The Great Unknown

Last time I posted I mentioned that I would go into more detail about our medical consults for Crosby, but first I'd like to just say that Josh and I incredibly grateful that a resource such as the International Adoption Clinic (IAC) even exists. We first visited the Birmingham location when getting home with Becca, and we were able to get all of her records translated for our regular pediatrician. That way she didn't have to re-do any immunizations, and we had a clear picture of what medical procedures she had already received in China. The IAC was also able to provide a baseline measurement for all her areas of development, not to mention get her on the road to healing from some nasty parasites she had from contaminated water. We didn't do a medical consult with Becca's file before we traveled, because her documented needs were so straight-forward. Crosby's file was a different story altogether.

As I mentioned in my last post, Crosby's file had a host of hard-to-pronounce medical jargon. It also contained miniature photos of CT scans and tests and diagnoses with which we were totally unfamiliar. When we started this adoption journey, cleft was on our radar, surgeries were on our radar, therapies and interventions were on our radar. But, brain injury was just not on our radar. 

Crosby's documented medical needs included premature birth, an eyelid disorder and hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a really common medical need in waiting children, and, as you may have guessed, it basically means "excess fluid in the brain cavity." Typically, this involves surgery to place a shunt which drains the fluid, and many times multiple follow up surgeries, because shunts often fail. This we understood, but there were so many other things in his file that just didn't add up. After looking at his miniature CT scan pictures with a radiologist, the doctor we spoke with said they don't think this is what they're seeing. It's not out of the question, but their best guess is that we're not looking at hydrocephalus. 

Crosby was born prematurely and weighed less than 4 pounds at birth. He was taken to the NICU as soon as he was found and stayed there for a month and a half, but we don't know how long he was without medical intervention. Of all the terms in his file, the doctor felt this one diagnosis was what we needed to most prepare ourselves for: hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Infant HIE is a type of brain injury that occurs at birth and results from a reduced flow of oxygen to the brain and blood to the vital organs. It occurs in roughly 60% of premature births. In a US hospital, premies get oxygen immediately after birth, but Crosby wasn't born in a hospital and did not receive immediate care. The doctor believes what they see on the CT scan is a reduced size brain in the areas that sustained damage from HIE, not excess fluid. Of course, when he gets home, he will need an MRI so we can get a clearer picture. There is a wide range of severity and effects from HIE, and since Crosby is so young, we are basically entering the great unknown here. We were told to expect at a minimum that he will likely have significant learning disabilities and ADHD, as these are incredibly common in kids with any kind of brain injury. At the other end of the spectrum, we've had to prepare ourselves for the fact that our little guy may hit a wall in his development, and he might be very young when that happens. But, we have chosen not to dwell there, because we serve the God of the Bible...a God of miracles...a God who loves and cares and heals. We are at peace with the "worst-case scenario," but we are full of hope that God is going to work miracles in Crosby's heart and life. We are hopeful that he is going to break every limit put on his diagnosis. I'm claiming it, y'all. This little guy, our son...he's going to be an overcomer. I am already praying John 9:3 over him, "that the works of God might be displayed in him." I cannot wait to see what Crosby can do and how God is going to use him. What a gift we have been given!!! We are going to get front row seats to see God's glory, His hand at work in the life of our son. A-to-the-men; let it be so. 

As we enter this great unknown, instead of dwelling on what could be and all the hardest possibilities, we are fixing our eyes on Christ and on what we do know. Pray that the Lord would keep us in that place, a place of truth, strength and hope. Crosby's name means "dwells at the shrine of the cross," and that's where we be sittin'. We are planting ourselves 'round His pierced feet at the cross and looking to the empty grave with hope, and we pray that our children would always be near to King Jesus. Truly, I would find no greater joy (3 John 1:4).

Our little buddy's physical development shows growth that we find shocking for a child living in institutionalized care, but his brain size is just not keeping up with the rest of his body. Pray with us for healing and brain rewiring beyond what is medically possible, because we know the Creator of the brain. We also know that the sooner we get our little guy home, the better!! The sooner kids with brain injury receive intervention and the love and care of a family, the greater the chance there is for rewiring to take place. The brain is an absolutely AMAZING creation, and I am learning all I can about it. If you have resources you'd recommend, please pass them along to us. This is all new for us, and we're seeking the wisdom God has given others in this area. Please continue praying for a speedy adoption process, so we can start loving on Crosby in our home!!!

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5:1-5 ESV

At His feet,

k.