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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A special request for Luke!

Luke has been off ECMO oxygen now for almost six hours and is doing very well. His oxygen levels on his vent have been turned down to 50% and so far, the doctors are pleased with his blood gases. Keep praying that Luke does well and that his lungs are able to continue working on their own.

Please pray for Benson and I as well. I know he mentioned on the previous post...but the past two days have been really tough on us. He is the most perfect little baby. I keep picturing what he would look like with all of those tubes and wires off of him and what it would be like to be at home with him right now. I think of his nursery and bassinet sitting beside our bed and sitting at home on the couch with him in my arms. I think of how things should be - and it breaks my heart. He is everything I ever dreamed of and I would give anything in this world for him to be a perfect, healthy little boy. I know that we are going through this for a reason and that God is in control but when you sit where we sit every minute of the day watching nurses do everything they can to save your baby's life - it really begins to wear you down. I wish that I could be the mom that I always dreamed of being to Luke right now. I wish I could change his diapers and sit up all night and rock him to sleep. I wish I could just hold him and tell him its all going to be okay. I know God chose us for this and I have a real peace inside, so does Benson, but that doesn't mean that our hearts don't hurt. The only thing that gets us through every second of the day are your prayers and comments. We read them constantly over and over again and it gives us strength in knowing that people are being touched by everything we are feeling. So....

Benson and I have a special request for ALL of you. We would like to be able to share with Luke how his life is touching the world. We know the strength that it gives us and we can only hope that by reading your words to him will give him strength as well. We will keep all of them and put them in a book so we can read them to Luke every day and show them to him when he gets older so he will be able to know what a miracle he is.

So if you have been touched by Luke, please - take the time to send us a "cheer card". These are printed out and delivered to us every day and are the easiest way for us to have something to hold on to while we are here at Kosairs. You can send them by going to: http://www.nortonhealthcare.com/body.cfm?id=26. Here is the information below:

Luke Sexton
Kosair Children's Hospital
Room 408

You can write up to 500 words. If you would like to write something longer, feel free to email them to us at bensonsexton@hotmail.com. Also, if you would like to send cards or packages you can mail them to:

Kosair Children's Hospital
Luke Sexton
PICU
231 E. Chestnut Street
Louisville, KY 40202

Please be as open as you feel led to be. We want Luke to know exactly how the Lord is using him in lives of people he has never even met. We look forward to getting them and reading them to our son. Please pass the word along so that everyone who wants can have the opportunity to encourage our little guy. We thank you in advance for your outpouring of love and support. It really means the world to us.

Here are some more pictures of our little man. He is looking more and more like himself these days!


Sleeping like a baby.

Holding Mommy's hand.

Luke's little buddy that helps him hold up his ventilator.

His crawdad toes! They stay open like this all of the time.


Looking at Mommy on my birthday. See how handsome I am! :)

Happy Birthday Luke! You made it through your first week in this big scary world. No one thought you would be with us this long...but you are a fighter and Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you! Keep it up sweet boy. We love you more than you'll ever know.

-- Kristin

20 comments:

  1. aw! this was so touching-- the pics are adorable-- he is the sweetest lil' thing!

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  2. Kristin,

    I understand exactly what you mean. When your pregnant, you have all these ideas in your head of what motherhood will be like & how it will be to take your baby home. It's hard to watch others who are not only there to save your child, but to do the little things for him that you long to do. It's so hard just to sit back & watch. God is there, always there. But as a mother, it is such a helpless feeling. God understands all these emotions. He made mothers to be the nurturers.
    It is important for you & Benson to share this together. Not only are you sharing the story of your precious son, but the story of the God's plan of marriage. You are sharing the meaning of family.
    I pray for all of you every day. You are never far from my mind. The pictures are so precious, especially his little eyes being open.
    Love & prayers,
    Tammy

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  3. Dear Sextons! I have been trying to read your alls post daily and today I just so happened to be reading it while sitting here feeding my 9 month old little boy and playing with my 3 year old boy. After catching up on the last three days, I just burst into tears!! I have never and hope that I never have to go through what you all are and I praise you and our Lord for ya'll staying strong through this whole process for no one but Luke!!!! It takes a story like this sometimes to remind me of how lucky and blessed that I really am to have to healthy children!!! Luke's story has touched me in more ways than one!! Thank you all for sharing your story, and you all including Luke are in my prayers and thoughts daily!!! Luke is so precious by the way with those dark eyes and dark hair!! Good luck in all you do and God bless!!! Love and prayers from Greensburg!

