Journey to Faith...
is a 125 mile run from the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor to Blain Cemetery in Gaines Twp., MI. Faith's final resting place. The run will take place on June 19-20, 2010. The purpose of this run is to share our stories of "Faith". Below we share our story of our daughter Faith Grace Miles and how our faith in God assisted us. Clint Nickoles also shares his story of faith below.
My Journey to Faith by Clint Nickoles
I didn’t know when or even why, I just knew that it happened. Lying on the ground in the middle of an outdoor basketball court, looking up at the stars, I realized the world was much larger than what I had thought. I thought the world revolved around my problems, and I couldn’t let the world know that I had problems, because that showed weakness.
In the spring of 2007, about one year after my older brother Jason had suddenly passed away in his home, I had back surgery that left me in bed for three months. The only thing I accomplished was gaining weight and depression, and completely losing my sense of self worth. A couple of months after surgery, my mom suffered a head injury that resulted in her losing her life. When I was holding her hand as she passed away, I realized that I am not in control, and I had spent my whole life trying to control the outcome of everything. I needed a new purpose.
I was on a men’s retreat four months later when I finally released that control. As I looked up at the stars and let God into my heart, I didn’t feel how I thought I would. I didn’t feel weak; I felt stronger than ever, and everything seemed so much clearer. I figured out that I had to let go of all the baggage I was carrying from my past. All the guilt and anger was suddenly not mine to hold on to. Everything that was weighing me down inside was gone. For the first time in my life I was not who I thought I was; I was no longer the kid who wanted to die because he felt like nobody cared, or the guy who did bad things to try to make himself feel better. I suddenly saw an image of the person I could be. I had a new identity. All I had to do was let God in.
Since God has entered my heart, the things that have happened could only be through His power and grace. I am now leading my family in a way that never seemed possible. Physically, I went from motionless to marathoner, lost 50 pounds, ran a 5K in 19:39, and was part of a 6 man 200 mile relay team. I’ve earned many medals and t-shirts, a duffel bag, and even a coffee mug. Now it’s time to run for something more meaningful. It’s time to show the world that if you don’t push your limits, they will push you. With God in your heart, and Jesus by your side, there are no limits.
Faith Grace Miles-
This is our story of how we survived one of the many storms of life that occur...
In July of 2007 we found out we were expecting. We prepared and moved into a house. In October my biggest fear was having a girl...little did I know that fear would be multiplied. Our ultrasound at 21 weeks showed a little girl. The next day our world was turned upside down as we learned that she would have to fight for her life the moment she was born. A congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs 1 in 2,500 births. It occurs when the diaphragm doesn't fully form and the abdominal organs move through the hole and into the chest cavity. This limits the growth of the lungs and in our case pushed her heart to the right.
We sought the care of doctors at The University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital. They gave us hope. For the next 5 months we learned about CDH, met families of survivors, and received an amazing amount of support from friends, family and area communities.
Faith Grace Miles was born on March 6th, 2008. She was immediatley intubated and transferred to Holden NICU. After about 24 hours she was placed on ECMO (a heart-lung bypass machine) to give her heart and lungs a chance to rest. We prayed that she would only need the support for a week. Every night we prayed and read her a Dr. Seuss story. Day 14 arrived and she was still on ECMO. Doctors decided they would do surgery on Good Friday while she was on ECMO. She did great during the repair surgery and came off of ECMO 3 days later. Faith proved to be a fighter. The next hurdle was one we were not prepared for. We learned that Faith had a blood clot in her heart and was requiring 100% oxygen, Nitric Oxide, and Flolan to fight her pulmonary hypertension.
Friday, April 4th, 2008 we stayed with her all day and late into the night. Prayed for her, read her a few Dr. Seuss stories and headed to the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor. Around 1 in the morning we got a call that no parent should ever receive. Faith had gone into cardiac arrest. We hurried over to the hospital and looked at our precious daughter. They had gotten her back, but she was barely hanging on. She fought long enough that night for her father and I to hold her for the very first time as she grew her wings and went to Heaven.
Faith fought for 30 days. Her life on earth was short but made a large impact on thousands of people. She showed us that life is precious and to cherish each moment. We learned that God is big and to lean on him when things are rough. Our faith in God was strengthened by this "storm" in our life. Our daughter Faith taught us so much about life, love, and our own faith. In times of struggle we need to turn towards God. "Faith" can carry you through the most difficult journeys in life. The Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor was our home away from home on this journey.
Look for our page on Facebook! Journey to Faith
~Amy, Steve, ^Faith^, and Abby Miles