| The intital diagnosis was that Tyler's kidneys were swollen because of a chromosome problem. They told us that Tyler had Downs Syndrome and that is why the kidneys were swollen. As you can imagine, our world seemed to fall completely apart at that moment. We cried that whole entire weekend. We had 4 concerts to do and somehow we stumbled through them. I remember crying out to God and begging Him to make this not be true. I begged, pleaded, screamed, cried, and mostly just whispered to have this not be true. I do remember very vividly feeling God wrap His arms arounds me and the comfort we both felt at that time. Five days later the doctors called back to tell us that much to their amazement, HE DID NOT have Downs Syndrome! PTL! They did hoever ask us to come in for more tests 2 weeks later. 2 weeks passed and the first of April we went in for more tests. The ultrasound that day was horrifying to see. Tyler's kidneys had grown and swollen to unbelievable size and shape. They now resembled balloons and not kidneys. Over the next 4-5 weeks they grew even larger and mishapen. They grew to the point where there was no tissue that could be seen, they just looked like sacks of fluid. The doctors decided that although it was risky , they needed to run more tests. They inserted a needle into Andrea's stomach and then into Tyler. This was very painful for Andrea and was furtherd by the fact that they had to try 3 seperate times to finally puncture Tyler's kidney. They withdrew the fluid from Tyler's kidney (his LEFT kidney....remeber that later!) and ran tests. They called the next day with the worst news any parent wants to hear........"your son has no hope without a transplant at birth." Our Hearts sank deep within us. I finally asked the odds of getting a transplant. the doctors told us that those odds were so small it would be impossible to measure. The kidney would have to come from a baby, be a match for Tyler, and be available when he needed it. They looked us in the eye and said he had almost no chance of living. We were devestated beyond words. All of this time we had been praying and believing God for a miracle and now this???? What had happened? We began to pray and trust God even more. We continued to do our concerts, revivals, church services, ect.....we did not miss one service. Many times we would leave the hospital, cry in the car, and go get on the motorhome and sing. There were times that we did not feel like it, but God always gave us the grace. We found Him to be true to his Word in Psalms 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He SHALL sustain thee....." God was with us each and every day. For the monts of March, April, May and June, each visit to the hosptial seemed to bring worse news.....we just decide to keep trusting God. There were times that that was hard to do, but we knew He would sustain us each day. They told us that we would have to go to San Fransisco or Boston and deliver Tyler at 28 weeks. This was the best place to get a kidney. The doctors were not optimistic about him making it that long. They hoped to last to 28 weeks. They figured he would be born and put on dyalisis and need a kidney transplant. We began to make plans for the time away from home. God had different plans. You see, people all over the US began to pray for Tyler. I don't mean a quick prayer half heartedly.....I mean cryng out to GOD! We began to get calls , emails, and letters by the hundreds, then thousands.....some from people we knew.....some that we had never met. Some churches that we have never sung for sent letters and money and said they were praying for us. They signed letters at prayer meetings they called specially for Tyler......they made quilts and had special prayer......it truly was amazing! 28 weeks came and went. It seemed there was some very minor improvement. The Doctors stressed to us every week that the chemistry test that showed the kidneys were dead could not change. they told us over and over that he probably would not make it. Each week we would go to the hospital thinking this would be the week he would be born. Each week.....they sent us home! Tyler was born Juy 26,2005.......3 DAYS BEFORE HIS DUE DATE!!!!! The baby that they said would not make it to 28 weeks was born full term. When he was born, there were emergency medivac teams waiting to rush him to other hospitals.....he did not need them! Tyler was born with a diplastic RIGHT kidney. It has no function....never will. The LEFT kidney was the one they had run the tests on during the pregnancy. This was the one that they said was no good. They said it was chemically dead. This is what they based their diagnosis on..........It HAS 100% function!!!!!!!!! Within 3 weeks of his birth he ha pulled his blood levels well within the normal range. The doctors are totally amazed. They have told us they will be writing about this for medical journeys. They say they consider this a miracle. Tyler could still face some rough roads ahead. We don't know what is around the bend ahead. The doctors don't know if Tyler's kidney will last forever. They are optimistic, but hereally needs your prayer. We fully believe that God has a very special plan for Tyler. Already his story has touched thousands of lives. We will make sure that he is raised knowing that it was the prayers of thousands of people and the hand of God Almighty that worked on his behalf. With God as our help, we will raise Tyler to serve Jesus. One thing we have learned through this long and sometimes painful journey is this: Psalms 57:1 ".....my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge....." In the darkest times of life......we must trust in God.......let this continue to be our theme: Psalms 57:7 " My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise!" |
| Tyler Andrew Forester .......His Story! |
| We found out we were expecting Tyler on Thanksgiving weekend 2004. We were very excited that God had blessed us in this way. We began to fervently pray that God would bless with a child that we could raise to serve, love and honor Jesus with his life. We waited till Christmas to tell our family. They too were excited to share this blessing with us. WE knew that we would be singing and preaching in Florida for Feb/March 2005 so we decided to get a headstart and decorate the baby room before we left. We had a wonderful time preparing for our new baby. We really did not care if it was a boy or girl, we just wanted a healthy baby. We returned from our southern trip on March 14th and went to the doctor for our first ultrasound. We learned that day that we were expecting a baby boy. We both cried in the doctor's office and marveled at the sight of this amazing gift from God. |
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| Tyler's first ultrasound |
| At this first appointment, the doctors told us that something apperared to be wrong with Tyler's kidneys. They said it probably was not a reason for concern and that we should not worry. As a precaution they sent us to a specialist in Pontiac for more tests. Little did we know how much our world would change 4 days later when those tests were run. |