Sunday, April 28, 2013

A Journey with a Difference - Part 2


Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler
WELCOMES BACK
Author Jon Magee
in
Extraordinary Memories
Across the seas COMES OUR FRIEND AUTHOR JON MAGEE with another story of memories written and shared just for you.
I ask him to share his life with us once more as well. I know you will find the following truly a  life of inspiration and be so happy you have met this giving and talented writer.
 
Thank you Jon

Author Jon Magee
A Journey with a difference (2)

Sometimes it is interesting to be able to look through newspaper clippings of past headlines, and reflect. There are two that my late mother kept, they were items that were important to her, both of them dated in 1977.
The Daily Mail has the headline "One day old baby saved in major heart operation", with a sub heading declaring "It was a tremendous piece of  surgery. A few years ago she would have died".

The Belfast Telegraph in Northern Ireland has the following head line.

BABY HEART "FIRST". Operation on day - old girl!!

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In the 1970's the regular news in Ireland was of death and violence as terrorism took its toll on innocent life. But these headlines, dated in November 1977 took news in a different direction. It was a message of hope in a world of hopelessness.

The story recounts how Professor Philip Caves, aged 37, a native of Belfast, performed this operation in Glasgow on a baby one day old. One can sense how delicate this operation was as they described the heart being operated on was a mere 3 inches in size, and it "was so tiny it was like mending a watch".
The baby was born in a small hospital in the north of Scotland in Elgin, before taking the journey first to Aberdeen, and then flying by helicopter to Glasgow. The 3rd daughter of an Electronic Technician in the air force and his wife.

Hope, in the midst of what seemed impossible!

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Those were the headlines, the public face of what was happening in November 1977. However, what about the private moments that were away from the glare of the media? Picture, for a moment, a father and mother who would have been talking through those anxious moments.  A sea change of emotions through those brief days. The elation of new life, the puzzlement at the added interest the staff was taking in the maternity unit, the anxiety and concern, realizing that life can be so fragile.

There were the moments of tears, along with the times of encouragement as humanity showed its caring face, encouraging and consoling in times of uncertainty. Always hoping against hope, though knowing the worst thoughts can always be possible.
The operation was a success, and Professor Caves did a wonderful job. Yet at 3 days of age the baby of hope was to come to the end of her short life, not because the operation was a failure, far from it, but because a further heart defect undiagnosed had emerged.

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Faith Dawn Magee, as the baby was called, was OUR baby, our 3rd daughter. It is therefore, for us, more than a headline in the media. I remember hearing those words that no parent wishes to hear, and taking that long walk to the room where my wife was as a patient, wondering how I should share the news. A few days before the excitement of new life, then the frantic journey from Elgin to Aberdeen where, it was thought, resources would be better than the smaller hospital. Soon it was realized even Aberdeen could not help, other than to care for the mother as baby was flown by helicopter to Glasgow.

These are situations that have no clear answers. Later we were to discover that this all resulted from Diabetes that only appeared through pregnancy, but there will always be questions that have no answers.

Yet there are some positive things that we cling to. We know the operation was a success, and we are aware of the amount of time and effort that was given to that wee life. We know we are fortunate that we live in a country where the medical hope is not dependent on how much money we have, or if we have sufficient insurance cover. We are aware that much was learnt from those few days which have been the means of giving life to other wee children. And though there are questions that are never answered we know that we could not have moved on in our lives without the confidence that we sensed that we were not alone, and in our faith we felt the comfort of the God who gave to us life, albeit for a short time, in our own wee baby, Faith.
He promised He would never leave us, and for us that had to be more than a scriptural verse open to debate between those of differing persuasions, it was our experience.


Please be sure to stop by Jon Magee's site on Amazon for your copy of the incredible books he has to offer. The addresses are:
FACEBOOK
WHERE Jon Magee's Book can be Purchased:
Author of "From Barren Rocks to Living Stones" & "Paradise Island,  Heavenly Journey" lochgellybaptist@aol.com
 

Thank you once more for visiting my blog. 
Rosemary "Mamie" Adkins
Extraordinary Dreams
of an
Ireland Traveler

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