“There is a family in Denver that you have to meet,” Vanessa told me over text. “Their son is in the NICU, facing a serious uphill battle, and get this. His name is Ambrose.” I had only met Vanessa once after giving a talk to the Young Catholic Professionals of Denver years earlier, and now she was reaching out because she knew this family’s story would move me. It had been less than two years since my Ambrose faced a life-and-death situation in the NICU when his lungs didn’t open for the first 30 hours of his life.

After the call ended, Vanessa sent me a link to learn more about Ambrose and his family. It turns out that Ambrose was Katie and Nate Hoffman's fourth child, just as our Ambrose was number four among the Schiefelbein kids. And while our little guy struggled for the first week of his life, Ambrose Hoffman’s situation was more severe and long-term. Ambrose Hoffman had congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and his heart was not in the correct place as he was developing. Furthermore, he also had fetal hydrops, meaning severe swelling, which had to be drained while he was still in the womb.

When Ambrose Hoffman was born in October, he was facing two life-threatening birth defects. Reading about Katie and Nate reminded me so much of my marriage and how Amanda and I look at the burdens God places before us. The Hoffmans knew that Ambrose would bless their lives no matter what happened at his birth. Two days after he was born, weighing only 4.5 pounds, Ambrose entered his first of many surgeries. Over and over, the family faced touch-and-go situations, and each time Ambrose had another surgery or setback, his will to live strengthened the faith and hope of those supporting the family.

I didn’t connect with the Hoffmans until their son was about three or four months old. By this point, my fifth child had also been born, another little boy named Benedict. I contacted Katie Hoffman online and explained that a friend in Denver told me about their situation and that we wanted to help. I told her that I felt a connection to their family since our son Ambrose had struggled in the NICU and that we were even asked to say goodbye to him at one point early on during his stay. I told her we would buy some gift cards for food but wanted to do more as an act of solidarity with their family and to “pay it forward” for all those who had helped us.

Her gratitude was sincere, and she showed me the best place online to contribute to the family’s food support. While I was going through more info about Ambrose online, my heart nearly skipped a beat when I finally saw their son’s full name: Ambrose Benedict Hoffman. Having recently completed the tragedy and triumph of our Ambrose and his survival, we named our next little guy Benedict. Now, God was giving us a chance to help Ambrose Benedict during his struggles, and we could not have been more grateful for the opportunity.

Soon after I connected with the Hoffman family, we learned that Ambrose Hoffman was going into a very difficult surgery and recovery that would take place in Orlando. With three other kids and two teacher salaries, the Hoffmans knew that juggling their family’s needs and being with Ambrose 1500 miles away was going to be an extreme challenge. I had traveled almost weekly during that part of my life and had more Rapid Rewards Points on Southwest Airlines than I could possibly use. And wouldn’t know it, God’s perfect plan was coming together as Southwest had nonstop flights daily between Denver and Orlando.

I arranged a system with my executive assistant whereby we would contact the Hoffmans once or twice each week to ask what flights they needed, knowing how hard it would be for the family to keep reaching out to us every time they needed to travel. They took turns with Ambrose in Orlando and stayed by Ambrose’s side during the long recovery he faced after a successful surgery. When summer rolled around, Ambrose was transported back to Denver, and the family could resume “normal” life with their fourth child, who had never left the hospital and was now eight months old.

Amanda and I had decided earlier that year that we would take the longest vacation of our lives that summer by spending three weeks traveling around Colorado with our five kids. Our first stop was Colorado Springs, and we decided to take the newly reopened Pikes Peak Cog Railway on my 43rd birthday. When we reached the top and bought some of the world-famous Pikes Peak donuts, I received a text from Katie Hoffman saying, “If you want to stop by the hospital to say hello, please do it soon because we are being released today. Ambrose is headed home!”

My eyes filled up with tears. Ambrose Hoffman was headed home, and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present. I had never met him or his family members, but somehow, supporting Ambrose Hoffman connected me to everyone who supported our family just two years earlier.

I texted back to Katie, “Praise God! I am literally on top of the world right now (Pikes Peak) and won’t be back down in time to come by the hospital before you leave. I want to stop by your house tomorrow to hug you and Nate and meet your miracle son. I also want a picture with Ambrose, Benedict, and Ambrose Benedict.”

After 252 days in the hospital and six surgeries, Ambrose Benedict Hoffman was back home, and I was so excited to meet his entire family as part of our dream vacation. When we showed up at the Hoffman’s home, our kids quickly stepped in to play with the older Hoffman kids as Amanda and I were welcomed into their living room to spend time with Katie, Nate, and baby Ambrose. Think about how crazy this must sound – this family had only been together in their home for 24 hours with their 8-month-old miracle son when a family from Texas took over the entire house.

Spending time with the Hoffmans felt like reconnecting with old friends. Before we left, we gathered our two miracle boys, Ambrose and Ambrose Benedict, along with our newest addition, Benedict. Little did I know then that our Benedict would be added to the list of miracle stories just a few years later with the unbelievable story of his battle with brain cancer and the chance encounter with a golf club that found it.

We have continued our friendship with the Hoffman family and spent time with them on subsequent vacations. I often think about Ambrose Hoffman and his endearing smile. Helping his parents travel back and forth to Orlando to be with him in the hospital helped me to gain closure on the million thank you notes and hugs that I’ve wanted to give to others for supporting our family.