Good News

ENCOURAGEMENT 28 JULY 2018 Good News • South Florida Edition Stephen and Aimee could- n’t wait to share the good news. They were expecting their first child, a baby girl. “We did a big reveal. We had balloons and everything. When I saw those pink balloons come out of that box, I could not have been hap- pier. A baby girl is everything I ever wanted,” said Stephen. “We just hoped to have a happy, healthy family that loves each other and serves God to- gether,” said Aimee. Aimee’s pregnancy went as planned until the seventh month when she was diag- nosed with preeclampsia — a complication of pregnancy that caused a spike in her blood pressure and the potential for seizures. Doctors put her on bed rest for a month. Then on December 18, 2013, labor was induced at 33 weeks when Aimee’s condition worsened — and little Ella was born. “I guess it just takes a little bit for it to click that you’re a mommy, but it was great. It was great to see her little face,” said Aimee. Ella was too fragile for Aimee and Stephen to hold. When she began straining to breathe, doctors determined she was losing oxygen and di- agnosed her with pulmonary hypertension. Nurse Nancy McFadden cared for Ella the next day in the neonatal inten- sive care unit. “She was on a special ventilator and really high settings on everything that we had for her medically. By the end of my 12-hour shift, she was getting worse,” said Nurse McFadden. Ella’s condition continued to deteriorate. Aimee and Stephen called upon family and friends to come to the hos- pital to pray. “There were a lot of people in her room and then I could see that they were pray- ing. We could see her vitals were starting to go down,” said Nurse McFadden. A promise “I got by myself in the park- ing lot of the hospital. I remem- ber yelling out to God as loud as I could ‘God, what am I sup- posed to do? I’m helpless.’ God said, ‘Believe.’ I remem- ber thinking, Believe what? And loud and clear, heard, ‘Be- lieve that you will bring Ella home alive and well.’ I went straight up to the hospital room. They were praying. I grabbed Aimee by the face; I looked her right in the eyes, and I said, ‘Aimee, we’re going to bring Ella home alive and well,” said Stephen. Surrounded by a praying family, Ella survived a second night. But early on Friday morning December 20th, doc- tors said they had run out of options. They allowed Aimee and Stephen to hold Ella for the first time so that they could say their goodbyes. For 12 hours the family and their loved ones prayed, but there was no improvement. Late that after- noon, Ella looked blue and life- less. Doctors said she had The Miracle of Ella Nicole Robert Woods Good News Ella Nicole Woods (now 4 1/2) and her brother Judah Joseph, who will be two in July.