Miracle Girl

By Aimee DeCaria

One minute you're told your little girl has a mild common disease that should soon go away on its own. Then two weeks later, you find yourself in the ER as she is undergoing emergency brain surgery for a massive spontaneous brain bleed. What!? What do you do now? How do you process this? How do you breathe when the doctors say she won't survive the night? Do you turn away from God in anger, fear, and frustration? Or do you turn to Him in desperation, hope, and fear?

There's no script on how to handle trauma. No playbook on the right way to deal with your child's pain and suffering. This journey was challenging, it seemed hopeless, and it was exhausting; but through it all, God never left me. I experienced how only He could take the very worst day of my life and turn it into a day I will be eternally grateful for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887519630

Book preview

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Miracle Girl

Aimee DeCaria

ISBN 979-8-88751-962-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88751-964-7 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88751-963-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Aimee DeCaria

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All biblical citations were taken from the New International Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Part 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Part 2

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

About the Author

To my parents, for all the

love and support throughout my life.

Thank you for instilling in me the importance of

faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

It's about More than the Healing

Foreword

God takes people through a lot of hard times and dark places. That's what I would always say to myself when something bad would happen in my life. Well, honestly, all those little things that happened to me before were nothing compared to what I went through in 2021. I was so scared and so confused. I had no idea what happened because, for all I knew, I couldn't move or talk at first, which was so scary because those are your everyday basics. This journey was especially hard on me because it all happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I couldn't see my family. The first few weeks were tough, and I knew I couldn't do anything about it. But I knew that God could.

I was pretty mad at first, and I would always ask myself, Why me? I already had diabetes, so I thought it was something I did. But I would still pray in hopes that all the fear would go away.

Once I got to rehab, things got much easier. I knew I would be going home soon, so I just tried to stay positive. Later in life, when all the scary thoughts were gone, I realized that God doesn't just pick people randomly. He chooses people for a reason that He knows is best.

Now looking back, I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me and to everyone who prayed for me. The best piece of advice I could give is to always think on the positive side of things, especially when it's hard because even though it sounds silly and sounds like it may not work, it's how I got through it. I met so many great people that I probably would have never met if this hadn't happened. So being honest, I have no regrets about what happened.

I also want to leave this one very important Bible verse with you: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6–7).

Thank you again to everyone!

—Natalie DeCaria, age twelve

Acknowledgments

This may be my favorite page of the book because I have the opportunity to name all the people, as best I can, who helped Natalie and our family during this crazy roller-coaster ride.

There are not enough words to express my gratitude to the Nemours of Jacksonville staff who were a part of my daughter's care team. Dr. Manisha Bansal, our amazing hematologist, who was with us from day 1 and always gave Natalie 110 percent, no matter the situation. Thank you to Dr. Allison Bechtel and Dr. Cynthia Gauger from hematology, along with Dr. Lournaris Torres-Santiago and Heidi Ingram from endocrinology. And to the nurses and staff at Nemours, like Joanna Radcliffe, Cynthia Kiddy, and Jason Davis, who always made Natalie smile and attempted to make blood draws fun. Sal and I feel blessed to have our Nemours team close by.

Wolfson Children's Hospital was our home for four straight weeks and then again for many nights throughout this journey. There were so many people from all different departments that made a difference in our daughter's care, and we owe you our lives. Beginning with the incomparable neurosurgeon, Dr. Philipp Aldana, without whom there would be no journey. I know God placed you on call that dreaded Sunday, and we are eternally grateful! Thank you to Alyssa Tamasi and Graciela Gallo for being the voices of comfort and making it easy to trust you with our precious girl.

We owe a huge thank-you to Dr. Kellease Brown from the ER. I remember so clearly watching you command the room when they first brought Natalie in, and your strong, confident actions gave me hope in a very difficult time. Dr. Karen Lidsky from Wolfson's PICU, I can't even tell you the reassurance I felt the days you were in charge, knowing I could relax a little because you had our backs. Meyram Jan, your late-night talk parties with Natalie are still famous in our household. All the child-life specialists (especially Mary Lauren) who brought so many smiles to Natalie's face and lots of fun toys! Morgan Maxwell, the very special music therapist who gave us memories we will always hold tight to. Thank you to the OT, PT, and speech therapists who helped during those initial two weeks after her coma. And honestly, every nurse, tech, and staff member we came across at Wolfson's—it is truly a special place!

We are very grateful to the EMTs at Station 19 in St. Johns County for your swift action and ability to take control and do what is needed.

