“This happened so the power of God could be seen..." ~John 9:3(b)
God has blessed me with three sons who were all born healthy. But as the months of their infancy moved on, each child developed different health challenges in their bodies. My oldest son developed asthma like symptoms at 8 months of age, and was diagnosed with food allergies to wheat and eggs as a toddler. The great thing about his health is that he never has had any challenges with asthma or the foods he was allergic to. He is prescribed asthma control medications but he rarely needs or uses them and he is no longer allergic to wheat or eggs.
My youngest son who is three years old began to have signs of asthma and food allergies when he was around a year old. He has battled through boughts of croup throughout the fall months for the last two years, diagnosed with failure to thrive and GERD (fancy name for acid reflux), egg allergy, and speech delay. Other than these challenges he is a typical toddler.
The heart of my journey has been with my five year old son. He also developed eczema, asthma, food allergies to dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and tilapia, and GERD as a toddler. He would break out into these terrible rashes as a baby and we had to use different remedies and steroid cream to control his flare ups. He was diagnosed with asthma at one year of age, and had his first asthma attack a few weeks later when we were visiting my mother in South Carolina. By the time I got him to the Emergency Room he was at 70% oxygen in his body. I had no idea what asthma looked like until this experience, and I never wanted to see an asthma episode again. Little did I know this was wishful thinking! He had another asthma attack this past June when visiting his grandparents, and was transported to Children’s Hospital in downtown Atlanta. He has also experienced first degree burns on his face, and first/second degree burns on his left shoulder and back as a result of running to the microwave to get a cup of water. I was in the process of making tea for his father. He had surgery the next morning at Wellstar Cobb Hospital in Austell, Georgia and stopped breathing when they were bringing him out of the anesthesia.
During his first week of Kindergarten, a student brought peanuts to his class. While the class was having carpet time (my son was not near the peanuts), my son had a minor reaction to the peanuts. The staff reacted quickly and got him to the nurse’s station. Thankfully he did not need his EpiPen but only a dose of Benadryl. His father and I picked him up from school and thankfully he recovered in time to be back to school the next day.
My middle son has had three near death experiences in his short time on this earth, and exposure to several viruses and other illnesses over the past five years. I know without a doubt that God has a plan for this young man’s life and a great call to change and impact the lives of others. He is personable, witty, charming, resilient, and a fighter.
He never gives up even on his worst days of dealing with illness. I have dealt with years of emotions, blame, shame, and guilt for the health challenges my children developed, but mainly my second and third children because my oldest rarely goes to the pediatrician outside of his routine annual well check-ups.
I have been going to specialists such as gastroenterology, pulmonary/allergist clinics, urgent care, emergency room visits, and the pediatrician for sick visits for five years. I have finally begun to see improvements in the boys’ health as of the fall of 2013.
It’s been a road traveled with prayers, remedies, research, emotions, tears, pain, gain, and victory. God said this journey is about Him receiving glory according to the scripture John 9:2-3, “ “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”"
In future blogs I will begin to talk about the road to regaining my son’s health and recovery.....God’s way. My prayer is that you as readers will be helped in your own journey to regain your health or the health of a loved one by following my journey.
Lakeisha Howell
My youngest son who is three years old began to have signs of asthma and food allergies when he was around a year old. He has battled through boughts of croup throughout the fall months for the last two years, diagnosed with failure to thrive and GERD (fancy name for acid reflux), egg allergy, and speech delay. Other than these challenges he is a typical toddler.
The heart of my journey has been with my five year old son. He also developed eczema, asthma, food allergies to dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and tilapia, and GERD as a toddler. He would break out into these terrible rashes as a baby and we had to use different remedies and steroid cream to control his flare ups. He was diagnosed with asthma at one year of age, and had his first asthma attack a few weeks later when we were visiting my mother in South Carolina. By the time I got him to the Emergency Room he was at 70% oxygen in his body. I had no idea what asthma looked like until this experience, and I never wanted to see an asthma episode again. Little did I know this was wishful thinking! He had another asthma attack this past June when visiting his grandparents, and was transported to Children’s Hospital in downtown Atlanta. He has also experienced first degree burns on his face, and first/second degree burns on his left shoulder and back as a result of running to the microwave to get a cup of water. I was in the process of making tea for his father. He had surgery the next morning at Wellstar Cobb Hospital in Austell, Georgia and stopped breathing when they were bringing him out of the anesthesia.
During his first week of Kindergarten, a student brought peanuts to his class. While the class was having carpet time (my son was not near the peanuts), my son had a minor reaction to the peanuts. The staff reacted quickly and got him to the nurse’s station. Thankfully he did not need his EpiPen but only a dose of Benadryl. His father and I picked him up from school and thankfully he recovered in time to be back to school the next day.
My middle son has had three near death experiences in his short time on this earth, and exposure to several viruses and other illnesses over the past five years. I know without a doubt that God has a plan for this young man’s life and a great call to change and impact the lives of others. He is personable, witty, charming, resilient, and a fighter.
He never gives up even on his worst days of dealing with illness. I have dealt with years of emotions, blame, shame, and guilt for the health challenges my children developed, but mainly my second and third children because my oldest rarely goes to the pediatrician outside of his routine annual well check-ups.
I have been going to specialists such as gastroenterology, pulmonary/allergist clinics, urgent care, emergency room visits, and the pediatrician for sick visits for five years. I have finally begun to see improvements in the boys’ health as of the fall of 2013.
It’s been a road traveled with prayers, remedies, research, emotions, tears, pain, gain, and victory. God said this journey is about Him receiving glory according to the scripture John 9:2-3, “ “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”"
In future blogs I will begin to talk about the road to regaining my son’s health and recovery.....God’s way. My prayer is that you as readers will be helped in your own journey to regain your health or the health of a loved one by following my journey.
Lakeisha Howell
 | Lakeisha Howell is a full-time wife and mother, board member for VOYCE Academy, and beloved and devoted Child of God. Stay tuned each month to follow her journey as she shares the health benefits she has learned by living and eating according to God's original design. |
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