When Katie and Josh Butler of Nashville, Tennesse, discovered they were expecting a baby, they were over the moon. They had always wanted children and they were grateful for this blessing. However, fate had plans that would turn their family on its head.
When the couple excitedly attended their 20-week scan, they expected their pregnancy to be running smoothly. But as the doctor conducted the ultrasound, it was discovered that there was something very wrong. The doctors couldn’t tell exactly what the problem was, but there were multiple concerns that threatened the health of their baby.
When their son Dewey was born, he was rushed straight to NICU where he spent 132 days being cared for in a desperate bid to save his life. But sadly the doctor and nurse’s efforts weren’t enough to save baby Dewey.
Dewey passed away during a routine operation to surgically fit him with a feeding tube; his little heart couldn’t take it. Needless to say, Katie and Josh were devastated.
On the day of the surgery, we had such a good morning with him. That was the last time we saw him.
It was supposed to be a really routine surgery, but after a couple of hours when I hadn’t heard anything, I started to worry. When they told us he had died, Josh started to cry and I was in shock. I felt so guilty for thinking of this but there was also a sense of relief, he was finally healed and I know I’ll see him again.
As Katie and Josh struggled to come to terms with the loss of their son, they turned to God to help them through their grief. It was during a celebration of baby Dewey’s life that God answered their prayers.
Katie and Josh received an unexpected call from a nurse at the NICU they had become close to at the hospital. They had mentioned that they would be interested in fostering and she had a suggestion for them.
There was a baby on the 5th floor of the hospital who needed a mom and dad. The little boy, called Brax, had a number of health conditions and had been abandoned by his family, as they couldn’t care for him. It was the call that would change their life for the better. Amongst their grief, there was a shining light.
I had been praying that I wanted another baby. I had tasted for the first time what it is to be a mother.
They met Brax in the NICU and immediately fell in love. He was 11-months-old and had never left the hospital. He had a chronic respiratory failure, tracheomalacia, pulmonary hypertension, and was dependent on a trach-vent. But luckily for Brax, it was expected that his conditions would improve with age.
Katie and Josh knew exactly what they wanted to do. They took Brax home with them and fostered him until they could finally adopt him in September 2017. From the moment Brax was brought home with them, his condition began to improve. I guess love really is the best medicine…
Once we brought him home, his health started to improve. He still need oxygen but his movement and feeding has improved such much. He knows us and he smiles at us and can identify us. Our family has really taken to him. We have all this love because of Dewey and want to pour this love into Brax.
While the grief of losing Dewey will never fully fade, his untimely passing made space for another child who needed a loving family to have his chance at life.
It’s been a year since Dewey went to heaven, he was such a sweet baby with these big brown eyes. It’s has been a range of emotion – the grief still comes in waves. We are so grateful for Brax and if it weren’t for Dewey we wouldn’t have met. It gave purpose to Dewey’s short life. Dewey was on the 4th floor of the NICU, and on the 5th floor was another baby who needed family to care for him.
There are truly wonderful people in the world. Katie and Josh were able to put aside their grief of losing their own child to love and care for another child who needed it. Share this beautiful story with your friends to remind them of all the good in the world. There is always light to be found in the darkest of days.
