Boston Red Sox pitcher Craig Kimbrel returned to the team on Monday after being away for three weeks with his wife, Ashley, to tend to their infant daughter, Lydia Joy, who was born in December with a heart condition.
Craig Kimbrel back in #RedSox camp, but infant daughter on his mind https://t.co/j9uobvnUfl pic.twitter.com/ZaISjonsiF
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) March 19, 2018
“There’s no denying it’s been the toughest thing we’ve ever been through,” Kimbrel said in a news conference at the team’s spring training facility. “In the last week, her recovery has been unbelievable, and she’s showing great signs.”
Baby Lydia had undergone two surgeries, including one just three weeks ago at Boston Children’s Hospital. Kimbrel received permission from the team to leave spring training and be with his daughter as she recovered. Today, he returned to the Red Sox and shared how his faith in God has helped him and his wife during this difficult time.
“My wife and I talk about it all the time,” he told ESPN. “We’re very strong in our faith. We believe that everything in life happens for a reason, even if we don’t understand it at the time.”
Kimbrel said his daughter is expected to be released in three or four weeks, and her third surgery won’t be needed for another three years to help “straighten up her anatomy so she can grow as a normal child,” he said.
Kimbrel spoke to reporters in February about the importance of trusting the Lord during this trial.
“God gave me this ability to change other people’s lives, to change my own family’s life,” he said. “It’s tough but God has a plan for us and I got to trust Him and things are going good and I can be very grateful for that. There’s a plan for everything, you can’t change, you just have to take it for what it is.”
Join us in praying for baby Lydia Kimbrel for a speedy recovery in Jesus’ name.
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