By Jordan Walker
On June 29, 2024, my son Casen Bishop Walker was born at 28 weeks, weighing 2 pounds 14 ounces, breach, with no expectation of being able to use the arm by which he was pulled. His whole body was black and blue from bruising. Casen was deprived of oxygen for a tremendous amount of time.
Two days later, my husband, Brady, and I were told Casen needed a blood transfusion because he had lost a significant amount of blood. Doctors found a grade 3 and 4 brain bleed on each side of his brain.
The next week, the bleeding had stopped, but there was a great deal of pressure and fluid around the bleeds. Casen was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, swelling of the brain. Without surgery, his brain would likely continue swelling, causing severe brain damage. But Casen was so small he either wouldn’t survive surgery or would have severe issues afterward.
Brady and I were in desperate need of prayer. We contacted our pastor, our church family, our close friends, and our families. Casen’s need for prayer spread throughout many towns and communities.
Over the next two weeks, the pressure of Casen’s brain bleeds dropped tremendously, and the fluid buildup started to resolve. One of his doctors said, “This is not normally seen.” However, Casen was still at high risk of being oxygen-bound, needing a feeding tube, having extreme disability, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, seizures, vision problems, hearing loss, and not being able to use his right arm.
The next couple of weeks were crucial. Casen developed a staph infection, had to have a PICC line, was extremely jaundiced, and was at risk of heart issues from the staph if his body did not respond to medication. Not to mention another blood transfusion because he’d lost so much blood due to testing. We had created a social media platform with daily updates on exactly how to pray for Casen. People from all over were contacting us and praying constantly.
Within the next several weeks, the staph infection was cleared up without complications. At 32 weeks, Casen started taking a bottle on his own; at 36 weeks, he was off oxygen with no breathing assistance; at 37 weeks, they pulled his feeding tube. He passed his vision and hearing test with no complications. He came home August 26, 2024.
Casen was released from ortho with no foreseen complications. He will get a repeat MRI at 1 year old, which is standard, but all tests indicate there is no extreme disability due to bleeds.
Brady and I do not believe Casen would be where he is today without prayer and God’s healing. We kept hearing doctors say things like, “We never see a turnaround like this” or, “It’s a miracle.”
By God’s grace and healing, Casen is thriving today with no complications. At his NICU checkup, he hit every milestone of a term baby, and he has full function of all four limbs. He is a testimony that God still performs miracles. I hope my son’s story reaches someone who is lost to see the beauty of our Lord, and that they find hope and love in His presence.
Jordan Walker is from Yazoo City. She and her husband, Brady, have three beautiful children. During this experience with their youngest son, Jordan saw the face of Jesus like never before, having a trust for Him that only someone desperate for help can understand. She will forever praise and worship His goodness.