A Miracle in the Making ...

The information packet came to Lifeline Children's Services on June 10th, 2008. The child was a special needs child who needed a family ... and a miracle. A two year old girl from China had been without a family since August 11, 2006. Nearly her entire life. And with a special need that was not well documented. If something didn't happen soon, she'd likely live out her days in an orphanage, without family and without the hope that's tucked away inside of those who believe in Him. Twenty-four hours, actually twenty three, was all the time alloted for a decision to be made that would impact the life of this little girl forever. Now, to be sure, there was absolutely no way that her new family was going to pass on this child, especially after the prophesy of her new sister the night before her picture and information packet arrived.



Still, only twenty-three hours to say yes or no. Her special need wasn't anywhere on the radar screen of anything that had been considered "acceptable" in a process that was agonizing and painful to endure. Parents of special needs children know all too well the guilt of selections of "acceptable" special needs. Pick 5 we were told, with 2 that were most "acceptable." We realize that you have to start somewhere for the matching process to occur, but it just seems we intervene in God's plan when we assume to make those choices ourselves. As it turns out, we don't make those choices and we are fooling ourselves if we think we do. Only God can make arrangements for a miracle to occur in the life of child.



Wow, she's cute. And it sounds like she's a normal, healthy child. Except for ...



Lia Faith was born on 26 March 2006 with a large mass on the back of her head. She was abandoned a little over 4 months later, probably by a family who didn't have the means to provide care for her "special need." The pictures, to be honest were quite frightening. As with many babies in orphanages, Lia's head had been shaved (probably often), revealing the significance of the mass. Twenty two hours left. Time to pray. "God, is this what you have been preparing us for?" Of course, we knew the answer already. A congenital defect of this type is typically identified as meningcele, a severe disorder that can lead to a number of complications, depending on where the meningcele is located (upper spine or lower spine). In Lia Faith's case, the problem was in determining exactly what occupies the lump and how much it is interconnected with the brain. Twenty one hours left after an hour of research on meningcele.

Praying some more ...

What was the condition of our newest little princess? Does the lump cause her pain? What happens if she suffers a wound in the area of the lump? What's inside? Will it affect her later in life or can it be removed? What will the surgery be like? Are her motor skills affected? What about her brain functions? Is she aware of the lump? Does it bother her? Is she a spectacle among her peers? In the midst of all this medical research by a decidedly non-medical, novice, there came a small voice saying "Why do you worry? Haven't I given you reason for joy and cause for celebration? Because I created you, I know that you have a way of questioning everything. So this I will do for you."

Let me just take time out to say that if you are in the process of adopting a child internationally, do not proceed without first associating yourself with the International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham. Dr. Jennifer Chambers and her staff are truly what God intended when He created some to be doctors. They are simply amazing people. In this instance, the staff at the IAC told us everything they knew about her condition and then took things a step further - a quickly arranged appointment with the best pediatric neurosurgeons in the world! The comfort we received in the knowledge that God had the doctors at the IAC on this case was more than enough to tip the scales if we needed help with our decision. But, by this time our decision had already been made and forwarded to Lifeline. So now we just needed to begin the learning process for our new baby's medical condition and the staff at Children's Hospital and the IAC were absolutely wonderful in helping with that process.



Of course, the doctors gave us their best-educated guesses, based solely on a picture and a brief biography, with all the appropriate disclaimers. But they were pretty confident in their assessment. We'd have to wait until we get an MRI to be sure. "Can we order one," the pediatric neurosurgeon asked? I was surprised that the IAC's short answer was "it's not out of the question, but may be difficult to achieve." With the limited amount of information available, a brief assessment was made - best case scenario involved surgery with a 50% chance of having to have a shunt placed into her brain to avoid buildup of fluid. This would be a lifelong addition to her little body. Most likely scenario was a 90% chance of the shunt. But the problem was fixable according to the docs. That was before any of us ever met Lia Faith face to face.

