Baby Tre

December 22, 2002 – March 30, 2007

Journey To Faith

A little boy named Alvin "Tre" Murdock changed my life on Dec. 22, 2002. Although his body wasn't perfect, God made his soul whole. He now is with the Lord where he is complete.

When our son was born, we did not know that he had anything wrong. I had an emergency C-section because his heart rate was dropping. During my pregnancy there were no problems. At the second ultrasound they noticed that Tre' had some cysts on his brain so they sent us to a specialist. After the 30 minute ultrasound, they told us everything was ok and the cysts will probably go away. So we had no reason for worry. As the doctor performed the C-section they noticed something was wrong. Tre' was only about 3 pounds. They rushed him to the NICU. This began our journey to faith.

Tre' was born with 2 holes in his heart and a host of other issues. At day one, we were told he would only live a few days. But Tre' defied all the odds. At 1 year old, he was diagnosed with Liver Cancer and we were told he only had 6 months to live. Well again God and Tre' had other plans. We opted to not treat the cancer and just pray God's will for his life. On Feb. 24th, 2007, we took Tre' to the hospital because he couldn't keep food down. Over the next 5 weeks, we began the fight against the Liver Tumor. On March 30, 2007, we gave Tre' back to God.

God gave us strength and peace during this time. Just to show how awesome God is. We found out we were pregnant with our 4th child a week after Tre's funeral. After 3 little boys, we finally had a little girl. Tre' has 5 siblings: Keyanna (14), Chelsea(13), Joshua(5), Elijah(3), Victoria(2).

From A Caterpillar to A Butterfly

A caterpillar can only see at ground level. Tre' could only see things at his level, in a wheelchair or on the living room floor. On March 30th, 2007 he turned into a beautiful butterfly that can now soar above the things on this earth into God's awaiting arms. When we think of how a butterfly is formed most of us think of a cocoon. When the metamorphosis is completed, the adult butterfly breaks the pupal case. On March 30, 2007, Tre began his metamorphosis.

Just as we had done 4 years ago at the birth of our son, we gathered by his bedside as he prepared to leave this world. As he took his last breath, I was told by the medical staff it was ok to let him go. He had fought a good fight and we were proud of him. But now it was time for him to take a bigger step and be with the Lord. This is a path that we all must take. I was so proud to see Tre' go with so much grace.

Priscilla Shirer said in her book "And We Are Changed", A caterpillar's ultimate reason for living is to eventually become a butterfly. I can only imagine what he's doing in heaven. Running, jumping, laughing and talking with other kids and his buddy Kayla. Not missing a beat. It is the hope of knowing I will see Tre' again that keeps me going. I am reminded of Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)... "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

We on our journey to faith are much the same as Tre' and the caterpillar. Before we come into the true knowledge of God our sight is limited. We have both spiritual and physical limitations. But once we know Him, we can soar above anything that life throws at us. I thank all those who have supported us this past year with prayers and listening ears. God bless you all and know that His grace is sufficient.

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-The support, information and encouragement provided by the PPFL parents is not meant to take the place of medical advice by a medical professional. Any specific questions about care should be directed to a health care professional familiar with the situation.