I have always been a hopeful person and was confident life would get better – one day I would finally get through the hard times for good.
In May of 2017, hope took on a new role in my life. My three month old daughter was shaken by her father.
At the time, I was separated from him and he had her at his home with him. I was at work when my boss told me to get to the hospital because my baby was there. As I drove to the hospital my mom called and when I answered all I can remember hearing from her was yelling and crying.
My sweet baby coded for 20 minutes before coming back, and as a result suffers extreme brain damage today. She spent one month in the hospital, has spent well over 100 days in the hospital since then, and now lives at home with me and her older sister, who is four years old.
Since her injury, I have been told several times that she was dying, and each time she would pull through. During those moments, HOPE was all I had to cling to. HOPE went from being something I’d think about when I was trying to reach a goal, to being my best friend.
HOPE crushes fear of the unknown.
When I am tempted to dwell on what happened to my daughter and give up hope, I think of Moses. When Moses was lost in the desert, he could’ve given in to hopelessness, but instead, he had great expectation for what had been promised to him. It is much easier to look around at circumstances and get discouraged than it is to look up and be filled with HOPE.
I have to remind myself every day of God’s promises, and to not give up.
It has now been over a year since my daughter was injured. Although she has been diagnosed with blindness, Cerebral Palsy, Gastroparesis, and the doctors refer to her as severely disabled, she is a complete miracle in my eyes. HOPE turns that hurt into peace and joy, allowing me to get through each day without being consumed by the evil of this world.
We thank Sierra Hunt for writing into Hope Rises with her story of courage and incredible strength as the mother of this angel child.
Stay tuned for more with Sierra, who will play a crucial role in spreading the mission of Hope Rises to ignite love across the globe.
