Three weeks had passed and Christopher had gone through many changes. The chest tubes inserted the night David called us to come to the hospital had been changed and were almost ready to be removed. His translucent skin had turned to a more natural color. And most encouragingly, his oxygen and ventilator requirements had come down. The nearly month long stay caused us to understand that our stay wasn't going to be short and miraculous like we had hoped and prayed, but we never lost hope that God could at any time intervene.
During one of our visits to the hospital, Dr. Null came by Christopher's bed to give us some interesting news. CBS television network had heard about the high frequency ventilator and wanted to come to Wilford Hall to film a story to be run during the CBS Evening News. They wanted to talk to the parents of one of the patients and Dr. Null asked if we would be willing to be interviewed by them. After a short discussion we agreed. As much as I disliked talking in front of people, I disliked talking on a camera and recorder even more. But I began to believe that this wasn't just a coincidence. The events leading up to us even being at Wilford Hall were far too extraordinary to not see God's hand in this as well. So we began praying that His message would be spoken and not ours.
I try not to understand why God places us in various situations but I wondered if God gave us this opportunity to show people watching that a premature baby is exactly that - a baby. During this time in our country's history, babies who were the same gestation period as Christopher could be legally aborted in many parts of the country. I looked back to the time when I was in high school and college and believed that abortion should be legal and up to the decision of the mother. Our high school reproductive counselor had led us to believe that a baby was a piece of tissue. But now, over ten years later, I was standing over this piece of "tissue" and finding it difficult to believe that there was even a question whether unborn babies are living human beings.
I marveled at God's handiwork despite Christopher's health problems. Christopher's hands were so tiny, and yet so perfect. He had tiny lines that formed perfect fingerprints that uniquely identified him as being different from every other person ever born. His hair was short and fuzzy, and the red color tied his relationship to his Mommy. And during the periods when he was not paralyzed, he cried when he was uncomfortable or hurting from a shot or an IV, and he smiled and looked around with his beautiful black eyes. No, this was no piece of tissue. It was truly a miracle of life - a child struggling to live.
February 27 was designated as the day when the CBS reporter and camera crew were to film their story at Wilford Hall. In the days leading up to the interview, Christopher improved greatly. The small tears in his lungs had healed and the last two of the four chest tubes were removed four days prior to the interview. I had decided not to try and think about what to say. The reporters were obviously far more interested in the ventilator than anything I would tell them anyway. The CBS news team arrived at Wilford Hall on February 27, a Monday afternoon. Most of the Wilford Hall staff tried to go about their duties but there was an air of excitement in the unit. Someone mentioned that they had heard the segment was to be aired during the then most watched news segment on television, the CBS Evening News anchored by Dan Rather.
Dr. Null introduced us to the reporter, Martha Teichner. As the cameramen were setting up their equipment, Martha stayed with us next to Christopher's bed and asked us about Christopher’s history. As with many visitors to the ICU, she seemed a little tentative to get too close to Christopher. With all of the electrodes and monitors, visitors always seem to fear that they might mess something up. I felt prompted to talk to her about how Christopher was such a miracle. She politely listened as I told her about his prematurity and pointed out his fuzzy red hair and his tiny fingers and toes. Soon the cameramen came by and without any fuss, the interview began.
Martha started the interview by asking me about what I thought of the high frequency ventilator. In response, I told her that the doctors called it "the magic silver box". I don't recall exactly what I said after that, but I remember telling her that the ventilator was a wonderful piece of medical technology but that like other machines it too would fail. Truly our only hope was in God. As I spoke, it seemed the words were flowing straight from my heart. When I had finished, I looked around and saw that the ICU was filled with doctors, nurses, and hospital personnel that had gathered around and were intently watching and listening. They had briefly left their duties and encircled the bed during the interview.
Following the interview, Martha thanked both Woody and I for our comments and promised to send us a copy of the interview. After wishing us well, she left the ICU with Dr. Null and the cameramen. As rumored, she confirmed the interview would be on the CBS Evening News. I felt very awkward as the interview concluded. It was then that I realized I had said little about the ventilator. Everything I had spoken was about putting our hope and trust in God. Although Dr. Null had never asked me to hype the ventilator and its use, I felt I had let him and the hospital staff down. Some members of the nursing staff looked disgusted as they returned to their stations to perform their duties. Then I remembered this scripture: "... do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to speak. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." (Luke 12:11-12) Although it didn't really matter, a few members of the nursing staff approached me and thanked me for what I had said over the days following the interview.
The interview aired shortly thereafter on the CBS Evening News. It lasted a little over two minutes and included comments from Woody, Dr. Null, and Dr. Robert deLemos, a pioneer of neonatal medicine. As expected, most all of the comments I made were edited out of the interview. But there before a national audience, was Christopher and his fuzzy red hair. Just prior to the interview, the pavulon had lost its effectiveness and Christopher was beginning to wake up. He squirmed and jittered as the camera filmed Woody and I standing next to his bed. Woody, as she always did when she visited, was singing to Christopher. And much to my delight, the cameraman had zoomed his camera lens to take a picture of Christopher's tiny hand holding on to one of my fingers. It's amazing when you see a premature baby's hands. They are so tiny and yet so perfect.
Thirteen days later another network became interested in filming a segment about Christopher and the ventilator on national television. This time it was an upstart cable news channel called the Cable News Network (CNN). I later heard that the segment also aired on the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). Ironically, we saw none of the television segments when they were aired. Wanting to watch ourselves on television seemed so unimportant while Christopher was in the hospital.
