Gift of God
Finding treasure in the darkness
by
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The doctor looked increasingly uncomfortable with the questions we asked, but he answered them. He said that brain surgery was not just necessary, it was critical; our son simply was not expected to live without it.
We asked him point blank about our baby’s prognosis, given his prematurity. The doctor told us that his condition was very serious; that even if he had the surgery, there were just no guarantees because he was so small. Reluctantly, he said that they would repeat the scans in a few days and hope that the bleeding would have stopped or slowed by then. But he didn’t seem very optimistic that it would.
Barry pressed him for specifics. “So, what’s the bottom line, Doctor? Just tell us, please. What are his chances?”
He exhaled, blowing a long, slow breath through his mouth, as he studied the floor. I got the distinct impression that he was trying to figure out what to say—or how to say it. Then he looked past us towards the wall. In his thick African drawl, he said: “As it is, I’m sorry to say, your son has only a thirty-five per cent chance of survival.”
Those odds hung in the air like dead flies suspended in jell-o. I turned to my husband and watched his chest fall. By nature, Barry was a “fixer”; he felt it was his job to make things right. I had no idea how he was even able to process this double burden: his family was hurting and he couldn’t fix it. In that moment, I grieved for him as much as I grieved for our son and for myself. It finally hit me that this wasn’t something that would go away with a pill, or an insert. In print, I know that seems like it should be simple enough to understand. But let me tell you, it took some time for us to process that.
It took a lot of time.
Breaking the thick silence, the doctor added, “But in science, one plus one does not always equal two.”
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About the Book
“God… Where are You? Please—help.”
If those words sound familiar to you, then you already know that sometimes life gets complicated. Unexpected challenges can test our faith and leave us searching for answers—often in the dark.
In this autobiography, T. Lerisa Simon uses her life’s challenges to explore love and loss, rebellion and redemption. Gift of God journals her baby’s fight to survive and her family’s struggle with the turmoil that follows his birth. She also shares her own fight for faith, bringing every reader a message of hope by revealing the lessons she’s learned.
This is a true story of resilience and discovery. It is an exploration of the dark places where miracles are born; where endurance leads to hope, and hope lights the way to faith…
And to the gift that’s waiting—for you.
So, if you’ve been hurt, confused and frustrated, wondering where God is in your dark place, this book offers the encouragement—and enlightenment—you’ve been looking for.
About the Author
T. Lerisa Simon was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Antigua. After graduating from the University of the West Indies, she worked as a teacher in Antigua and St. Kitts. She loves the Lord, and strives never to forget that she is a daughter of the King.
She lives in Antigua with her husband, Reid, and their son, Matthew (Hebrew: ‘Gift of God’).