Levi is still doing great with his feeds and if he continues at this pace he will hit full feeds next week. Please keep praying. he hit 8lbs tonight!
I really wanted to ask for your help also. I have never mentioned much our families on this blog. I felt led after en email from my sister-in-law today to share something with you. I also wanted there permission to post this. My Brother Shane and his wife Meredith adoted a little boy from Ethiopia last year. He is a huge joy to our family and has a smile that can light up any bad day. Aaron was obviously malnourished and possibly a preemie himself. Although that cannot be proved due to lack of details of his birth. He is actually dealing with issues that could end up be very similar to what Levi may face. He has some more test coming up such as swallow study like Levi has been having. Please read this message from Meredith below and please please pray for Aaron that he would over come all of these things. Pray that he will quit aspirating and that he will continue his neuro development. Can I count on my prayer warriors?
Where do I start with the Aaron journey??
The past 17 months have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs and twists and turns! Close friends and family have been with us along the way, but really all the 'general' public has seen is a super tiny malnourished baby develop into a smiley little toddler! What the pictures don't show is what prayer and the miracle of adoption has done for this precious little guy! We haven't posted publicly (blog, Facebook, etc) all of the medical issues we've encountered, but we believe in the power of prayer....so here we go!.................We met Aaron in January of 2010 and of course---fell in love! It was a scared kinda love, this mama knew something was going on with her baby boy! Aaron looked and acted like a newborn at 5 months old (no head control or strength anywhere in his body). Unlike newborns though---he had a smile that could knock your socks off (and still does--HE'S A CHARMER!). We brought him home and found out why he wasn't gaining weight or thriving in Ethiopia. He was sick and didn't have the physical ability to overcome the sickness. After having a series of tests completed we determined Aaron's immature development (both neurologically and physically) was keeping him from swallowing correctly. Aaron aspirates (fluid he drinks goes into his lungs). This is something that they would NOT have been able to identify in ET, but here in the states---there is an easy solution (we thicken all of his fluids so it takes longer to swallow and it goes down the right way). By the fluids (Milk, juice, etc) going into his lungs, bacteria grows and he develops pneumonia. The aspiration and breathing issues landed us at the pediatricians office 30+ times in his first year home. We also took 8 trips to UNC Chapel Hill (5 different specialists), had 3 bronchoscopies, 1 MRI, adenoids removed (they grew back 3 months later!), 2 sleep studies and countless painful labs completed. Aaron has been through more in the 17 months he's been with us then I have in my almost 30 years of life! The medical journey continues and for this....we ask for prayer. We pray for physical healing for Aaron so that he can continue to grow and develop neurologically. Aaron has come SO far from the small 9 lb boy we first met and we look forward to watching him continue to grow and develop. I have been hesitant to share all of our medical issues on public blogs, forums and facebook. I can see how our challenges would discourage others from adoption, but really---it should encourage others to adopt! Aaron's days were numbered when he was in Ethiopia, he is a true testament of how adoption saves and transforms lives. I am constantly amazed by his progress and the hurdles he's overcome to get to where he is today. If he would've stayed in ET, even in the carepoint center....we are convinced he wouldn't have survived another month or two. We can't imagine our crazy wild life without him. Please join us in praying for our little miracle boy to overcome his respiratory/breathing/feeding issues!
Aaron in ET
Aaron now
What a precious boy! 2 of my cousins, age 3 and 7 have to have "thick it " in their liquids as well as my nephew...age 5. They are all thriving and have improved over the years. One is weaning off of it. I will be praying for Aaron and for baby Levi. Both so precious!
ReplyDelete