Deanna6

As the elevator door slowly opened, nobody seemed to breathe. Hope, anxiety, and fear were all felt as we waited for a certain little person to come out. When the door opened and the doctors rolled a long bed out, we all strained to see the tiny miracle person lying there.
     My nephew Zachary Ross Radford, or Zac, was in that bed. My sister Allison and her husband Ross were anxiously waiting to see their little baby after 7 � long and distressful hours of separation. My mom and I were also waiting with them.
     When Zac was about two months old, the doctors told Allison that he had a heart murmur. After further tests, this proved to be false. It was much worse than a heart murmur; Zac�s heart had not fully developed. Instead of having four divided chambers and two major valves, he only had one open chamber and one valve. The divider did not ever close his chambers up.
     The doctors said that if Zac did not have surgery he would not live to be two years old. After watching Zac work, struggle, and literally sweat trying to drink his bottle, his parents and the doctors set his surgery date for April 6, 2000 when Zac was seven months old. Not knowing whether the surgery would be successful, Allison, Ross, both sets of grandparents, two aunts (including me), and the pastor�s wife traveled to Chapel Hill.
     At about 7:00 in the morning on April 6, Zac was taken away by a doctor. He did not even get to see a familiar face when he was put to sleep. While Zac was waving bye-bye and whimpering, we didn�t know if we were saying bye-bye for a few hours or if we were saying a final bye-bye.
     After 7 � hours of trying to find something to occupy us in that small waiting room, we were overjoyed when the doctor came and told us that Zac had came through the surgery marvelously. The doctor said that it would be a little while before we could see Zac up close, but he would come up to PICU on the staff elevators that were near the waiting room if we wanted to just see him.
     Allison, Ross, my mom, and I all went to stand as close to the elevator as we could in order to get a glimpse of the little person coming out. When the doors opened and Zac was rolled out, we could not stop the tears that came when we saw him lying so still and alone on that long hospital bed. I will never forget the feeling that I felt at that moment; a helpless yet joyful feeling. We could not touch him or even get a good look; all we could do was watch the doctors roll him into PICU.
    Zac looked so forlorn, lonely, and pitiful lying there; it was hard to stand still. When something like this happens, a person appreciates good health and life. Although Zac came out of surgery with out any difficulty, the doubts and fears never completely vanish. This scene in my past has left a lasting impact on my life. I do not take good health and life for granted; I am grateful for being healthy and having a nephew who has a scar on his chest to remind us that he is a miracle. Waiting for Zac to come out of the elevator was one of the most anxious moments in my life. The love and hope everyone felt makes the scene an event to remember.