Week 1-3:

The first day everything seemed normal, with Hollis alertly looking around, smiling and beginning to breastfeed.  

By the third day, however, he began running a fever, sleeping a lot and generally was disinterested in nursing.  Sensing something was wrong, the doctors became suspicious and began looking for a bacterial or viral infection.  

At one week old Hollis went to the intensive care unit. Shortly after, they thought he had a mysterious viral infection, then encephalitis or meningitis, then settled on a diagnosis of Disseminated Neonatal Herpes Infection. 

They began assessing the damage the virus had done, giving him acyclovir for the virus.  "Disseminated" infection means that the virus had already infected his entire system, including lungs, liver and brain.  The liver suffered the most damage, and it soon became evident that it was not working at all.  They began to give him blood transfusions so that he might have "good blood", which was not being produced (filtered) by his own liver. After a couple initial seizures, they also began giving him medicine which sedated him, and he lie in a seeming "coma" for the next couple weeks. 

The next few weeks Hollis' condition stayed the same, while the doctors gave him clotting products for his blood and acyclovir to treat the virus.  Although his liver was not functioning, there were some indications, however little, that his condition in other areas was stabilizing.  The doctors remained guarded in their prognosis, however, saying that all they could do is supplement his system processes with IV medicines and blood products (to help clotting & kidneys function) and just "weather the storm," so to speak, in the hopes his own little system would "kick in" (liver begin functioning).  They did not know whether or not the liver was damaged by the virus too severely to regenerate.  A neurologist also began a battery of tests after an EEG (brain scan) showed some irregular brain activity in the areas where this virus usually infects and does damage.

Week 4 (Nov. 6-12):

The doctors met with us Nov. 5 to prepare us for a "worst-case scenario."  They said the prognosis was not good, and they actually held out no hope for his survival ... the build up of fluids from enzymes released by the liver (his tummy was bloated like a water balloon---see following picture), indicated, in their opinion, that his liver had totally failed (died), having been too devastated to function!

They said there is nothing more they could do, and that it would be futile to keep him on life-support indefinitely (oh, really? ... even while some functions like breathing, kidney output, etc. were functioning on their own).  They said if they unplugged some of the products they were giving him to stabilize his condition ... he would DIE---that he had TERMINAL LIVER DISEASE!

The primary tending physician even told me outright that she thought it was kind of selfish on my part (!!) to make him live like that ... that the merciful thing to do would be to let him die!!  She said, "Even if he were to live a while, he would be brain damaged and never able to have quality, much less normal life!  You're simply making him suffer and  prolonging the inevitable!"

To which I said, "I've never believed in infanticide, and we're NOT going to 'pull the plug' ... and nor are you!"   I informed her, "OUR Lord is a miracle-working God, and we're not going to preclude the possibility that He might do a miracle of healing in his little body at the last moment!"  So, shaking their heads in disgust and disbelief, t hey reluctantly agreed to give us 3-5 more days ... WHILE WE CONTINUED TO PRAY FOR A MIRACLE! 

Week 5 (Nov. 13-19):

Hollis remained in about the same condition, although fluid was building in his tummy due to the release of enzymes by the liver.  This happens when the liver "dies" or is not functioning properly.  The doctors remained skeptical about his chance of survival with his liver not functioning, but Hollis was a strong little guy fighting this thing with all he had.  I thought, "They shouldn't under-estimate the heart of a Kirschke."  Then I thought, "And I shouldn't under-estimate the Heart of God!"

As the Lord began to work in his little body, Hollis did not have any seizures the next few weeks even though the neurologist said that the infection had damaged his brain.  The herpes

infection was arrested through the treatment of acyclovir, and the doctors continued to maintain/sustain him while his little system began healing from the damage.  All of a sudden he passed neurological testing of his hearing reactions, etc., which was welcome news!

Hollis was already a miracle!  The doctors couldn't believe he was still alive!  They have said that his liver was damaged worse than any they've ever seen, and the other babies with less damage typically die within the first 2-3 days. But Hollis had been alive over a month!  

Although the doctors were not optimistic about the liver's ability to recover ¹ after such damage, we knew the Lord has had a reason for sustaining him---to hear our cry for mercy and restoration and heal him in His time His way!  Our church had been doing "spiritual warfare," but before I explain (in case there's someone reading this that doesn't understand that statement), let me explain something.

One night as I looked at Jennifer holding the baby, looking down at him with the typical love of a mother, with tubes and computers attached, I could scarcely hold back the tears.  I thought, "This isn't right!"   Why do I say that?   Because before he was born he was "whole" while in the womb, kicking and active, and his disease was not congenital. If he had been still-born, or born defective and died, it would have been easier to accept, realizing it wasn't meant to be.

But Hollis!  He was a strong healthy baby, and the fact sheets from the leading medical institutions in the nation say that if he had been taken Cesarean section (even with a mother with full-blown herpes infection, which Jennifer did not have), he most likely would not have gotten the infection.  Only 1 out of 16 get the infection that way, but ...taken vaginally ...the baby has a 50% chance of getting it.²

So ... this was clearly an outside invasion of an otherwise normal, healthy baby, and you know who the perpetrator was? .... yes, " Slewfoot" himself (this may be hard for non-Christians to understand).  But we knew this was a clear all-out attack of Satan to destroy Hollis, and our faith, and the work of God.  But we would not let that happen!  "...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." (1 Jn. 3:8b)

It is GOD who will destroy the Devil's work, not visa versa.  If the Lord had taken Hollis home to be with him, we would still love God and trust His Providence and accept His will, but while Hollis was alive, we were going to declare the works of the LORD! 

