Dateline

O'k...I really like to watch Dateline on Friday nights...There are always interesting stories and stuff (gee, where did my life go?) well, last night there was this incredible story of this boy. I'll summarize it for you:

His name is Jonathan Swain. He was born needing a blood transfusion. This was in 1983. So, he got his tranfusion and went home from the hospital....however, he was always sick. In and out of the hospital....really sick. Nobody knew what it was until further research was done on the blood and found that the blood transfusion was one from a person with aids. So, this little 2 year old's family finds out he has aids and that's why he's so sick. Terrible. At that time, Aids was a new virus that people knew little about, so ofcourse people were scared to be around Jonathan. Churches refused to let him in the door...really! Doctors were even petrified when he came to hospitals, and some hospitals sent him away. His mother was told that he would die before he was three years old, so she started planning his funeral..while he was still living.

So, his 3 year old birthday came and went, then 4, 5. He wasn't allowed to go to school, but his mother fought the school board, held meetings with other parents to educate them....until he was eventually allowed. Although he was the only kid there with IVs in his nose, he acted as all the other kids. He even started doing conferences to educate others about Aids, going as far as Japan. His older brother was also a big supporter of him and kind of a protector.

So, anyways..time goes by, he's still living but his mom is getting weaker. She starts a cocaine addiction that leads to a $200./day habit. She tries to commit suicide, leaves her boys for days at a time and eventually started selling drugs out of her house. Her oldest son went to live with his father, but Jonathan had nobody....he called a man who works with aids children and accompanied Jonathan on many conferences. He asked if he could live with him and the response was Yes.

So, Jonathan moved to Milwaukee to live with this man from Colorado. 2 years later his mother, clean and sober moved there to be with her son. Everything was going good until FBI came to arrest his mother for selling drugs in Colorado. She's found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Jonathan is devastated and goes back to Colorado to find his brother after graduating. So, Jonathan is working with his brtoher at a popular restaraunt in Alhren Colorado. That is where he meets his girlfriend.

Girlfriend???? what? how? why? Remember Jonathan can die at any time, he's just been fighting it and on his aids medication. So, he meets this girl, I think her name is Amber. She's a waitress at the restaraunt where he works. She really likes him and finds no problem being with him. She says she's not promised tomorrow anyway, and life can end at any moment, why should she be scared and stay away from him. Her family think differently, but when they get married, they come around. So....with the fear of giving Amber aids, they always use protection...but ONE night it broke. Panic and fear took over both of them. Amber went to get tested and as she waited for the results, she was already feeling sick and tired.....she was pregnant!!! So, her and the baby were regularly tested and never found any Aids in their bodies. So, now, Jonathan has a wife, child, and a life. His mother was released after five years in prison and lives with Jonathan and his family and has been sober for over 7 years.

O'k...so the reason for the blog...what an amazing story. Luckily, I have grown up with parents that have pointed out to me when God does something amazing, so it's very obvious to me that God was totally in control of his boy's life. Even the 1 time his condom broke, his wife was even ovulating....that's amazing. I look at this story and just wonder "How can people not believe in God?" It's truly an incredible story.

If you want to read more about it: http://www.msnbc.com/id/13756759/