Hope Without Hope

It was November of my 6 grade year, when my parents told us there was going to be a new member of our family. I was very excited, but at the same time I was thinking, "I'm not going to be the baby anymore." Still, overwhelmed by the news I went into my room, and thought about it. Will it be a boy? Will it be a girl? Will it like me? Will I like it? So many questions filled my 11yrs. old mind. Just a few months later, my mom started having complications. The doctor put her on bed-rest. She couldn’t do anything at all. She had to eat in bed. Lucky for us, our church people would make us food. My dad couldn’t cook, and he was always working, so it was very nice of them. At five months, my mom's water broke. I remember the day it happend. My dad came and took me out of school. He told me that the baby might not live. That was some news I didn’t want to receive. After we went home and picked up my brother, I went into my room, and prayed that God wouldn’t take this baby away from us. I could hear mom in the other room crying. It made me and my brother cry. I had to stay at my Aunt's house, while my dad took my mom to Oklahoma City. My mom had to stay there for almost 1 month. The doctors said there was little hope for the baby. We didnt know what gender the baby was either. Then on Thursday April 27, 2000, at 12:35 p.m. Destinee Hope Musick was born. She weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz. and was 14 inches long. I didn’t find this out until I got home. I called my Aunt to see if she knew were my dad was at, she said, “Yes, he is at the hospital with your mom, she had the baby today.” "Wow!" I thought. "I'm going to be a big sister!" After a while my Dad's parents came to pick my brother and I up so we could go to OKC. When we got there, we went to see my Mother first. I remember our pastor and his wife being there. They had came to pray for my sister, because there was little hope for her. When it finally came time to go see my sister, who was in the Intensive Care Unit, I was excited. We got to the door, and we had to push a button, then a lady on an intercom would say, "NICU." My dad said, "Musick Family." "Door's Open." She would reply. Little did I know that I would do this for almost 3 months sraight. When we went in, there was a long hallway we had to walk through. The hall came to a stop, and there was a nurses station, and two sinks. My dad told my grandparents, my brother, and I we had to wash our hands. So we washed. After we were all cleaned up, my dad led us down another hall, that led to a room with babies on machines. Before, we got to my sister's room space, my dad told me, "Don't be afraid of her, she is hooked up to all kinds of wires." I got to her bed, and there she was. She was so little. All these machines, wires, and tubes, were hooked up to her, there was these moniters going off and making beeping sounds. Everything around her scared me. I wondered how you could love something so small. I didnt think she would make it all. Everyone, had little hope that she would make it through the night. Morning came, she was still alive! About a week after she was born her weight had dropped to one pound. She was still keeping on. This gurl is very tough. The first day had ended and it was soon time for us to go home. My dad stayed there with my mom. When we got to Clinton, I had to stay with my Aunt. They were already asleep when I walked in, but when they realized who I was they asked a lot of questions about my sister. I didn't get very much sleep that night, I don't think anyone in my family did. My mom came home three days after my sister was born. The trips to OKC widened. We went there almost everyday. My mom stayed there most of the time, she would sleep in the lobby by the NICU. My sister's first surgery came about a month after she wa born. Everyone was scared, because it was a surgery on her head. She made is through this surgery, her and her tough self. Her next surgery was one head, they had to replace the shunt that they put in her head. A shunt is a tube that is in her brain, and goes into her gallbladder, it is made to empty the fluid in her head. This shunt of hers has failed five times so far. Every times her shunt messed up, we would get scared, because that meant another brain surgery for her. Every time anyone has surgery on their head, it kills cells, and can make them slow in their future. She had to have two eye surgeries, for the fact that her eyes would cross. These surgeries wern't as scary as the others. On July 22, 2000. We recieved some good news. She was coming home with us. I was so happy. When we got home, there was a big welcome sign for her. Nobody was there because, they wanted to let my sister and my mom sleep. Although she had two moniters, hooked up to her and also oxygen, I was glad she was home. Destinee Hope Musick has had a total of 12 surgeries before the age of two, she has had pneunomia 4 times. Right now, Destinee is doing great. Doctors say she will be a little slow, but I can deal with that. Sadly, they said she will never be able to walk, however I am going to be the one who will change that. She is a very happy baby, and you can tell she loves her big sister. To others, they see her as a miracle, but she's more than that to me, she's my hero.