will say that I will be fasting and praying for your family and the health of your little precious boy.  I say love him as you are pregnant with him.  Let him know from the womb that you are praying for him.  Thank God everyday that you have him now.  I know that in times of problems and adversity.  I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone my savior and Lord is right there with me.  He never leaves me nor ignores me.  He builds my faith and sends others to encourage me in hard times.  Please be encouraged Jesus took not our sins only to the cross but our health problems.  I pray that the Lord Jesus will bless you with his peace that passes all understanding.  And that he will go before you and that you will see his miracle working power in your little boys life.  Rejoice in the little things and give God the glory, honor and prayer.  I expect that the Lord will give you and your family a blessing and a great witness regardless of what happens in you life.  Be blessed and May the Lord above show his wonderful grace and mercy during this time of change and witness.

my prayers go out to matt and his family.  When I was pregnant with my daughter, they found a cyst in her brain, when I was 4 months pregnant with her, and dygnosed her with Dandy Walker.  I walked out of the doctors and went straight to my church.  that day; I knew the devil was liar, and God was giving me something special.  At nine months I had this quack want to abort my daughter, because of this Dandy Walker, and the quality of life she would have.  I told the doctor to where to go and walked out, stating I will never see that doctor again, nor will he delivery or touch my daughter when she is born.  I had Chirstianna paradise mae Gilmer 3 weeks early, she was 8 pound 2 ounces, docs said if she would have been full term she would have been a 11 pound baby.  the day she was born, she had an MRI, and was rediagnosed with just a cyst, every year till she was 6 she had a MRI to watch the progress of the cyst.  her 6th year, I remember watching the pictures on the MRI machine and in AMAZEMENT (if that is even a word) and saw nothing.  went to see the specialiest and he said it was gone.  I knew that day my daughter was healed for good.  She is 7 now, HIGHLY intelligent.  God truly blessed me and saved her, and I BELIEVE God is going to do the same to Matt's little BOY!!!

Hi. My 3 1/2 year old son, Blake, has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, too. I will send a private message to Matt and Sarah, but I wanted to share a video we put together about Blake's journey. Perhaps this will help people understand what the HLHS journey looks like. The video is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j2_hXFAf-4. Although it has been a difficult time, God rained down his love on our son and our family through the three-surgical stages. We love your family, Matt and Sarah, even though we don't know you personally. We hope the video gives you special hope!    

Hi Matt and Sarah,
I sent you an email but I just wanted to send you greeting here as well.  Welcome to the journey with a child of a CHD.  You are going to learn sooo much about how special your little boy is.  Our daughter was born in 1991 with HLHS with a double outlet which means both arteries were connected to the right ventricle therefore mixing her blood.  We didn't find out anything was wrong until she was a month old. That was the hardest first month ever.  Her first procedure was to open up the atriums to allow her blood to flow easier and they put a band on her pulmonary artery to restrict blood flow to the lungs.  That gave us our baby girl to hold and snuggle with and watch grow.  Well, you have our website to read the "rest of the story"  Know that you are not alone.  Mended Little Hearts is awesome as well as finding support through Facebook.  I just found a little boy who has HLHS who lives within 20 miles of us.  Oh to have that kind of support when Kate was little...priceless!  Hang in there and don't let the docs scare you too much.  Know and trust that Jesus has a plan for your little boy that is ALL GOOD! Blessings!  The Showalter's

I just wanted Matt and his wife to know that me and my wife lost two kids.I know our situation was different from your baby.Our first kid was a little boy Justin Allan was not formed from his waist down and his heart and lungs and all of his organs was not formed enough to keep him alive he only lived four hours.Our other child was a little girl,her and my wife had a infection and we had to make a decision either lose Alyssa Marie or I would lose both my wife and daughter at the same time.So we made the hardest decision ever.But you and your wife has god,family and friends and K-love through what you are going through.Hang in their and the lord will perform a miracle like he does every day.Me and my family love you and your family and will prey for you every day take care and god bless.

Our third child, now 7 month old daughter, also has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. We understand a lot of what Matt and his wife are feeling and going through. It was exactly one year ago when we received the same very unexpected news of our baby girl's heart condition. We walked out of the office that day knowing that no matter what happened we have a loving and gracious God who would be with us through this journey.

It is amazing to look at how the Lord worked out all the details of doctors, nurses and surgeons, even childcare... Now that we have been through 2 of her expected 3 surgeries we are rejoicing that our Sara Kay is right on track where she should be in every way! We saw all that could have happened and received all the same precautionary warnings, and we know that we are very blessed.

Sara Kay's big brothers adore her and there are no feelings of bitterness or resentment. Honestly, they could not love her more. We know that too is a huge blessing. We hope this, amidst the thousands of other emails, can be another shout out to our great and mighty God who loves us and is caring for our every single need every single hour of every single day. Again, we know that our journey could have and still could go in a very different way than we hope, but we trust in our God who has, is and always will be faithful to His children and His promises.

Our baby, Isaiah was born with an extreme heart condition. I e-mailed Matt and Sarah the full story but God has blessed our family even though we went through open heart surgery with our baby who was less than a month old. It was so scary but he will be 3 years old on May 24 and his sister is 4 and a half and we are so strong because of everything we went through. Isaiah will have to have another open heart surgery when his heart is full grown and I know God will take care of us then, too. God will not give us more than we can handle.

Remembering and Living By Phil. 2:3-4
Cynthia

When I heard about your situation all I could do was cry. I'm sorry you have to go through this but God has a plan for your baby's life. And everything that happens now is part of his overall plan. God still answers prayer and I know he has his hand over your baby boy. I will pray for you and your son and I believe this situation will ultimately strengthen your relationship with God and each other. May God bless your family greatly!

for baby Bowen and the family,
Holy Father camp your angels aroung this family once again. Spread your healing hands around Bowen and heal in the name of Jesus. Touch the surgeons, nurses and caregivers with you warm and caring knowledge and love. Bless each and everyone who lifts a prayer for them today. You are the All in All dear Lord and we love you for your miracles and faithfulness to us who call upon you name. Thank you Amen.

Oh Lord, I ask you for a miricle for this tiny baby. You have been with him and his family Lord every day since his life began and i ask that you continue to give them your comfort and peace as his healing begins. LORD YOU ARE FAITHFUL AND NEVER LET US LOOSE SIGHT OF HOW GREAT YOU ARE AND THAT YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF ALL SITUATIONS. BLESS THIS FAMILY IN A GREAT WAY. AMEN