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Lyston's fight for life

Mattis Sue Nafie

We all experience one of those days that never stops re-playing in our minds, not a detail forgotten, good or bad. July 19, 2018 will always be one of those days for my family and me.

This past spring, my oldest sister Marianne and her husband Raymond found out that they were expecting identical twins, due on Nov. 13. This was an exciting time for everyone. The twins were considered “high risk” because they shared a placenta so Marianne had bi-weekly ultrasounds to monitor the babies’ health and development. Upon moving to Ohio in May, her appointments became even more tightly scheduled, but everything seemed to be progressing normally, and the twins were growing steadily.

Then, on July 19, at 23 weeks gestation, Marianne gave birth to her twin girls who had rapidly and unexpectedly developed twin-twin transfusion syndrome, a condition in which one baby begins taking all of the nutrients from the other. Georgia Ray, the first to be delivered, was stillborn, while her sister, Lyston Rose, was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit weighing only 1 lbs. 2 oz.

In these moments, when the world stops spinning and the ground beneath crumbles, we had to remember these things remain: God’s love, His strength, His peace and His promises. Though our hearts broke with sorrow and grief for Georgia, they were bound by the hope that we have in Christ.

Since that day, Lyston has has been fighting for her life against all odds but certainly not alone. She is strengthened by the touch of her Creator who has her cradled in His hands. She is 7.5 weeks old now, and over this time I have witnessed the power of prayer like never before. The love and support that my family and I have received from other family and friends has overwhelmed and humbled each of us as Lyston’s story has spread across the country and even to our churches across the world. Time after time, as the doctors have warned us of the uncertainty of upcoming events, our prayer team has joined us in asking for a miracle by God's will, and unceasingly, He has answered our prayers.

One day in particular, after having come down with a bacterial infection in her blood, Lyston’s blood pressure and oxygen levels were dangerously low, and her white blood cell count was non-existent, having no way to fight the infection. Hope slipped away quickly as the doctors prepared Marianne and Raymond for the worst. Seeing Lyston placed on an oscillating ventilator (the most aggressive kind), and started on her last round of blood pressure medications, Marianne and Raymond went home expecting to hold their daughter in the morning for the last time. However, hundreds of people continually lifted Lyston in prayer through the night.

The next morning her oxygen levels were good enough to put her back on the regular ventilator, her blood pressure levels were high enough to take her off the medication, and her white blood cell count was in the normal range. Some may call it impossible, but we serve a God who speaks life, and Lyston's life is a testimony to that.

I cannot express the importance of holding one another up in prayer. God so desperately wants us to call upon Him, seeking His guidance and will so that He can answer our prayers and fill us with hope.

Please join us in praying for Lyston as she continues to face many obstacles and challenges throughout the remainder of her journey in the NICU. God is so good, and my family and I praise Him for blessing us with this precious little one while we long for Heaven like never before! Praise the Lord that this world is not our home. 1 John 5:14-15 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him."


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