Let's not forget all the awesome people at Nemours of Orlando's inpatient rehab facility and Boston Children's Hospital. To Natalie's therapists—Aitza Feliciano, Jessica Elliott, and so many others—you were all great at incorporating fun into the sessions and helping the children enjoy their time with you! Carly Roberts, you have no idea how much you impacted Natalie with your positivity and love for Harry Potter! Dr. Rachael Grace and Dr. David Hoytema van Konijnenburg, the opportunity to see both of you gave our family a huge sense of encouragement, reassurance, and knowledge. Thank you, both!

I've always believed it takes a village, and our village at Durbin Crossing is one of the best around. You, guys, smothered us with love, meals for the kids at home, prayers, and the fabulous food gift cards for the hospital. Kerianne and David, I couldn't even begin to describe what you all mean to us. You are like family, and the way you stepped in and helped take care of our other two kids (and helped my parents) is beyond amazing! Please know you guys can never move away!

I have a love-hate relationship with social media, but during this journey, I was very grateful to everyone who used it to reach out to us. So many friends from the past, extended family members, and even strangers who prayed for our daughter and shared her story with others. You were our prayer army, and God heard your requests. A big thank-you to my favorite PB girls! You, ladies, have been an intricate part of my life the past ten years, and I thank God for you constantly!

I have to say a huge thank-you to all of Sal's family (Frank and Debra, Sina and Travis, Alene and Jason, Maria and Rob, and Anna and Linda). You guys came running in with support, comfort, and love that we will never forget. Amanda Brown, I'm just going to go on record that you are (and to be honest, always have been) my favorite cousin. Having you sit with us during the initial surgery; opening your home to Sal and me; checking in each hospital stay; and being a constant source of knowledge, comfort, and reassurance made my survival possible.

To Dad, Mom, Meredith, and Mark, I think by now you know my world does not turn without all of you in it. There is no corner of my life that you all are not involved in, and that is exactly the way I need it. There isn't enough space for me to list all the helpful and wonderful things you did for us during this two-year journey, but please know every last one was hugely appreciated! I love you all more than I can say.

Finally, to my beloved husband and children. Isabella and Antonio, you two were so strong, capable, and empathetic in the way you handled everything. Natalie, my brave girl, I hope one day you truly understand everything you did and how God used your life to bring glory to Him! I love you three with every ounce of my being! Sal, we have always been opposites, but I loved seeing God use our opposites to help us survive and grow the last two years. I remember thinking the day we got married that I couldn't believe you were choosing me out of all the other girls, and I still can't believe how blessed I am to have you by my side. God put us together for the road He already had planned so long ago, and I can't wait to see where it leads to in the future.

Part 1

Chapter 1

Natalie Elizabeth DeCaria. In the short ten years she has been on this earth, she has definitely made her presence known. She is not like her older sister, Isabella, who is easygoing, never complains, and avoids drama. Nor is she like her younger brother, Antonio, who enjoys being challenged and loves all sports. No, as the middle child, she is completely and uniquely one of a kind. She has a combination of great qualities from both her siblings—some from my husband and me, and then a bunch that are truly her own. Mix those in with a lot of sass, love for drama, equal parts shyness and attention seeker, and one of the biggest hearts you'll ever know, and that's our Natalie! To know her is to love her…and to sometimes laugh a little at the hot mess she is proud to be.

She came into this world like a hurricane (two weeks early, breeched, and last minute C-section) and continued to be the center of attention with colic for the first four months. But she was so darn cute we didn't mind the excessive screaming…most of the time. After that, life was pretty normal: two adorable sisters in coordinating outfits and beautiful smiles. We got the boy with our third child, and our happy family was complete! But at age six (the day before the first day of school), Natalie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. With no family history, we had no idea what this meant and definitely had no clue how it would change our day-to-day lives forever.

Over the years, we were educated, and Natalie learned how to not only live with type 1, but to thrive with it! As a family, we tackled this diagnosis together, and Natalie became more and more responsible and independent with her care. By age ten, she was doing so well that counting carbs, waking up two to three times a night for juice or shots of insulin, and bringing supplies everywhere we went became second nature to us.

Then January 2021 came, and our happy family bubble popped in a horrifying instant. This was supposed to be an exciting time, a brand new year! The awful COVID-19 pandemic was predicted to be over, and we could start getting back out there to see friends and family and be normal again. Well, that may have happened for some, but definitely not for the DeCarias!

For the last few months of 2020, I noticed Natalie's appetite change in that she wasn't eating nearly the amount of food she used to eat. It wasn't like she stopped eating altogether; she ate all her snacks and meals, just not as big of portions. What seemed stranger though was her sudden tiredness. Our usual perky child was now spending most of her free time laying on the couch or in her bed (not watching a screen, and not sleeping—just basically laying around). When we would try to encourage her to play outside with her siblings, or maybe a board game with one of us, she would just shrug and say she