Every parent’s greatest fear was being experienced by Lisa Hough and her spouse. Karson, their baby boy, was in serious condition and in intensive care, attached to life support. The outlook remained dire despite the doctors’ unrelenting efforts. They were informed that their baby could not be saved by any further medical intervention. They braced themselves for the unfathomable heartache when it was decided to take him off life support. What transpired next, though, was truly remarkable.
Karson had endured a protracted and difficult battle for his life. Every breath he took was supported by a ventilator from the time he was taken to intensive care. Despite their best efforts, the medical staff realized that his small body was not improving.
Lisa and her husband were gently told by the doctors that Karson needed to be released. They clarified that because he was unable to breathe on his own, he would probably only live for ten minutes or less when the ventilator was taken off. The Houghs had to make the painful choice to bid their cherished son farewell and take him off the wires and tubes that had been keeping him alive.
Even though we weren’t prepared to bid Karson farewell, we had accepted the fact that it was inevitable. We were informed that he would not breathe on his own and that his heart would stop within ten minutes of us turning off the ventilator and intensive care.