So ... We designed this web site to keep our friends and churches around the world, particularly in western and eastern Europe, informed of Hollis' status.  Our church (and many others) upheld Hollis before the throne of grace with prayer chains, intense daily prayer meetings at 6:30 AM & 8:30 PM every day for over 3 months,  fasting, etc.  and then continued with "follow-up" prayer for another 6 months.  Hundreds if not thousands of Christians friends across America and Europe had joined us "in one accord" in prayer, contacting us regularly for new updates on his progress.  Our motto was 2 Cor. 1:11:  "...as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many"

Two times while our church at LifeWay was having corporate prayer (once during a "teruwah"³) Hollis awakened wide-eyed, looking around at us, etc.  This is only significant if you realize that he had not opened his eyes in nearly a month under sedation and seizure medicine.  I wasn't too concerned in the delay in answered prayer, for I remembered what is recorded in Daniel 20, where God explained to Daniel why his prayers had been delayed ... because there was spiritual warfare going on with the prince of Persia (generally understood to have been a spiritual principality in that area at that time) .... SO ... we continue in persistent prayer!

Remember what Jesus said about the unjust judge regarding the "importunity" (persistence) of the widow woman who kept seeking justice by knocking at his door?
        "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, `Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says.' And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:4)

So ... that's what we did!

I'll never forget the day I approached the hospital, and a nurse on her way out spoke to me,  "Well, I guess you got your 'Miracle Baby' after all."

(You see, I had printed from the computer a picture of Hollis and a Scripture of deliverance from death and pasted it over his bed.  I didn't want the doctors to view him as an irrelevant piece of flesh on a metal slab, as some of the other infants who had no visitors or family to care seemed to be perceived as.  So our sign read, "Hi, my name is Hollis."  And over it was the main 

caption: "MIRACLE BABY."  Each day during the rounds the doctors had to view that, though they probably thought it was vain presumption and wishful thinking on my part.)

So I responded to the nurse, "What do you mean?"

She continued, "Why don't you go upstairs and see?"

I'll never forget my heart palpitating nearly out of control as I ran up the three flights of stairs.  As I entered the Intensive Care Unit I noticed doctors and nurses all gathered around Hollis, with joviality, laughing and apparent joy.  The head of the department was even playing with Hollis with a toy, which the nurses said is something he never does.

God had answered prayer!  For three months Jennifer, Melody and I sang and prayed over Hollis' little inert body, "commanding" Life back into his liver (with, of course, a concert of prayer going on at the same time as I mentioned.)  And now ... his liver was working!  

Later, as they took sonograms of his liver, the departmental head of radiology, a gray-haired faculty member, who had obviously worked there for several decades and seen "everything" there is to see, stood transfixed before the monitor.  After 10 minutes of total silence (Jen and I were holding the baby still on the table), I could not contain the suspense any longer.  I asked, "What do you see."  He didn't answer.  A few minutes later I asked again, and this time he simply responded, "I don't know."

I said, "What do you mean 'You don't know'."  He said, "I mean I've never seen anything like this before."

I could see all these little sparkly white things covering his liver, and I got goose-bumps as I thought, "Behold, the hand of the Lord!"

I said, "How could that be?"  He answered, "Well, we don't do sonograms on corpses, and I've never seen a liver come back from total devastation (death) as this."

To document this I got a copy of the sonogram, after much reluctance on their part and insistence on mine!

Today, Hollis is totally healed!  Subsequent MRI's showed no damage in the areas of his brain that were hit, and his liver is totally normal.

At two and half years of age, Hollis was singing, playing the drums, and  his motor skills and learning abilities were actually ahead of many children his age.  He's now playing ball with his bigger brothers.

"No quality life?"  Wrong!  Let this be a lesson to all that Jesus Christ is still the Great Physician, and His is ultimately the only truly expert and accurate prognosis!

To any doctor who would have also likely put Hollis to sleep like some animal in a veterinarian clinic, I only pray that they learn from this example not to rush to judgment and presume upon the future---that they will not play God but strive to simply be what God has enabled them to be---a Doctor---and let God be God!

Hollis & Daddy

Hollis' Family---The Kirschkes
(Hollis' big sister Melody with husband Brandon and their little Sarah on left; then it's Luke-13, Jordan-11,
Faith-7, Ashley-12, Caleb-10, Rebekah (back), Mommy Jennifer & Daddy David,
and, of course, HOLLIS down front.  (Matthew-21 is not pictured)

The Kirschke family would like to express their appreciation to particular ones of the faculty, doctors and nurses of UTMB, who took a special interest in Hollis' situation!  Particularly encouraging has been the acknowledgment by some of them of the Divine, supernatural help that Hollis received through prayer!  These know the Reason why Hollis is the ONLY baby hit with this particular infirmity to ever survive at UTMB in Galveston, a major regional medical facility! They know "it's GOD"!  

All neonates (babies) born at this hospital before and since Hollis have all died.  After having had several staff meetings of medical teams of doctors about this particular case and the treatment involved, UTMB could only conclude and readily admit that this case was not understandable nor explainable "in the natural"---that Hollis is indeed a Miracle! 

Hospital personnel told us that they constantly refer to him as an example to give hope to parents in similar situations that Miracles are possible!  That may not sound professional, but it is true!

Finally, it is our hope that one day the oft-ineffective and/or unsuccessful "treatment methods" of "traditional medicine" will also understand and recognize the healing and recuperative properties of glyconutritionals like Ambrotose, which is a gift from God to restore "wholeness" to cellular structure and the bodily systems.