Katie and Josh Butler of Nashville, Tennessee had always wanted a baby of their own, so they were ecstatic when they learned they were expecting a child. All was going well with Katie’s pregnancy until the 20 week ultrasound, when doctors noticed that something had gone very wrong…

Though doctors could not figure out what exactly the problem was, they detected multiple conditions that could threaten the life of the child. As soon as the couple’s baby boy Dewey was born months later, he was rushed to the NICU, where he spent 132 days fighting for his life. Sadly, the baby boy ended up passing away during during a routine surgery to secure him with a feeding tube, as his little heart could not take it any longer.

Katie and Josh were devastated by their son’s death.

“It was supposed to be a really routine surgery, but after a couple of hours when I hadn’t heard anything, I started to worry,” Katie recalled. “When they told us he had died, Josh started to cry and I was in shock. I felt so guilty for thinking of this but there was also a sense of relief, he was finally healed and I know I’ll see him again.”

At this time of intense grief, Katie and Josh turned to God to get them through. While they were celebrating Dewey’s life days after his death, the Butlers received a call in which God answered their prayers.

A nurse they had become close to during their months in the NICU called asking the Butlers if they would be interested in fostering a child. She explained that there was a baby in the NICU who needed a mother and father, as he had been abandoned by his family due to the fact that he was suffering from numerous health conditions. This call changed Josh and Katie’s lives forever, as they finally saw that there was a light at the end of the tunnel through their grief.

“I had been praying that I wanted another baby. I had tasted for the first time what it is to be a mother,” Katie said.

When the Butlers met baby Brax, they immediately fell in love with him. At 11 months of age, Brax had never left the hospital before. The baby had chronic respiratory failure, tracheomalacia, pulmonary hypertension, and was dependent on a trach-vent, but doctors believed his conditions would improve as he got older.

The Butlers were finally able to take Brax home weeks later, and they fostered him until they could adopt him last September. Brax’s condition has improved ever since he went home with the Butlers, showing that love really is the best medicine!

“Once we brought him home, his health started to improve,” Katie said. “He still needs oxygen but his movement and feeding has improved such much. He knows us and he smiles at us and can identify us. Our family has really taken to him. We have all this love because of Dewey and want to pour this love into Brax.”

The Butlers still miss Dewey every day, yet they have been able to channel their grief into loving baby Brax.

“It’s been a year since Dewey went to heaven, he was such a sweet baby with these big brown eyes,” Katie said. “It’s has been a range of emotion – the grief still comes in waves. We are so grateful for Brax and if it weren’t for Dewey we wouldn’t have met. It gave purpose to Dewey’s short life. Dewey was on the 4th floor of the NICU, and on the 5th floor was another baby who needed family to care for him.”

This just goes to show that something positive can come from even the saddest of situations. Please join us in saying a prayer for this family, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!