Hometown Madison - March & April 2016

night or be rushed to the emergency room
because she couldn’t breathe. “It’s like we
could never get her well enough,” Morgan said.
But Veda’s health wasn’t the only battle
Morgan was fighting. She and Veda’s biological
father divorced while Morgan was in the
hospital, and her resources were the lowest
they’d ever been. “It’s a humbling experience,
having people take care of you,” she said.
“It’s a time where you are ripped of
everything that makes you comfortable.”
Morgan refers to this time as her
“wilderness.” “At first I was scared. I had so
many questions, and there were times where
I felt alone–like God had abandoned me,”
she said. “My perspective started to change
when I stopped to truly think about my role
as Veda’s mother. I felt that Veda was not
really mine (or at least not mine alone).
She was Christ’s child first, and He had
graciously given her to me to nurture and
love and protect. I decided that if I could do
that, He would take care of the rest.”
The decision to do the fourth heart
surgery was the most difficult. “It was the
end of the line,” said Morgan. “We were
told, ‘Do it and she may not survive or don’t
and she won’t.’” That last surgery was a
success, but no one knew how much time it
would give her. “It was so hard to hear that
there was nothing else left to do–that we
had exhausted all the options,” she said.
Shortly after Veda’s first birthday in
January 2014, they took the “greatest leap
of faith” and moved down to Mississippi to
stay with Morgan’s parents. Though doctors
supported the idea, they only gave Veda two
weeks to live, predicting that she might not
even survive the 6-hour car ride there.
But Veda made it to Mississippi, and
Morgan decided to take advantage of what
time she had with her daughter. “I had been
told that Veda was not going to have a very
high quality of life, but I said, ‘Oh no. She
definitely will.’” Whether it was taking her
to visit family or celebrating her birthday,
she wasn’t going to waste a moment, even
when each day was uncertain. “I wanted her
life to be something more than just being
in a hospital,” she said. “I wanted there to
be memories that weren’t just confined to
a room.”
One of the memories that Morgan
treasures the most was taking Veda to the
beach. “The beach trip was a victory for us,”
she said. “It was something that I always
wanted her to experience.”
The two weeks that the doctors predicted
would actually be her last came and went,
and Veda was still alive. Morgan said, “It
was Veda and me against the world. We
kept doing things that we were told were
impossible–against all odds.”
It was only two months after moving to
Mississippi that Morgan met Brad Rhea,
who, with God’s prompting, became the man
to love both Morgan and Veda through
their difficult time. They were married in
November 2014, and Brad was able to be
the father that Veda needed. Morgan said,
“One of my biggest fears when I moved
back was that if someday I re-married, it
would be to a man who never knew my first
love–my baby Veda. Brad may not have been
with me when she came into this world, but
he was there supporting me all along the
way. I was thankful that I met him when I
did and that I never had to convince him
of how wonderful Veda was because he was
able to experience it for himself and we were
able to share a love for her together.”
They learned to be joyful despite the
daily challenges and to be grateful for every
moment. The little things that parents
normally take for granted–bath time,
laughter, even the simple wiping of an eye–
were triumphs for them. But it was mostly
Veda’s spirit that supplied hope. “Veda was
joy, and that joy came from the Lord,” Morgan
said. “She inspired me, just as she inspired
everyone else with her infectious smile and
determined spirit. All Veda knew was love.
It was the only language she spoke. How
could I not feel joy as her mother?”
Between the large amount of daily
medications and the constant care Veda
required each day, Morgan said she could
have easily chosen the “woe is me” attitude.
But there were many blessings in the midst
of this challenge. In fact, it was the Lord’s
provision that became the only constant in
their life. With too many moments of divine
intervention to name, it was a period that
would teach Morgan how to trust the Lord.
“God’s plan was going to trump ours every
time,” she said. “His plan is always greater.”
Veda was several months from her 3rd
birthday when she passed away last November.
“It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to
endure or will endure,” said Morgan.
“But my hope and joy
come from knowing where
Veda is and that God has
rewarded her for all that
she’s been through and
all that she did to further
His kingdom. That’s what
brings me peace.”
Morgan and Brad are now in a time of
adjusting–of trying to “find a new normal.”
“Going from a family of three to a family of
two is hard, but we are trying to find joy
along the way,” Morgan said. “I want to move
forward, but I don’t want to move on.” She
said she will always remember the truths
God has taught her and is looking forward
to what He has for them. “It didn’t take me
losing Veda to see that God was moving in
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