An interview with Randy & Kylie Curtis MIKE BUSH ('81) WH AT I S YOUR S T ORY ? RANDY: In April of 2013, Kylie and I found out we were going to have a baby... only eight months after we were married. This was a joyful, and over- whelming, surprise for us! In early June we discovered through a routine ultra- sound there was a possibility the baby could have some health problems. We were sent to a specialist for additional care, but in early October the doctor told us they no longer saw any signs of potential risk. As you can imagine, this was a tremendous sigh of relief, and, as a result, we thought we were in the clear. Then, in late October, Kylie unexpect- edly began to experience a lot of dis- comfort which grew worse every day over a two-week period due to the rapid growth of the baby and extra fluids. We didn’t know what was going on. Early Wednesday morning, on November 6, I had just arrived at work when Kylie called me after going in for a checkup. She said they were admit- ting her into the hospital immediately for preterm labor, and I needed to meet her there right away. When I arrived, Kylie was undergoing preliminary tests that determined the baby had a condition called hydrops, which basically meant that his body was full of excess fluid. Initially they tried to stop labor but then decided the baby might have a better chance of survival outside the womb where they easily could operate on him. Labor was induced on Friday, November 8. Ezra Michael was born without a heartbeat around2:00AMonSaturday,November 9, and was immediately resuscitated by a team of neonatologists.
RANDY ('07, '08) & KYLIE ('08, '10)
Randy and Kylie live in Schroon Lake, New York with their two children: Alivianna (age 3) and Luke (10 months). Randy serves as Missions Mobilizer with Word of Life International Ministries, and Kylie is a full-time mom. A meaningful verse to them is Genesis 18:25: “ …shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ” Email Randy at: RANDYCURTIS@WOL.ORG
His underdeveloped and damaged lungs (from the pockets of fluid) were not processing oxygen well enough. After only ten hours it became clear that Ezra was not going to live. They disconnected him from all the wires and, already lifeless, gave him to us to hold and cuddle for the first time in a private room for the next four hours. Ezra and Kylie had many tests done to figure out what caused the hydrops, but they were inconclusive at best. Eventually, we realized that it was no longer helpful to try and pursue a definitive answer. The LORD knows, and that is enough! WH E N D I D YOU F I R S T KNOW T H I S WA S NO T GO I NG T O E ND A S YOU E X P E C T E D ? RANDY: When Ezra was born, he didn’t cry, he didn’t open his eyes, and he didn’t move at all. And, he was way too big for that stage of the
pregnancy because of the excess fluid. He was just lying there, seemingly life- less, being attended to by a team of doctors, not making any sounds or showing any signs of life. At that point, it became clear what was happening. WH AT WE R E YOUR T HOUGH T S A BOU T GOD ? KYLIE: I was very angry. God being sovereign means that nothing happens without Him allowing it to happen. He actively permitted this tragedy to happen to us, and I could not reconcile that in my heart and mind for a long time. I had felt entitled to life looking a certain way for Randy and me. RANDY: I wasn’t angry as much as I was in disbelief God would allow this to happen. We had recently moved and were adjusting to living in a new place, finding new jobs, finding a church, being newly married, etc. The reality of
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