By Carla Ralph

Today is Joe Biden’s inauguration. Forty years ago today it was Ronald Reagan’s inauguration. It was also the day we almost lost our middle son Matt.

We were watching the swearing in on TV. Our 2-year-old son Matt had a fever. I had just given him a bath to bring his fever down. I had sat him in a chair in the kitchen to take his temp when he keeled over.

When I picked him up he wasn’t breathing and was turning blue. I screamed for Bob who took him and did CPR while I prayed. All of a sudden he took a breath. We tried to call the doctor since there was no hospital in our small town of Covington, Ohio. No answer. I threw on clothes  over my nightgown, and we jumped in the car and drove the 6 miles to the next town going 80 miles an hour hoping to get pulled over by a cop since we didn’t know where the hospital was since we’d only lived there a few months.

We found it because God guided us there. His fever was 105 degrees and he was immediately put on ice cubes to bring his fever down. Our older son Mike, who was 3 1/2, was with us. As soon as he was admitted to a room Bob took Mike to stay with a lady from our church as he was so scared for his brother.

Later, after dinner, while we were praying for Matt and trying to decide what to do about staying at the hospital I felt God tell me to put Matt in His arms and go home to our other son who was upset and trust Him. He had given Matt to us and now I had to listen to God and do what God wanted me to do.

I did the hardest thing I’d ever been asked to do and left the hospital. His bed was right in front of the nurses’ station. Bob and I got on the elevator and prayed “God let your will be done. You gave him to us and now he’s yours.” Of course, we were bawling but also at peace because we obeyed God.

As soon as we walked in the house the phone rang and it was the nurse saying his fever broke 5 minutes after we left, which was when we were in the elevator. We knew it was God. God gave him back to us.

After another night in the hospital and after all of the tests they did he was released. It was diagnosed as a grand mal seizure due to the spike in fever from a staph infection.

We know that God had a special plan for Matt. We are proud of him as he has followed God’s plan for his life. He’s a devoted husband to Sara for 12 years and an amazing father to Owen 5 years old and Adeline who will be 3 next month, who is a little Matt. He is letting his light shine for God and giving God the glory for all of his gifts. We love him so much and we thank God every day for blessing us with Matt and our other two sons Mike and Dave as well.