Han Hwee: I’ve been on staff at SJSM since 2016. I got married in 2018. My wife and I have our first child, Nathanael in 2019. And we just had our second boy in August of 2021. In Dec 2020, we were told the good news that we were expecting. As my wife was above 40 yrs. old, there is higher risk of Down syndrome and her doctor suggested that my wife completes some blood tests to confirm the baby is healthy.

 

Vivien: On 15 Feb 2021, the clinic called and ask to see my husband and I immediately. My heart sank when the call came. What could possibly be wrong I thought. At the clinic, the doctor showed me the medical report and the test results showed that Daniel had a 99% possibility of having Down syndrome.

 

My fears are drowned in perfect love

I recalled my mind telling me "I must keep this child.” On my way home in a cab many thoughts raised through my mind - Would we have the financial means and emotional resilience to handle such a child? Is it fair for our elder boy as Daniel would be his responsibility when both Han Hwee and I are gone? As I was deep in thought, I suddenly noted the music coming from the taxi I was on - “You split the seas so I could walk right through it, my fears are drowned in perfect love...." In that moment, my fears melted away and I started to let the words of the song soak into my spirit. I prayed that just as God had defied the laws of nature to split the red sea to deliver Israel from the Egyptians, may He also perform a miracle to make this child whole and healthy regardless of what the medical reports say.

 

Han Hwee: In the next few days things were frankly blur. “Why did God allow this to happen? Did we do something wrong?” I had this mental image of myself in my seventies and eighties still caring for baby Daniel. At this point in time, if I were say that the thought of abortion did not cross our minds, I would be lying.

 

Vivien: In the weeks ahead, Han Hwee and I continued to pray for the healing of Daniel. I was constantly battling fears. My mind tells me that we are Christians and abortion is out of the question but I quickly realised that our beliefs can be deeply challenged when we are faced with a real situation. I recalled reasoning with God about "options". Eventually I told Han Hwee - we must make the choice as Daniel's parents to keep him and not just because we have to because of our beliefs. After speaking to a close couple who also experienced a challenging birth of their boy, Han Hwee and I decided that we will keep Daniel. When we made that decision, there was such peace in my heart... but then off and on, fears will still creeped in and I had to constantly go back to God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The doctor was surprised

Han Hwee: We also decided to go for another test which is invasive which will confirmed the condition of Daniel. Two weeks later, we went back to the clinic and the doctor confirmed through the invasive test that Daniel was alright and there was no trace of Down syndrome found. In fact, the doctor was very surprised and said he was all ready to share the bad news with us as the initial test we did was 99% accurate and so rarely has he experienced a mistake in his career.

 

On 19 August 2021, Daniel was born, whole and healthy in every way. Doctors confirmed there was no indications of Down syndrome. On 19 September 2021, we celebrated his one month birthday.

 

Vivien: Han and I really wanted to thank God. Some may think what we experienced was a mistake but we truly believed God has met us and miraculously healed Daniel. We also hope this testimony will encourage others around us who may be experiencing similar situations.