Dear Family,
I am not really sure how to write this email, other than to just begin. While we were still at the hospital with Joseph, one of the pediatrician's from our pediatric office thought she saw a problem with Joseph's left eye. We took Joseph for a check-up Tuesday with our regular pediatrician, Dr. Ortiz. She explained to us that Joseph is blind in his left eye due to a cataract. I guess this happens in about 1 in 5,000 babies. However, the concerning thing with Joseph's cataract is that it is centrally located on his pupil, whereas most are located on the side, thus the blindness. We were quickly ushered strait to Children's Hospital to their Pediatric Opthalmology Department. They confirmed the diagnosis and scheduled him for surgery on Monday, November 25. I'm not sure if I will get everything explained in this e-mail, but we would really appreciate prayer for Joseph and all the details, so I'm going to try.
Basically, while it is important to catch this as early as possible, they don't want him to go under anesthesia before he is 28 days old due to higher risks with anesthesia in a newborn. However, the balance is, the longer he goes not seeing out one eye, the brain begins to shut off the left side and work with the side that is working, so they want to address it with surgery within the first 6 weeks. Usually when they take out a cataract in a child, they take out the lens and replace it. However, they are finding that in babies before 2-years-old, this isn't as effective because it is so hard to get a proper measurement of the lens. So with Joseph, they will take out his lens in November and then go in when he is 2 years and do another surgery to replace the lens. There is a risk of him developing glaucoma with his lens out, so he will have several appointments in the meantime to gage whether or not glaucoma is developing. After surgery, he will need to wear an eye patch over his right eye daily to help the brain engage the left eye. He will also be fitted for a contact lens for his left eye, which we will have to put in and take out each day. With an infant and into toddlerhood, this presents a few challenges, which we would also appreciate prayer for. The bottom line with his treatment is to gain vision and then do whatever they/we can to keep vision in his left eye while trying to keep future surgeries to a minimum. It seems to me as the ophthalmologist was explaining things, there are several plates to keep spinning in balance, and no guarantees. At the end, even if everything lines up right, there is still a one third chance of developing glaucoma, which results in long term blindness in the left eye.
While we were driving home from the hospital, Dan pulled up the verses about the man born blind in John Chapter 9. When the disciples asked Jesus who sinned causing the man to be born blind, Jesus answered that neither the man nor his parents had sinned but He said, "this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
I need to tell you all that we first off are praying for God to intervene with a miracle and restore Joseph's sight. Before surgery, we are going to ask the elders of our church to gather to pray with us over Joseph for healing. We will also ask God to search our hearts and reveal if there is any sin on our part that we need to confess that would hinder our prayers. We ask you to join us to petition for our sweet baby for a miracle. I was struck when Dan read these verses to his teary wife (I can still blame post partum hormones for some of my tears this week, can't I?) that it was here that Jesus said He is the LIGHT of the world. How amazing, that in our blindness and darkness, THAT truth stands, whether it is a physical blindness or really, darkness of any kind. We know that Jesus is our light, we have walked dark and shadowy paths before and His promise is true. He goes before us, with us, and behind us, we cannot get away from His Presence. I am so thankful for this. I am scared, yet I know Who has held me in past struggles and I know that as He said, the works of God WILL be displayed in this, not only for Joseph, but for us as his family and those who surround him. Please pray that we will cling to this truth as we go through this journey.
All that said, Joseph is a beautiful and very sweet baby. After Elizabeth's failure to thrive issues, I have been so grateful that this little man loves to nurse. He won't stay small long, I'm sure of that by how he eats! I am so thankful. In some ways, this seems surreal to me. He is a tiny baby, it's hard to imagine this is happening. I look into his beautiful eyes, and it's difficult to think that one of them isn't working right. I was struck in the doctor's description of what happened in his development (she said it was a fluke thing, not genetics), with just how complex even development of this one part of the eye is...a testimony to how great and yet how intricate our Creator is. And of course, we are very grateful for sight in his right eye!
Ok, I know this is long, thank you for hanging with me while I share my heart tonight. We are so thankful for each of you and are grateful for your prayers. We are also so grateful for an amazing pediatrician who is crazy on top of her medical knowledge and a Children's Hospital that ranks 6th in the nation to be practically at our door step. God has provided in so many ways already. Feel free, as you are led, to share this with other family/friends.
Love to all of you,
Amy
P.S. You may have seen his pictures, but I'm attaching one anyway!
