Hezekiah Phillip is my little brother.  He is only seven, but he has been through more in his short life than most adults.  Let me tell you about him and why I think he is so special to me.

Hezekiah was born with serious heart issues that threatened to take his life before he could have a chance to live.  He was born blue, limp, and not breathing.  Doctors and nurses had to work their butts off in order to save him; it was only by a miracle that he survived.

Just a few days later it was discovered that Hezekiah had problems that were even more severe than we realized.  

He would need heart surgery ... the sooner, the better, the doctors told my parents.  If he didn't, he would more than likely die.

Hezekiah had his first surgery at a week old.  It was the worst thing we could have ever faced as a family.  When I saw him lying in his crib in the NICU after surgery, I thought for sure we were not going to have him around much longer.  

He looked bad.  I was so scared!

Hezekiah eventually recovered,  but his ordeal wasn't over yet.  He would need more surgeries when he was older.  He had his second surgery at the age of three and his third one at five.  

He is a survivor in every sense of the word.  He may be smaller than average in comparison to other kids his age, but Hezekiah is a warrior.

He refuses to let his health issues get to him.  When he is well, he plays just like any other little boy.  He loves to romp around, annoy his big brother (and me!), and play with his friends, as well as go swimming, play catch with Daddy and Mommy, and going to the amusement park.

Hezekiah likes to call the scars on his chest as "battle scars".  He tells people he was in "the war".  I like to call them "his badges of couarage" because that's exactly what they are.  

It shows people that he is a lot tougher than they may realize; My little brother is a living testiment to that fact; he is a living medical miracle!

Sometimes people tend to feel sorry for Hezekiah when they see his scars or hear his story, but he's a little scrapper.  One time a lady was calling him a poor little thing.  Well, Hezekiah got mad ant kicked her right in the knee.  It may not have been the best way to react to the situation, but by God, he certainly got his point across very well!

We don't know what the future holds for Hezekiah, but he may need one or two more surgeries before he becomes a teenager; yet even with that in mind, we will continue to stand by him and support Hezekiah in any way we can.  We owe him that much.