Throughout the health crisis with Aidan, we learned the true value of friends and family.

From the meals to the hospital visits and every encouraging word in-between, we made it through those tough two weeks of treatments.

The minute our friends and family heard about Aidan’s condition, we were inundated with texts and phone calls letting us know that we were being held up in prayer and being added to prayer chains around the globe. People as far away as Santiago, Chile and South Africa were praying for Aidan. Throw in our relatives and friends in Canada, Washington state and the East Coast and we had ourselves an army of prayer warriors looking out for us.

In a society where independence seems to be propped up as the almighty virtue, we learned just how important it is to have people in your life that are looking out for you and are ready to share your burden in a time of need.

It began when I (Andrew) sent out the first text to our families at 4am alerting them that Aidan was in the NICU being examined due to a lack of oxygen. Our families rushed to the hospital, even though there was nothing they could do but sit in the waiting room on a different floor, praying for us.

Amy’s mom came to the hospital every day for support when I (Andrew) had to work. It didn’t matter what was on her agenda, because she cleared everything to be there for Amy and Aidan every day. She knitted countless (literally) blankets and hats over the course of those two weeks while Aidan was undergoing treatment and observation.

Amy’s dad came every evening he could after work, fighting rush hour to just hold his grandson’s hand and give his daughter a much-needed hug.

Andrew’s mom cleared her schedule and drove Andrew in to the hospital each afternoon so he could spend the evenings with Amy and Aidan. Along with Amy’s mom, she was there to support us in every conceivable manner and help carry our burden during our darkest hours.

Our pastor came to visit and pray over us in the middle of his busy schedule and many our friends showed up to the hospital with meals and gifts.