WHITTLE: Spring answer to a prayer

 By DAN WHITTLE

Hope you'll be patient as I talk about two miracle grandchildren.

Stop the presses, for Feb. 21 was a "halo" day of personal family joy, when thousands of heart-felt prayers from around the globe were answered as a gifted surgeon at St. Louis Children's Hospital successfully entered Great Grandchild Beckett Nelson's spinal column to partially-correct physical handicaps preventing him from walking unassisted.

With Beckett being only 3, it was a tedious and dangerous surgery, but the Good Lord hooked parents Patrick and Amanda up with one of only two surgeons in the U.S. who perform the procedure.

As we pause and give thanks at this milestone surgery, brave Beckett has miles-and-miles to go with an approaching intensive cycle of physical therapy coming at Murfreesboro's Special Kids' facility where miracles are the norm, not the exception.

Beckett is our miracle child because well-trained physicians at StoneCrest Medical Center and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital initially held little hope that the child would survive the day, after a care-giver in Smyrna allowed the infant's head, at age 6 months, to lodge between an adult bed's mattress and head-board, thus cutting off oxygen to the brain.

Prayers immediately went up throughout the U.S., from Gassaway, Tenn., to St. Louis, Mo., and from Spain to Canada as our network of friends and believers prayerfully-circled the wagons for Beckett and his courageous parents, Patrick and Amanda Nelson.

And fund-raisers are being organized from Woodbury, to Pulaski, to Smyrna, to La Vergne and Murfreesboro to aid in rehabilitation and medical procedures not covered by insurance.

Are you ready for another miracle that occurred on Feb. 21???

Meet 3-year-old grandchild Zeke Amick, a miracle child adopted last year out of China by parents' Jessica and Ben Amick, along with daughter Georgia Grace and son Gabe, of La Vergne.

Two big events happened the night of Feb. 21, as granddaughter Georgia Grace celebrated milestone 12th birthday and Sir Zeke clearly enunciated "Pappy Dan" for the first time.

Little Zeke has required multiple surgeries since arriving in Tennessee, because of a severe cleft pallet condition that was not corrected back in China. Due to his pre-existing condition, he's just now able to pronounce words.

When he spoke "Pappy" loud and clear for the very first time during Georgia Grace's birthday celebration, Pappy Dan's heart soared with angels as our family staged a jubilant celebration parade throughout our home, complete with noise makers as tears of joy flowed!!!

Now that  March is here, we welcome the miracle of approaching Spring!!!