Mom Thanks God for 'Pencil Baby' After Doctor's Gave Him 26% Chance of Survival
A South Carolina couple welcomed their youngest son earlier than expected at 23 weeks. On Aug. 9, 2019, his mom celebrated his 100th day of life with a Facebook post that thanked God for His faithfulness through the fight for her baby’s life.
Lawson Clardy was born on May 2, 2019, three months earlier than his parents, Jason and Julia, were expecting him to arrive. He weighed one pound and seven ounces and was only the length of a pencil, which quickly turned into his nickname — “the pencil baby.”
Because little Lawson still had a lot of development left, his parents and doctors knew that he would need extra medical attention, but Julia wrote that their hearts were full of joy.
“We know God has amazing plans for Lawson and this is just the beginning of his testimony,” she wrote three days after his birth.
Two weeks after his birth, Julia was able to hold her son for the first time ever.
Over the following months, Lawson went through various surgeries related to underdevelopment, but Julia continued to praise God each step of the way.
When Lawson turned two months old, Julia shared an example of how the Lord has been faithful to her family.
“Lawson, your daddy and I are constantly amazed at how God is using you for His glory!” she wrote. “We will never forget the night they said you wouldn’t make it.”
“We made a promise from that point forward we would keep our faith strong and our hearts full of joy, and boy have you blessed us in ways we never imagined.”
The doctors told her that Lawson only had a 26 percent chance of survival, but she and her husband decided to fight for his chance to live.
“Baby boy, there was not one second that the thought of you not being here crossed my mind,” Julia added. “You were ready to fight because you have God on your side!”
On Aug. 9, the Clardys celebrated Lawson’s 100th day of life by continuing to praise God for his faithfulness and marveling at how far Lawson has come since his birth.
Julia said that the 100 days have helped them become strong in new ways and have brought nothing but “pure happiness” to her life.
“Happy 100th day in the NICU to our #pencilbaby who is officially FOUR pounds over his birth weight and proving God’s faithfulness with every day that passes!” she wrote.
While Lawson still has a long road of healing ahead of him, he has already impacted thousands of people with his story.
The Western Journal has reached out to Julia Clardy for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
