The Pickle Jar: Axel Storm Hancock

Eric's cousin Tim Hancock has a 3 month old son named Axel. Axel was born with 2 holes in his heart. He was strong and alert and very healthy at first- so they scheduled surgery to repair the holes closer to his first birthday when they felt it would be the safest for him.

However, plans changed on Saturday, July 11th. Axel was rushed to the hospital early that morning with congestive heart failure. The hospital flew him to Johnson City for further testing- which revealed he will need surgery to function on his own again. Eric and I made plans to stop by the hospital on Sunday while traveling back home from Virginia. However, plans changed AGAIN. A decision was made late Saturday evening that the child needed more specialized care and was flown on Sunday morning to the hospital in Charlotte, NC. We received a phone call that his kidney's were now believed to be damaged from the over flow of blood- and though he needed surgery as soon as possible, they weren't sure if he was physically prepared for it.

I began my updates on Facebook- starting a prayer chain with everyone I knew raising their hands to God asking for a miracle. God gave us that miracle beginning on Monday- when an ultrasound revealed that Axel's kidneys were 100% as healthy as they could be! God gave us another miracle the next day- Axel's surgery.

Eric drove to Charlotte on Monday night to be with the family, and to be there for his cousin Tim. He spent the night with my cousin Greg Eaddy and went to the hospital early Tuesday morning to be there while Axel was in surgery.

At 8:30am on Tuesday, July 14, Axel Storm Hancock was wheeled away from his mommy and daddy to begin prep for surgery. At 10:00am, the anesthesiologist said all was ready and the doctors began the first incision. Doctors carefully removed skin from around his heart and wrapped it around the two holes. The surgery finally came to a close at 3:27pm, nearly 5 1/2 hours after the start of the surgery. Axel was then taken to recovery where his mommy and daddy, and the rest of the family, could be with him.

The Good News: Axel's surgery went amazingly as planned. No complications- and though the holes will still leak for a year or two, Doctors said that Axel should be just fine, that he is very strong and very resilient.

The Perfect Kind of Bad News: It's heartbreaking to see a baby in so much pain. To see the tubes used to hold his precious life together- to see the scar left behind. This is the perfect kind of bad news though- as the day had a very high chance of having the worst kind of bad news... but God gave us a wonderful gift, the bad news was simply our hearts hurting along with Axel's. But such a wonderful hurt it is, that we have Axel alive and strong. Thank the Lord for He is with us!

I'm so proud of Eric for being there for his cousin Tim. I knew, though, that in the back of his mind his heart broke for another reason...seeing Axel like that took him and I both back to another little one we loved so much, who also had to have all those tubes and scars- Riley Hardison.

This scared us, but also gave us a reason to talk about it and think on it. Axel has something very different from Riley- Axel has a problem that has been fixed. Riley had a disease that could only be fought- and how we miss him so much- but we can't compare his story to Axel's because they are nothing a like in any way. God carried Riley away from the disease that was hurting him, and that's what was best for Riley. God held Axel in his arms while the doctor's fixed the holes that were hurting him, and that's what was best for Axel- Axel obviously has something more to do in this world, and God intends for him to stay with us at least for now! And in both stories- God listened to us and answered our prayers each time. And he always did what was best for the child involved.

Thank you Lord, for this precious gift, this sweet new baby boy, Axel Storm Hancock. Please continue to be with him throughout the upcoming days ahead as his body heals! We thank you and give all our praise to you, O Lord! Amen!

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or more are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them." -- Matthew 18: 19-20

This is Axel's Daddy- Tim Hancock

Tim and Eric built model planes for Axel to remember this day by. They built the planes while in the waiting room during Axel's surgery. Eric built a fighter jet plane, and Tim built his baby boy a model of the blue angel. Both planes turn out to be so special - because Axel is such a fighter, and there were definitely lots of angels surrounding him.

Axel Storm Hancock - in recovery after a very successful surgery to repair the holes in his heart. They decided to keep him sedated until the following day so that they can monitor his body's healing process. So far, Axel is still doing better than ever expected- he's such a strong little fighter- such a blessing to us all!!