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  4. My heart goes out to you, and your husband. I am deeply touched by the story that you have. Your faith in the Lord is amazing. Being a mother myself, I can really see how truly blessed I am to have healthy children. It is wonderful that you are able to reach out and have so many people praying for Luke. The Lord has such great things planned for you and your family. And he is such a cutie.... You are in my prayers each day.

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  5. What a precious little boy! I already see some resemblance to his father.

    Kristin, you and your family continue to be in my prayers multiple times daily. I have to share with you a verse that rings loud and clear in my head each time I pray for you, Benson, and baby Luke:

    Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

    To me, Luke is the epitome of this verse. He is wonderfully made for God's wonderful works.

    Love and God Bless,

    Kesha
    July 6, 2010 3:50 PM

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  6. I consantly check facebook to see if there are new posts. benson was my boyfriends matts advisor in college. we had a son who was born at 28 wks. he got NEC which is an infection of the bowel. they had to go n and remove some of his intestines and leave his stomach open so the swellig could go down and gradually each day the surgeon came and pushed them back in. before Andrew went in to surgery the doctor told us that he did not think Andrew would make it. as a mom I know what u r going through. our sons might not have the same things but we went through the same things u all are going through. but i promise it is worth it. these babies r so special and so much stronger. Andrew is now 11 months old and he's 21 pounds and growing like a weed. it was so hard to see Andrew go through what he did and not be able to do anything about it. I'm so glad Luke is doing so well and I hope he continues to do well. he'll be home before u know it. I actually Miss Kosairs and we make almost weekly trips up to visit. u have so much to look forward to :) we'll continue to pray for you all.

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  7. Luke is such a beautiful little boy! I can sense how much peace you and Benson have, Kristin. When you are in the presence of a miracle, you can't help but be changed. God has blessed you both with a precious little miracle. There are few people in the world who can understand what you are going through. God is so good, even in hard times, and I'm so glad Luke seems to be improving by the day! It's so wonderful to read good news! Praise the Lord!

    I'm continuing to pray for a miracle for Luke's pulmonaries! I'm so glad to see that you're taking pictures; it will be so awesome to look back one day and show Luke how far he's come and what a miracle God did in him!

    And everyone that is telling you to take care of yourself is right. As hard as it is to leave Luke's side (trust me, I completely understand!), you should every now and then to make sure you're getting what you need. Praying for you both to get the rest you need!

    And keep resting in His perfect peace! "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalm 62:1-2

    Much love to you,
    Bethany (Mom to Emma Kate, HLHS)

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  8. Oh what a handsome little guy! And all that hair! I want to reach thru the screen and give him a kiss he is so adorable! I think of the 3 of you constantly through out the day although we don't know each other you have touched my heart while I pray for Luke's. Until you can hold him know that there are so many who are holding you up. Sending you lots of love. XOXO

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  9. hey Kristen and Benson
    Hi my name is Kacy Pierce, I dont know if you remember me but we had Childbirthing classes together at Taylor Regional. I just wanted to let you all know that you all are in our prayers. We had to have our little boy at Kosair for 7 days. It was hard as first time parents having him there and wondering if he was going to be ok. We were lucky and blessed to have a 7 day stay so I understand in some ways what you all are going through. Just remember to give it all to God and know that he will take care of everything if you just keep the faith that is what we did. Luke is a beautiful baby and again you all are in our thoughts and prayers!! God bless and keep us posted!!

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  10. I want you to know what a precious family that you are. The three of you are amazing! This story has touched my heart and I even get up in the middle of the night to check and see if you guys have posted and how that little Luke is doing! As a parent myself, I was told I Could never have children and I kinda gave up on life and lost alot of faith. Then I was blessed with a very healthy pregnacy and a beautiful daughter. All those prayers I prayed worked! I read your posts and show my little girl the pictures of little Luke and each night we pray for the 3 of you! You will remain in my prayers till you are home as a family and I want you to know...YOU ARE A BLESSING! God Bless The Sexton 3!!!

