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Matthew Dupuis

 

MIRACLE BABY

A Story About Matthew Dupuis

 

Written by
Brooke Renee Dupuis

Pictures by
The Dupuis Family
4/24/07

 

      This is a great time for me to write this book because one year ago a great miracle happened…the gift of my baby brother.  I had one mom, one dad, and one brother Mitchell.  I had always hoped to have another brother or sister.  Then one day in August 2007 my mom told me that we were going to have another brother or sister.  We were so exited!

      At the first ultrasound everything was going great, just like a normal baby.  Not too long after that my mom had another ultrasound when she was six months pregnant.  The doctor said that some things did not look good and he recommended my mom see a specialist.

                        

Later that day my mom went to see the specialist.  He said that he saw many problems too, and that is could cause the baby to die before, during, or shortly after birth.  He said that he was 70% sure that the baby had something called Trisomy 13.  He thought the baby would die for sure.
      That afternoon, my mom and dad were thinking of a way to tell us that we were going to lose our baby brother.  When we got home from school, my brother and I were in such a great mood, but my parents were not.  I knew that something went terribly wrong.
      Soon, my parents sat down with us and told us the bad news.  It was such a weird feeling.  I was both sad and surprised at the same time.  The test results were not coming back for about 4 days, so we spent the weekend praying and asking God for a miracle.  Everyone was so sad, but I told my Mom and Dad that we just needed to have hope because God could make anything happen.
      During the weekend my family decided that even though he was probably going to die, we would name the baby Matthew, which means “Gift of the Lord God.”

My brother Mitchell and I made a cardboard house with pictures of Matthew in it.  So many people started praying for our family from all over the United States and Canada.  We had over 600 people praying for us in California! 
      Finally the specialist called and told my Mom that Matthew was going to have Down syndrome, not Trisomy 13.  It was not near as bad as we thought it would be.  Later that day when we came home from school, my parents told us and I felt like the happiest girl in the world!
      We spent the next couple months praying a lot because my mom was having a lot of contractions.  The doctor said there was a chance that Matthew could be born with many problems.  We started getting letters in the mail from people we didn’t even know telling us that they were praying for us and my baby brother. 
      Then on Easter Sunday April 16th, 2006 my Mom woke up and did not feel so well.  My Dad took her to the hospital and then a few hours later he was born…the great miracle of my baby brother Matthew!  I was at my Grandparents when I heard the news.  I was so happy and could not wait to see him.
      He was six weeks early, so he had to stay in the I.C.U. for two weeks. 

         

He was born without any big health problems.  I know that all our prayers helped Matthew to be alive and healthy.
       
             

Now Matthew is one year old and with us every day.  Even though he has Down syndrome, we still treat him the same way we would treat any other baby boy.  People with Down syndrome may learn slower and have a different appearance, but they can accomplish great things in the world.  Many can live alone, have jobs and take care of themselves.  Others may need special care to help them every day.
We are so lucky to have Matthew in our lives.  Without God’s help and my little pinch of hope he might not be here today.    

 

                       

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