Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: Birth of Child #2 - Noelle (Mahlou)
Precerpt (excerpt from book prior to publication): Raising God's Rainbow Makers (Mahlou)
No birth is ever quite the same as another, but Noelle’s was truly distinct.
Labor began slowly—and stayed that way—for 72 hours. She arrived breech, her tiny body twisted, and most shockingly, with a gaping hole in her back. The sac that had formed around her incomplete spine had torn open during labor. Diagnosis: meningeomyelocele at L3-4—spina bifida with hydrocephalus, more familiarly known as “water on the brain.”
Before I could even hold her, a helicopter landed to airlift her from San Angelo, Texas—where I was stationed with the Army—to Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. That’s how Noelle came under the care of Dr. Wayne Paullus, a remarkable neurosurgeon at a top USAF hospital.
Dr. Paullus wasn’t your typical pediatric surgeon. He was a combat neurosurgeon during the Vietnam War, more accustomed to piecing back together airmen whose bodies had been torn apart in battle. He approached Noelle’s damaged spine the same way—meticulously tracing every nerve path, salvaging every viable connection. While many civilian surgeons might complete a standard spinal closure in 45 minutes, Dr. Paullus spent four full hours giving her the best chance at mobility and function.
Years later, an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford University would call Noelle the most mobile L3-4 spina bifida patient he had seen in all of California. Thanks to Dr. Paullus’s extraordinary care, she walked with long-leg braces into her twenties. As a child, she even learned to roller skate—and yes, she went to roller-skating parties like the rest of her classmates. The difference one gifted, imaginative doctor can make is beyond measure.
But back to the birth.
Because Noelle was immediately flown to San Antonio, there was little point in me remaining in the hospital. In those days, mothers and babies were expected to stay for at least a week, but I wasn't about to lie in bed while my baby was 250 miles away. I promised the doctor I’d rest in bed for a week if he discharged me. He agreed.
An hour later, I was at the commissary with Donnie buying food to take on the trip when we ran into one of the ward nurses. She gave me a look that could shatter glass and a tongue-lashing about not skipping bedrest to go grocery shopping. I didn’t explain. There was no time. And I had no desire for further interaction.
We’d just gotten word from the hospital: emergency surgery was scheduled for 6:00 the next morning, and someone needed to be there to sign consent forms.
We hit the road immediately. Somewhere near midnight, we were flying down the flat, straight stretch of Route 210, well past the speed limit. We didn't see a single patrol car—until just a few miles outside San Antonio. Red and blue lights. We pulled over, hearts sinking.
But once we explained the situation, the officer didn’t hesitate. “Follow me,” he said—and with sirens blaring, he led us at breakneck speed through the Lackland Air Force Base gates, past a startled guard, and straight to the front entrance of the hospital. I jumped out of the car, ran to the information desk, was informed that the doctor and paperwork was on the fifth floor, dashed to the elevator, only to find that it was out of order, and then ran up five flights of stairs, arriving on the ward, breathless and with barely a minute to spare. The charge nurse handed me the paperwork, which I quickly signed, giving permission for the surgery, and, as I was handing it back to her, Dr. Paullus appeared. He knew about the elevator being out. "The day after giving birth, you walked up five flights of stairs," he asked, with a tone of amazement."Army officer," I replied.He explained what he was going to be doing and said he would go into more detail later about what we needed to know about spina bifida, which he did, even to the point of showing us how to check the functioning (or malfunctioning) of the shunt he placed to manage her hydrocephalus, for which I have blessed him on many occasions. (Most parents do not know how to do this, and, as I found out later in Noelle's life, neither do some interns at non-research hospitals.)
With that first brief exchange, he disappeared quickly, along with Noelle, down the hallway and into the operating room.
And then… we waited.
We had left Lizzie with a neighbor. We didn’t know what we would find at the hospital. We didn’t know what would come next. All we knew was that this child—our first rainbow child—had been born into a battle. And we were going to fight it with everything we had.
Book Description:
A Family Memoir of Grace, Grit, and Growing Up Different
What happens when a military family welcomes four children—each with wildly different needs—into a world not always built to support them?
In Raising God’s Rainbow Makers, one mother shares the remarkable journey of raising two children with complex disabilities—one with spina bifida, one with CHARGE Syndrome—and two intellectually gifted children, all born in different states during years of military life. Through medical crises, educational challenges, and societal roadblocks (both intentional and unintentional), this honest and inspiring memoir tells the story of how one family built a life of strength, compassion, and resilience.
With warmth and unflinching honesty, the author reflects on emergency surgeries, IEP battles, unexpected victories, and the fierce sibling bonds that formed in the face of it all. The children—now grown—bear witness to the power of support, faith, and never giving up.
This is not just a story of survival. It is a celebration of difference, a chronicle of hope, and a powerful testament to what love and determination can build when the world says "impossible."
Keywords:
Parenting memoir; Special needs parenting; Raising children with disabilities; Military family life; Family resilience; Inspirational family story; Faith-based memoir; Coping with medical challenges; Sibling support stories; Gifted children; Spina bifida; CHARGE Syndrome; Hydrocephalus; Congenital disabilities; Complex medical needs; Pediatric neurosurgery; IEP and special education; Gifted education; Educational advocacy; Inclusive education; Hope and healing; Courage and strength; Love and perseverance; Raising different children; Disability acceptance; Parenting through adversity; Overcoming barriers; Finding joy in hardship; Special needs journey; Family unity and support; For parents of disabled children; For parents of gifted children; For educators and therapists; Christian parenting memoir; For families facing rare diagnoses; Real-life parenting stories; Memoirs about raising children; Stories of medical miracles
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