Shattered
Writing this post to update you all is about as easy as it was for the doctor who shared the news with us today. Multiple tests and monitoring yesterday had us encouraged and we were not expecting the news he delivered. In the LORD’s mercy, I arrived to reunite with Sonja about 30 minutes before the doctor and nurses came into share with her the results from an investigative ultrasound that took place early this morning. I’m glad we came back so Sonja didn’t need to hear it alone.
Due to a list of discovered abnormalities (missing kidney, non-active stomach, enlargened heart chamber, and continuously clenched hands), the doctor shared his belief that our little baby’s issue with size is not due to Sonja’s placenta and blood delivery, but a genetic disorder present within our girl’s body. He suspects that our little girl has Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, or Triploidy. These genetic disorders occur in the formation of a child, are not curable, and are incompatible with life.
The statistics are staggering. Many, if not most, children with these conditions do not make it full term and are miscarried. Of those who do make it, they carry a life expectancy of days or weeks, with 5-10% of children having trisomy 13 or 18 making it to a year of life.
Once the doctor left, we cried together with our two oldest Nehemiah and Evangeline, as well as our friend Rebecca who had graciously been staying with Sonja and keeping her company before we arrived. We prayed and asked God for faith in His goodness. We prayed that our little girl would defy the odds. Evangeline asked God if we could at least hold her before she dies. We pleaded for strength to receive this gift of God with thankfulness even though we don’t understand all the whys. We reminded ourselves of all the saints who have cried out to God and He heard them and answered them. We encouraged one another that tears don’t diminish God’s glory or tarnish His reputation, but they serve as reminders that something is amiss and we need Him to remedy the problem.
Please pray with us for our little girl as the LORD leads you. We will likely have a couple more tests done, but the doctor will discharge Sonja after another day or two and continue with frequents checkups, hoping she can carry our little girl for another 2-3 weeks before they will induce labor. We’ll do our best to keep you updated along the way. Thanks for all of the ways you love us.
Dear Broten Family, Thank-you so much for sharing with us news of your little gift from God. It’ so good to be able to talk with our Heavenly Father along with you. We know His love, power, faithfulness, strength, mercy…. are amazing! With our love and thankful hearts, Ed and Becky
Oh, dear friends. We are so sorry to hear this news. :( How devastating. :( Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
We have been praying since your first post! All the prayer of all the, trusting you can feel His presence. This is about as hard as it can get!!! We continue to hold you. With much love!
May the Lord hold you in his loving arms. We will pray.
When we were in similar circumstance almost a year ago someone shared this song with me. When I struggled to absorb the truth of God’s word or just needed to be still and listen, this song gave me such truth and encouragement. I hope it can encourage you in these impossible times. May God’s peace be very real to you now and may you trust Him even deeper in these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lH2IJEY1sY
Dear Sonja, I’m so incredibly sorry to hear this news and weeping with you. We are praying for you and your sweet baby girl. We love you guys.
Hugs, Kari
Hi Sonja, I just read your story. I’m passing along a blog to you. A friend of mine has a daughter who has trisomy 13 and she has defied many stats! She is almost 2 years old. Her blog is a lot of stories of growth and grace. Blessings on you all
http://www.lovingavonlea.com
Dear Sonja,
I am so sorry to hear this news. You have such a beautiful family. May you all wrap each other in warmth and love during this incredibly difficult time. You, your family and beautiful baby girl are in my thoughts and payers.
All my love,
Kelle
Hi Brotens,
We have not met personally, but I know who you are through BBC. I’m so sorry to hear of your family’s news and will be praying for you. I’m compelled to write to share with you that my best friend had a baby boy born in February with full Trisomy 13. She lives in Alaska and came to MN to give birth in order to give her baby the best care. She had a great team at the Mother Baby Center and Children’s Hospital. It is a hard diagnosis, but you are not alone. I will ask her to pray for your family and little girl. God is good and gracious and I pray his peace over you. -Brooke Dodd
Praying with you as wait on God’s timing and trust in His care. We send our love to you all. You are precious to us and will be in our thoughts and prayers. In Christ’s love, Janet Ackerman & family
My heart breaks along with yours at this news. I will be joining you in prayer as these days unfold. Our God is merciful and mighty, and he will bless in the midst of heartache.
Hello Broten Family,
We do not know you but our mama and daddy hearts are praying with you even now that our Gracious, Loving Lord will give a miracle for your precious baby girl. We also pray He gives you His peace that passes understanding, His grace to walk this path before you, His comfort and care as you wrestle the emotions and questions, His wisdom and understanding to navigate the concerns and decisions, His compassions, especially in the doctors you see and most of all His joy and hope despite how the circumstances in this world seem. My friend Brooke sent me the link to your site this evening, our family did just follow God through similar waters you are in with our 2nd son Ian born in February who had Full Trisomy 13. We just want to reach out and assure you that you are not alone. We were carried by the prayers of so many who lifted us up to the Lord. We absolutely join you and your precious Gift in crying out to God and will share this request with our church family and friends. As Brooke shared we also were in Minneapolis at Abbott with Ian. We are more than willing to be contacted if there is anyway we might help by sharing, listening and praying.
Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
God Bless you all,
Rachel & Christopher Stone
Dear Jacob and Sonja,
Our heart aches with yoursin this time. We are praying for you. As I opened my Bible this morning after reading htis post, the first words of Isaiah 33 struck me. They feel like they fit your life right now.
“Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you.
O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. ”
Looking forward to the day the Destroyer and Death are destroyed and praying for God to be your strength right now,
Katie
Dear Jacob, Sonja, and kids,
I am so sorry for the pain you are going through. I am praying that God strengthens you and gives you the grace to draw closer to Him through all of this. May He comfort you and bless your little girl’s life.
We are praying. Carrying you in our hearts!
My heart is heavy for you but so thankful your are resting in His arms through this valley. I cannot find the words to encourage and care except to continue to lean on Him!
Friends,
The Lord is with you. It may not feel that way right now, but I am praying you would cling to Him in your grief .
I had a daughter with Trisomy 18, her name was Noelle. We too were told she had complications that were “incompatable with life.” I want to encourage you, no life that the Lord makes is “incompatable” – life is life, His to give and take away.
I highly recommend Trisomy.org, there is a lot of good information there about the medical side of things. I know the statistics are overwhelming, but your daughter’s life and the value of it, and its length and breadth, is not determined by those statistics.
Some doctors will not value your daughter’s life because of this diagnosis. They may think it is hopeless, but no journey is hopeless with our God, in his power to heal and in his sovereignty when he chooses not to. Others may join you in this difficult journey. I am praying you would meet them. I could give you some recommendations if you are interested. Some doctors may tell you there are no survivors, but this is not true either.
I know all this is overwhelming! I have a lot of resources I would love to share with you if you are interested.
Blessings,
Laura Buller
Linmeril@gmail.com
(We live in Minneapolis close to Childrens btw…we know many of the doctors there as well)
Praying for you and your sweet baby girl.
Praying and weeping and hoping. Much love to you all.
I’m just reading this and finding out the news. My heart is sad for you and I’m praying for you.
Dear dear friends,
We just read this and had no idea until today. We are crying with you, sharing your struggle but joining our faith to yours. We, too, believe in His goodness and miraculous touch. Our hearts and prayers are with you during this time and we so wish we could do more! But we are praying to a God who can do more than our human ressources or wildest dreams. We love you so very much.
Dear family,
Praying for you. Your girl is a fighter, she is compatible with life, with the life that is granted to her by her Creator. I pray Evangeline and all of you can hold her and love on her once she is born. I hope you get lots of support from your caregivers xx