I'd like to share with you the story of my daughter and son in law, who found out the child they were expecting, their first child and my first grandchild, had omphalacele. This was four years ago.   Omphalacele is when the baby's internal organs are formed outside the body in a thin membrane sac. In my daughter's case all the organs except the heart, two long sausage shaped lungs, the one kidney and reproductive organs, were outside the baby's body. The sac was bigger than the baby's head on the scan. It is like a giant hernia.

Of course the doctor advised abortion, but my son in law and daughter refused to do that. It was a hard thing to wait for the birth of a grossly abnormal baby, having found out at about 14 weeks about the condition. They couldn't tell if there would also be heart abnormalities and chromosomal abnormalities (resulting in intellectual retardation).

My daughter and son in law are Christians but my son in law's parents are not. They tried to persuade my son in law that the baby should be aborted. In their culture (they are not from New Zealand) it is a shameful thing to have an abnormal baby.

Caitlyn was born by ceasarian section. No heart problems - no chromosomal problems. The doctors envisaged a long series of operations for her. However, prayer warriors were on duty!! Caitlyn spent about four months in an incubator, with a gastro-nasal tube. She learned to breathe by herself early despite her funny lungs. She nearly died about four times according to the doctors. But the prayer warriors were on duty!! We had people I have never heard of praying for her. There were visions and scriptures given. There was no way Satan was going to rob us of this child, who was NOT a mistake of God's!

There is no treatment for this condition except operations to put all the bits back in the body - that couldn't be done because Caitlyn was too underweight, and my daughter wouldn't allow it, believing for a miracle. Between 13 months old and 16 months old, with my daughter wrapping up the 'O' tightly to Caitlyn's body, the organs miraculously went back into her body. This does not normally happen, especially when the 'O' is suspended on a 'stalk' as Caitlyn's was. The surgeon said he was amazed. At 16 months old they had only to replace the spleen and sew her up. Satan did try to kill Caitlyn with a major bleed after surgery which the doctors didn't notice, but again, my daughter was on the ball. She spotted the problem, Caitlyn was opened up again and everything they could see cauterised. One day later she was toddling around the ward.

This all happened in Waikato Hospital. The paediatric surgeon is still there. He saw a miracle in front of his eyes but all he could say was he was flabbergasted. He didn't acknowledge God's healing power had intervened in the life of his little patient, but I'm sure he won't forget Caitlyn!  Caitlyn was intended by the medical profession and, unfortunately, some relatives, to become a statistic. Now she is a healthy and very beautiful four year old girl.

Caitlyn knows Jesus healed her. She has asked Jesus into her heart and has begun praying for family members when they are sick. She is a very special little girl.

You can see more of Caitlyn's story on her website: www.caitlynsstory.com

Lynley Smith, Snells Beach (Caitlyn's praying nana).