Sunday, May 27, 2001
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Sunday, May 27, 2001 |
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Miracle baby baptized at Holy Trinity
Jacob Bender, born January 4, was baptized at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Peachtree City May 6. Early in Mary Grace Bender's pregnancy, she had complications with Jacob and almost lost him. She was given medications and all seemed fine until her fifth month, when she and husband Kevin wanted to find out the sex of the baby. They found out he was a boy but their doctor had seen "water in his brain" and informed them that he may have had hydrocephalus and wanted them to see a specialist. The specialist confirmed that Jacob had hydrocephalus, where the cerebral spinal fluid was not draining properly in his brain thus making his head larger than normal. The doctors had also suggested at some point that he may not survive or if he did, they were not sure whether he would have normal motor skills and development, and they suggested to terminate because of the 50 percent chance that Jacob may not develop normal. Mary Grace and Kevin did not even think about aborting Jacob at any point. They wanted to take their chances, as the 50 percent odds were very big to them. One day after attending mass, Mary Grace and her neighbor went to see Father Kevin Peek in the hope that he could pray for Jacob and bless him with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. Father Peek not only prayed for her baby but went above and beyond what she had expected. He gave her a pendant blessed by the Pope of St. Gerard (patron saint for the unexpected mother) along with prayers to St. Gerard and the Blessed Mother. He also gave her water from Lourdes to drink and rub on her belly each night. The day after he was born, Jacob had surgery at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital where the pediatric neurosurgeon placed a shunt in his head in order to drain the water. He will have the shunt for the rest of his life. But Jacob's fast recovery shocked the doctors he came home 5 days after his surgery. Along with all the prayers from family and friends, Kevin and Mary Grace truly believe that God had answered all their prayers throughout this ongoing ordeal. At Jacob's four-month checkup, his pediatrician gave him a clean bill of health. In fact, he is developing where a baby his age should be.
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