Raphaëlle’s Journey
“During this time [the prenatal period after receiving a life limiting diagnosis] I connected with Be Not Afraid and Journey of a Lifetime. They were the first prenatal diagnosis support groups I connected with who offered more than funeral planning and grief support. Heidi from JOL arranged a phone call for me with Dr. Marty McCaffrey.. With help from Heidi and Dr. McCaffrey, we were prepared and knew what needed to be done when our daughter arrived.
Our sweet girl is days away from being 7 months old. She is affected by Trisomy 13. Her body has challenges. She has already been impacted by a lack of data, medical mistakes and discrimination. We have watched her thrive when she is given what she needs. We’ve learned doctor’s opinions are just that… opinions. Best educated guesses. And that doctors and nurses really should not speculate outside their area of practice.
She is created in the image of God. She is fearfully and wonderfully made. The all wise, all knowing, God who is love, who is the father of all compassion created her. Every detail of her is in His plan. Like the man born blind, and Lazarus, she was created so the work and glory of God could be shown in her.
Her name is Raphaëlle, which means ‘the Lord heals’. We know that He can heal Raphaëlle now, but even if He doesn’t, that doesn’t change anything for us. Because of Raphaëlle, we see God’s character more clearly than ever. We know He has good plans for her and us.”
Raphaëlle’s Mother
