Monday, May 26, 2008

It’s Sunday!

Some of you may remember this post. Sometimes we are called to Good Friday. And sometimes we are called to Easter Sunday. It’s Sunday here in the Plett Laurendeau residence. And the tulips are up!

On January 10th we felt as though our world shifted. We were told some shocking news about our unborn son and from that point until May 23rd we felt a heavy load that affected every aspect of our lives. Our son had a very large tumor on his back and we had no idea what our future would look like.

I was very guarded about showing a photo of the tumor on this blog as I felt rather protective of him. I didn’t want people to come on to gawk at my son. I showed close friends and family but that was it. That has changed a bit now and I’ll explain why later.* Below is what the tumor looked like in February. It might be tricky to understand the image completely but at the top is the back of his head and neck and then his shoulder comes off into his arm. As you can see, the tumor covers a large part of his back, basically from his neck down to his elbow. It also sticks out quite far. (If you click on the photo it opens up larger and the labels might help.)













The next photo is Jack directly out of my womb. Already not as dramatic.












And the third photo is Jack on Friday, May 23rd, a day after his birth – a completely different looking growth than what we saw in the womb.









We felt less worried the moment we saw it. And yet, we didn’t know. We waited. Yes, it seemed much less dramatic but perhaps it would still affect his heart a great deal. Or, perhaps he would still have to spend some time in NICU and be poked and prodded and tested. And perhaps he would still have to have surgery or not be able to go home with us as the growth would be too sensitive or tender.

But, just as our world changed dramatically on January 10th it did again on Friday, May 23rd at about 12:15. The pediatric surgeon made his way to our room to take a look at Jack. He removed his sleeper and turned him over. And basically the first words out of his mouth were "that’s it?" And we exhaled. He went on to tell us that he no longer thought it was an AVM at all (it was so hard to tell in ultrasound photos) but that it was an angioma and that it had shrunk dramatically since the first image. (Angiomas are a lot more common and a lot less frightening than AVMs.) In his opinion (and we’ll keep it since he’s one of the top pediatric surgeons in the city) Jack doesn’t even need to go for an MRI at this time and… HE CAN GO HOME WITH US. And there is a chance that he might never need surgery! (Or, if he does it will be more for cosmetic reasons.) Basically, right now we’re just to keep taking photos of the growth to see if it changes and then in a month we are to meet with the surgeon again to see where we go from there.

Life is just so very, very good. J-L and I had moments of dreaming of the best case scenario (maybe he can stay in the room with us! maybe he can go home with us! maybe the tumor won’t look all that bad after all!) but we rarely allowed ourselves to imagine it could be this good.

We’ll always remember Good Friday as we are called to do but for today we are putting on our Easter Sunday clothes and enjoying the tulips.

Thank you again for all of your prayers. We serve an amazing God. (One that shrinks tumors.)


* I felt it necessary to show the original tumor photo so that you could understand how frightening it looked and how banal it looks now.

26 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Cynthia and J-L,
He is gorgeous. Abby looks so proud to be a big sister.

Yes, we serve a great and awesome God and it is clear that this is an amazing answer to many prayers.

Thank you for sharing this journey with us.
Anna Magyar

Anonymous said...

WOW!

That last picture... I would just think he had a birth mark if that's all i saw. He is beautiful. What a sweet face. Can't wait to meet him!!

m

Anonymous said...

What a cutie! Thanks for the pictures. I'm looking forward to meeting the little man in person.

Linda

Anonymous said...

Praise God. I am so happy for you guys. I have thought of you often and you have (and will continue to be) in my prayers. I'm sure you are relishing every moment with your son. Having a boy is a different blessing than having a girl, and I'm sure you will fully embrace every moment.

Anonymous said...

Yay, yay and double yay! God is so very good! Vergil and I were tickled pink to get a quick preview of Jack yesterday - thanks so much for letting us take a peek at your amazing little guy. I hope you all enjoy the chaos of a new baby in the house and bask in the warmth of Easter's glow!

Anonymous said...

Hallelujah.

SIL Sue

pamero said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
pamero said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

It's funny how I think of what both our mom's said when we told them, "We'll just have to pray for it to dissapear!" They must have some sort of special praying connection!
Jack is just so sweet.
I can't wait to hold him again!
-pam :)

Paula said...

How precious. And how good God is. Jack is wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Cynthia! That's wonderful! He's gorgeous! I'm crying a little right now, and I'm so happy for you.

-Me- said...

Thank you Jesus for shrinking tumors and blessing us with beautiful children! Jack is beautiful, and what a blessed addition to your already awesome family! I'm so happy for you guys, and that your little man is doing well! thank you for sharing the tumor pictures with all of us, this was a teary eyed post for me, but such an awesome reminder of God's love for us, and how trusting in Him (even when sometimes it's hard) can be so rewarding! Be blessed with this beautiful son!!!

darien said...

and I...I am just so delighted. Jack will indeed, be (another) child who reminds me that God keeps his promises.

Think I'll have some Haagen Daaz to celebrate with you!

Anonymous said...

So glad to be his auntie.

Stephanie said...

God is amazing, and Jack's story is a testament to the wondrous things that He can do. I am so thankful for the work God has already done in Jack's life. Wow.

Couldn't be happier for you all!

Joyska said...

Praise God for small bundles and HUGE miracles! I am so excited and so were my friends in my prayer meeting! anticipating the meeting of such a gift from God! If I had a car, I would have been there already... but with work and lack of tranportation it is hard! :( but I think of you daily and pray just as often, and will continue to! :)

Ranee @ Arabian Knits said...

Our prayers have been with you through this, and we are so pleased by the good news! We will keep praying for Jack's continued healing.

Cakes said...

I love Easter Sunday! And I love this story or your Jack! What a beautiful, miracle of a family you have.

Kay Day said...

Praising God with you! How wonderful! Congratulations! He's perfect!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!! My baby boy turns a month old tomorrow and looks a lot like Jack. Too bad we can't have a mommy play-date soon. It would be so much fun if you were close to us.

This post made me feel a bit shameful. I must update my blog!!

Anonymous said...

Thanking God with you for the health of your beautiful son!
Marilyn

Anonymous said...

PTL!!!
Uncle Norm & Aunt Emily
He is beautiful!!

Trish said...

He is beautiful, and what an amazing gift of God! :)

Anonymous said...

Easter Sunday - I love it - and I love the picture of the tulips!
As soon as I saw the picture of the tulips, my heart told me what this post was going to say. Oh, Cynthia, I am SOOOO glad!

Anonymous said...

Cynthis and J-L -- I'm so thrilled! I've been following silently for a while and I'm so happy for all of you. Rest, heal, snuggle, enjoy. And a special hug for Abby as she starts her new career as big sister!

Anonymous said...

thank you Lord...thank you for your mercies, for your miracles...

blessings to all of you
donna