I, GRACE C, was born on May 23, 2000 at 9:58 p.m. by the will and grace of God. God tells me that He knew me before He formed me in my mother's womb. I had a twin sister or brother; but in God's wisdom and foreknowledge, He chose to take my twin home to be with Him.

MY STORY BEGINS at the dawn of the new millennium (January 2000 that is) while in my mother's womb of all places, when a grapefruit-size mass stemming from the placenta appeared out of nowhere. The mass was located next to my head and baffled the doctors and technicians. Weekly sonograms were performed as they tried to better understand the nature and cause of the mass and its impact on Mom and me. They even sent pictures to outside specialists to help them.

The mass always stayed near my head. On one of my visits, the doctor told Mom that this mass was up against my face and it might attach itself to me, - Yikes! My family and church prayed for me and within a few weeks the Lord moved that mass far away from my face.

On another visit shortly thereafter, the doctor saw something very disturbing. She took Mom into her office and showed her pictures of the mass imbedding itself into the uterus. She told Mom that I would die and her uterus would need to be removed. So we immediately went to the hospital. A couple of days later, the doctor walked into our room amazed as to what she saw - the mass had moved far away from the wall of the uterus. Praise God!!!

ON MARCH 31^st at around 10:00 a.m., Mom began gushing blood and fluid. We were rushed to a hospital that was ill equipped to deal with me if I was born. A sonogram revealed that Mom had lost much amniotic fluid and the "grapefruit" had ruptured. Mom was in labor. It looked for a moment that I was going to be born that day! I was very young and small - about 1 3/4 pounds and 24 /25 weeks in my mother's womb. I wasn't ready to meet Mom and Dad face to face!

The doctors prepared for my arrival. They gave Mom a steroid shot to help my organs grow quicker. If the shots (two shots administered 24 hours apart) could be given within a week of birth, they would dramatically improve my chances of survival - statistically speaking (between you and me, I had a 1-in-1 chance of survival because God is not bound by statistics). After analyzing the information gathered and conferring, the doctors decided the right course of action was to stop the labor - Way to go Doc! And that's just what they did.

Later that afternoon, we were transported to St. Mary's Hospital, a hospital better equipped to meet my medical needs had I needed to be born. Mom's contractions slowed considerably and by nightfall all was calm with me right where I should have been - in my mother's womb. While it was a wild day for Mom and Dad, it wasn't much different than any other day for me. You see, my life was never threatened in the end - I didn't feel pain, suffer distress, or miss a heartbeat. God had protected me.

What happened? The mass ruptured and tore a hole in the amniotic sac, causing Mom to bleed and labor to begin. While the nature of the mass had now been identified (i.e. a blood clot, not a tumor), the cause of the blood clot remained a mystery. We spent 17 days in the hospital as the doctor and nurses observed the miracle God performed that first week: the amniotic sac had been repaired and the fluid returned to normal levels. We spent the rest of the stay waiting for all the bits and pieces of the mass to come out.

WE CAME HOME on Monday, April 17^th to a life of bed-rest. Mom's bleeding resumed after we got home, only this time it was fresh blood - not a good thing. A couple of weeks later, Mom's bleeding increased and we went to the doctor. The doctor admitted us back into the hospital. This time we stayed only two days. It was more of the same - baffled doctors with me enjoying life in the womb. I was doing great - moving, breathing, heart beating 150 times a minute (quite normal - it sounds like a horse galloping). Isn't God great? - Mom got rest and I got all the attention.

ON SATURDAY, MAY 20^th, Mom's bleeding increased with a twist - an unfamiliar substance had emerged. Mom dreaded calling the doctor that night, as she knew it meant another trip to the hospital. But she cared for me more than herself and made the call anyway and we were for the fourth time back in the hospital. On Monday, the doctor talked about us going home Tuesday morning, May 23^rd (my birthday). After eating lunch Monday afternoon, Mom became sick (yucky hospital food). By Tuesday, Mom had an infected uterus and went into labor. The doctor attempted to stop the contractions using the same methods back in March, without success - I was going to be born. Can you make the connection? God was in control, not the doctor.

AFTER 32 WEEKS in my mother's womb, I saw light for the first time at 9:58 p.m. on May 23^rd. I weighed in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces and was 17 1/4 inches long. I had ten fingers and toes; but wasn't breathing so well. My doctor put me on a ventilator to breathe for me. At first it was doing virtually all breathing for me, but within about a day, I was breathing all on my own and was off the ventilator.

My stay at St. Mary's was COMPLETELY UNEVENTFUL. Mom's stay, however, was another story, her story. She needed me to stay in the hospital while she recuperated. So I faked the nurses a little and took my time learning how to eat. It was the least I could do since Mom had done so much for me already - I have a great Mom. Praise God!!!

Today I came home - Yeah! Mom came home Thursday, but trekked back to the hospital that night and again Friday morning to take care of me. While the doctors and nurses at St. Mary's were nice and took good care of me, it was time to go. So I quit fooling around and ate, and at about 2:00 p.m. today, Dad, Grandma, Billy, Katlyn, and Hannah came to the hospital and took Mom and me home. What a great day!!!

WHAT HAPPENED? Mom had a "chronic abruption", which means the placenta was continually pulling away from Mom - often deadly to a baby, particularly if unknown. The grapefruit-sized mass was a blood clot caused by the abruption. The amazing thing is that with an abruption the mother is confined to bed-rest and the baby monitored closely, but Mom was not confined to bed-rest and I was not monitored for another eight weeks! God protected me and orchestrated events to my benefit and to His glory.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I want to explain my name. Mom and Dad named me "Grace" because the Lord continually poured his grace upon me. As God's grace was poured out to protect my health, His grace extends to all people as He gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for our sin.

My middle name is "C" (no period, just "C"). "C" represents the people of Crestwood Baptist Church who faithfully sought God in prayer and put their faith into action to His glory. They, including Grandma, prayed without ceasing for my life and family - God answered their prayers! They put their faith into action as they graciously cooked meals, cleaned house, babysat, took kids to various activities, and other countless things. For over two months, they helped Dad and enabled him to continue working. God was glorified by the faithful obedience of His servants. I thank God that He gave me such a great Grandma and chose the people of Crestwood Baptist Church to share in the miracle of my life.

SALVATION is found in Jesus Christ alone. May all that read my story come to repentance and accept Jesus Christ as their savior. The "Good News" is that when we were without hope, dead in our sin, condemned before a righteous and holy God, Jesus Christ came to save us. As Christ has given me physical life, He will give eternal life to those who call upon His name. May Jesus Christ receive all the glory.

GRACE C DOEPP

June 10,2000