Matt Hammitt on Son’s Heart Condition: ‘God’s Love Was Illuminated as Much as I Struggled’
By Movieguide® Staff
Christian singer-songwriter Matt Hammitt recently talked about his new documentary, BOWEN’S HEART, about the journey of trial and faith for his son, Bowen, and their family.
The former Sanctus Real singer said that he hopes the movie will provide hope to others who are facing similar circumstances.
“Ever since 2010, when Bo was first born, we’ve had other families calling us who’ve heard the story and [some of] the big questions that we’ve gotten over the years [are], ‘What do we expect in the hospital? How is this going to affect our marriage? How’s this going to affect other kids?’” he told CBN. “And so we got a lot of those practical life questions.”
“Our motivation for making the film was, ‘Hey, we’ve been telling people what it’s like as much as we can. Why don’t we take them with us and show them and … be honest about these struggles in hopes that people would feel that they’re not alone and then that they would see a picture of hope,’” Hammitt added.
Bowen suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which is explained in the movie as missing half of his heart. According to Hammitt, Bowen has already undergone several open heart surgeries.
“I didn’t know how to respond right away,” he said when he and his wife, Sarah, received their son’s diagnosis. “It felt very helpless because we couldn’t really do anything at the time … my wife [was] still pregnant with Bowen.”
Hammitt decided to step back from his career to care for his family, and that is when God began to work in the Hammitt family.
“That was the beginning of me making choices to put more margin in my life to be able to be a more healed person, spend more time with God, allow Him to work inside of me, hear what He was saying to me,” Hammitt explained. “And as a result of that, we’ve been able to help other people in a much more powerful way find healing.”
“In that darkness, I really did feel God’s light in such a tangible way,” he added. “Sometimes that darkness actually allows you to see the light so much more clearly and where it’s coming from. … My faith was illuminated, God was illuminated, God’s love was illuminated as much as I struggled.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Bowen and the upcoming documentary:
Christian singer-songwriter and author Matt Hammitt and his family appeared on Good Morning America to celebrate his son’s 10th birthday. While on the show, the former lead singer of the Christian Rock band Sanctus Real also discussed the extraordinary testimony of the 10-year-old’s continued life despite being born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
“Through three open-heart surgeries and all different kinds of struggles that Bowen has had, now we just see this incredible picture of hope,” Hammitt continued.
The milestone of age 10 provided the Hammitt’s with the hope that Bowen could live a much longer life than initially expected. The Hammitt’s see God’s hand in Bowen’s life and the source of life that Bowen provides for their family.
Hammitt quoted Proverbs 13:12, which says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
“We see life here, and we’re so blessed by Bowen and the person that he’s becoming and the life that we have in him,” Hammitt added.
Hammitt celebrated Bowen’s powerful testimony of hope and life and also announced plans to share his story with the world through a documentary called BOWEN’S HEART. The movie will premiere at the Nashville Film Festival in October.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to share our story about finding hope and purpose through adversity,” Hammitt told The Christian Post. “We believe it’s a message the world really needs right now.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
