By Hope 103.2Thursday 7 Nov 2019Station NewsReading Time: 2 minutes
When single mum Lyn gave birth to her third child Danny, and was repeatedly told more and more upsetting news about his health, it was a very lonely time.
First the doctors said he was ‘odd-looking’… then there was a heart murmur… next he was found to have hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) and had to have a shunt put in… after that, there was infection in his head and an emergency 3am surgery. And as if all that wasn’t enough, Danny’s forehead bone closed over too early—and he needed surgery for that, too.
Above: Lyn’s son Danny after skull reconstruction surgery,
Think about it for a moment: open heart surgery, and a skull reconstruction, in the first few months of life. That’s a lot for a small baby, and a struggling solo mum, handle. It was during this time that Lyn first came across Hope 103.2.
“I had a carer that the hospital organised,” Lyn recalls, “and we were in the car one day, and she said, ‘Do you mind if I change the radio to Hope?’ Nine years later, I’m still listening.”
“It’s Like a Friend in the Car”
Lyn says the difference the radio station makes in her life is tangible.
“That’s what gets me by, going to and from the hospital,” she said. “It’s like you’ve got a friend in the car. When I was feeling alone… there’d be something come on the radio that just resonated – like, “this is just the message that I needed to hear”. It’s just like God speaking to me personally… just amazing. Like… He just ‘gets me’!”
Danny’s had many surgeries… “probably well over 40″… but it doesn’t hold him back from life.
Danny’s now a grown up, energetic teenager with a loving personality. He’s had many surgeries since those early years; “probably well over 40”, says Lyn; she stopped counting when he reached his 30th operation. But it doesn’t hold him back from life.
”He’s just full of beans… loves life,” said Lyn. “He is the most adorable little boy that has this wonderful gift of making people smile, and everybody loves him.”
After all she’s been through, Lyn now has a passion to help others in similar circumstances – making blankets that bring comfort to children and their families in their time of greatest need.
Help Others Like Lyn
To reach out to those like Lyn who need encouragement in a tough season, why not support your listener-funded radio station through Hope 103.2’s “Hope Worth Sharing” Appeal. Tax-deductible gifts can be made through our donation page.