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  11. I want you to know I am praying you all during each day. I know at times it must seem to be overwhelming. But just remember God makes no mistakes and he has a very special purpose for each of you. When I heard about you in church Sunday tears just flowed from my eyes. I have a son who was badly injured when he was a baby and through the grace of God I was able to adopt him. Well now my son who I prayed for for so long now has a beautiful little boy who just turned a year old. So God does aim to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Luke is already a blessing

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  12. Kristin,
    My name is Julie Nale. You don't know me, but your blog was sent to me by another "Heart Mommy."
    Our son was diagnosed the day he was born with CHD. We were devastated. I read your blog daily and it brings back so many memories. I looked at Luke's recent pictures, and I saw our son, Carson. I know what you are going through. I share your pain and your love for your son. Please know, that there are so many people praying for your son that you and your husband don't even know. We had an enormous prayer group for Carson. The power of prayer truly is a miracle.
    Carson had heart surgery a week after he was born. He stayed in the hospital for over a month. We are so thankful he is home with us now and doing well.
    Your story is truly amazing. The faith you have is unbelievable. Keep leaning on your strong marriage and your faith. It's what got us through.
    We continue to pray.

    Sincerely, Julie Nale

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  13. Lindsay Wright FranklinJuly 6, 2010 at 8:58 PM

    Kristen,

    First of all I was sitting here on the couch just now reading your latest blog and Makenna, my 2 year old, was sitting beside me and she saw the pictures of Luke, and she said " Aww mommy, that baby is sick" and I said "I know, we have to pray that Jesus makes him better", and right then she shut her little eyes and put her hands together and said a special prayer just for Luke. Last night as I was driving home from walmart, listening to KLOVE, and a song came on with the lyrics " I long for your embrace" and I realized how much I take for granted being able to hold my chilren in my arms anytime that I please. And I read in your blog how you wish you could be at home sitting up all night rocking Luke, when so many nights I complain about having to get up with Halle. Reading your story has made me realize how truley blessed I am, and that I shouldn't take the little things for granted, or even complain about HAVING to get up at night. Even though I dont know you that well, I just wanted to let you know that I love you as my sister in Christ and I am praying for Luke and you and Benson countless times during each day. Thank you for sharing Lukes story, its truly been an inspiration to me.

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  14. praying for Luke

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  15. (Filled With Your Glory - Starfield) "From the depths of the sea to the mountain's summit; Your power, Lord, it knows no bounds, a higher love cannot be found." Praying that you all will feel the mighty love and power of God tonight! Praying that Luke will have a good night. Praying that you all will be able to get some rest tonight!

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  16. Thanks for your transparency, I know this is hard and yet you are sharing it with the world. I can't imagine what you are feeling, I know there have to be high's and low's daily. Hang in there and take care.

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  17. Benson and Kristen,

    How beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your pictures of Luke. Even though we have not met him, we feel like we have been there the whole time. Thank you for including all of us in your daily writings. I love you all and I am praying for you everyday!!

    Tonya Meece

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  18. KRISTIN & BENSON & SWEET BABY LUKE,
    THE SONG, "THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS" SONG YOU (BENSON) SANG FOR LUKE WAS IN PREPARATION FOR TODAY. PLEASE SING IT TO HIM OFTEN TODAY. THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS AS LUKE'S BLOOD TAKES ON THE QUALITIES OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND NOT HIS OWN. I AM PRAYING THAT THE BLOOD OF JESUS WILL FLOW THROUGH LUKE'S VEINS AND ARTERIES AND ACCOMPLISH WHAT ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CAN, "THERE IS POWER, POWER, WONDER WORKING POWER IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, THERE IS POWER, POWER, WONDER WORKING POWER IN THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE LAMB."
    WHAT REPORT ARE WE GOING TO BELIEVE? WE BELIEVE THE REPORT OF THE LORD, LUKE IS HEALED AND LUKE IS WHOLE, IT WAS ACCOMPLISHED 2000 YEARS AGO ON THE CROSS AND WE PRAY THAT YOU HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS HOLDING LUKE IN YOUR HANDS EVEN NOW WILL CAUSE HIS BLOOD TO BE INFUSED WITH THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND THAT LUKE WILL BE MADE WHOLE ACCORDING TO YOUR "WORD" IN JESUS NAME.
    LOVE YOU THREE
    LYNDA

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  19. Sending all our love to the Sexton's-

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