Months prior to Christopher's death, a very sick Christopher was taken off the high frequency ventilator to try another breathing device in an effort to improve his condition. It like other machines before and after had failed to be the miracle cure or "magic box" we often desire. I now understood why God had prompted me to predict its failure during my ride home with Liz and David and during the interview with CBS. He alone is to be our place of hope and trust.
On a fall day in September, Woody's father, who was on temporary duty at the Pentagon in Washington was surprised to hear what sounded like Woody singing on the television. As he went to investigate, he found the station was airing a segment on premature babies and had chosen to use the clip with Woody singing to Christopher. Unbeknownst to all but the Father, it was the day of Christopher's death.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
© Copyright 1987, 2016 by Rick Murata. All Rights Reserved.
During one of our visits to the hospital, Dr. Null came by Christopher's bed to give us some interesting news. CBS television network had heard about the high frequency ventilator and wanted to come to Wilford Hall to film a story to be run during the CBS Evening News. They wanted to talk to the parents of one of the patients and Dr. Null asked if we would be willing to be interviewed by them. After a short discussion we agreed. As much as I disliked talking in front of people, I disliked talking on a camera and recorder even more. But I began to believe that this wasn't just a coincidence. The events leading up to us even being at Wilford Hall were far too extraordinary to not see God's hand in this as well. So we began praying that His message would be spoken and not ours.
I try not to understand why God places us in various situations but I wondered if God gave us this opportunity to show people watching that a premature baby is exactly that - a baby. During this time in our country's history, babies who were the same gestation period as Christopher could be legally aborted in many parts of the country. I looked back to the time when I was in high school and college and believed that abortion should be legal and up to the decision of the mother. Our high school reproductive counselor had led us to believe that a baby was a piece of tissue. But now, over ten years later, I was standing over this piece of "tissue" and finding it difficult to believe that there was even a question whether unborn babies are living human beings.
I marveled at God's handiwork despite Christopher's health problems. Christopher's hands were so tiny, and yet so perfect. He had tiny lines that formed perfect fingerprints that uniquely identified him as being different from every other person ever born. His hair was short and fuzzy, and the red color tied his relationship to his Mommy. And during the periods when he was not paralyzed, he cried when he was uncomfortable or hurting from a shot or an IV, and he smiled and looked around with his beautiful black eyes. No, this was no piece of tissue. It was truly a miracle of life - a child struggling to live.
 |
| Christopher shortly before the taping by CBS Evening News |
Dr. Null introduced us to the reporter, Martha Teichner. As the cameramen were setting up their equipment, Martha stayed with us next to Christopher's bed and asked us about Christopher’s history. As with many visitors to the ICU, she seemed a little tentative to get too close to Christopher. With all of the electrodes and monitors, visitors always seem to fear that they might mess something up. I felt prompted to talk to her about how Christopher was such a miracle. She politely listened as I told her about his prematurity and pointed out his fuzzy red hair and his tiny fingers and toes. Soon the cameramen came by and without any fuss, the interview began.
Martha started the interview by asking me about what I thought of the high frequency ventilator. In response, I told her that the doctors called it "the magic silver box". I don't recall exactly what I said after that, but I remember telling her that the ventilator was a wonderful piece of medical technology but that like other machines it too would fail. Truly our only hope was in God. As I spoke, it seemed the words were flowing straight from my heart. When I had finished, I looked around and saw that the ICU was filled with doctors, nurses, and hospital personnel that had gathered around and were intently watching and listening. They had briefly left their duties and encircled the bed during the interview.
 |
| Christopher's NICU setup with high frequency ventilator (foreground) |
The interview aired shortly thereafter on the CBS Evening News. It lasted a little over two minutes and included comments from Woody, Dr. Null, and Dr. Robert deLemos, a pioneer of neonatal medicine. As expected, most all of the comments I made were edited out of the interview. But there before a national audience, was Christopher and his fuzzy red hair. Just prior to the interview, the pavulon had lost its effectiveness and Christopher was beginning to wake up. He squirmed and jittered as the camera filmed Woody and I standing next to his bed. Woody, as she always did when she visited, was singing to Christopher. And much to my delight, the cameraman had zoomed his camera lens to take a picture of Christopher's tiny hand holding on to one of my fingers. It's amazing when you see a premature baby's hands. They are so tiny and yet so perfect.
Thirteen days later another network became interested in filming a segment about Christopher and the ventilator on national television. This time it was an upstart cable news channel called the Cable News Network (CNN). I later heard that the segment also aired on the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). Ironically, we saw none of the television segments when they were aired. Wanting to watch ourselves on television seemed so unimportant while Christopher was in the hospital.
Months prior to Christopher's death, a very sick Christopher was taken off the high frequency ventilator to try another breathing device in an effort to improve his condition. It like other machines before and after had failed to be the miracle cure or "magic box" we often desire. I now understood why God had prompted me to predict its failure during my ride home with Liz and David and during the interview with CBS. He alone is to be our place of hope and trust.
On a fall day in September, Woody's father, who was on temporary duty at the Pentagon in Washington was surprised to hear what sounded like Woody singing on the television. As he went to investigate, he found the station was airing a segment on premature babies and had chosen to use the clip with Woody singing to Christopher. Unbeknownst to all but the Father, it was the day of Christopher's death.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
© Copyright 1987, 2016 by Rick Murata. All Rights Reserved.