The neurosurgeon's assessment was that he could fix this problem and that was all we needed to know. We were overjoyed at this assessment. Even Dr. Chambers, who attended the meeting with us was relieved to the point of telling us "Get out of here, before I start crying!" And so, with that day's events, we never thought or considered or worried again about Lia Faith's "special need" as we pursued her adoption. God had met His end of the bargain - again - and had eased our minds. What a peace we had about our decision and our ability to care for our little Lia Faith. And the cost of this quickly arranged consultation with the best pediatric neurosurgeons in the world - lunch from PF Chang! Now, all we needed to do was to go and get her, bring her home, and love on her. After some time, we'd take her in to have surgery to repair this "special need."







And so we did, on December 15th, 2008. Barely six months since seeing her picture for the first time, we held her in our arms and loved her from the first moment. We had such peace about her special need that it didn't even catch our attention on the day we first saw her. In fact, we were more concerned about the dryness of her skin and the condition of her teeth. It was only after a day or two did we even take notice of the '"lump" on the back of her head. Our first impression was 'this is nothing.' She doesn't even seem to notice it. It's not nearly as imposing as the photos we saw. And it feels like, well, like jello. She doesn't wince when we touch it or massage it. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. She acts like a normal, healthy toddler. And we brought her home on December 28th, 2008 after the best Christmas ever in Beijing, China!









After a month at home, the day for her MRI finally came. We didn't know that she'd been scheduled for both a brain scan and a spine scan, so Connie and I were both concerned as to whether this meant there were other complications of which we were not aware. Not so, the doctors assured us. Just routine in cases of meningcele. Better to do both MRIs on a single visit (since she must be sedated) rather than have her come back and be sedated a second time. The IAC assured us that the extra MRI was needed and everything would be OK. And sure enough, the initial reading from the radiologist was the best possible news we could have gotten. There doesn't appear to be any brain tissue involved with the lump. That simplifies the surgery greatly and reduces the chances of lifelong complications.



After a weekend of celebrating this news, our next visit with the pediatric neurosurgeon was more difficult. The news from the MRI, it seemed, was a good news, bad news story. The good news was confirmation that brain tissue had not taken up residence in the "lump." The bad news was that the MRI didn't give the complete picture and from the looks of things, our little lump occupied an area of the head where critical flow of blood into and out from the brain occurs. In short, this was cause for great concern. The previously, confident, positive neurosurgeon was now clearly concerned. It was written all over his face. And if that weren't enough, he gave us the dreaded "I need to show you something." No parent likes to hear those words when the health of their little one is at stake. It can only mean bad news. And he showed us his concerns, carefully explaining what might happen during surgery.

Fighting back tears, Connie said "I wish Dr. Chambers was here." Me too. Maybe she could convince the doctor that everything was OK. And before we could finish our individual thoughts, the door popped open and in walked an off-duty doctor named Jennifer Chambers. Just wanting to check up on "one of her babies." She knew in an instant that our good news from the previous round of testing had been replaced with somber news. And so she went to visit the neurosurgeon, who confirmed the problem - the lump is located in an area where blood flow is critical. During surgery, it is possible to disturb some of the veins and arteries carrying blood to and from Lia's brain. No one wanted to talk about what that might mean. But Dr. Chambers needed that information so she could offer good advice. After consulting with the neurosurgeon, she explained everything to us. And then she did what no other doctor has ever done for us, she asked if she could pray for Lia with us and lift her up to Jesus. I don't know if she'll ever realize how powerful her prayers were that day, but God knows ... And we know because we felt His presence in those brief moments.

"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord: listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you for you will answer me." Psalm 86:5-7

And so the doctors ordered more testing - immediately. This couldn't wait any longer. We needed to know where things stood. The doctors needed more information. And Lia Faith needed a miracle. So, after another long day in the clinic undergoing tests and riding the roller coaster, Lia's miracle began unfolding. The new tests provided the neurosurgeon all the information he needed to proceed with the surgery. The results gave him reason to expect a more positive outcome, but he was careful to note that the risks associated with her surgery were still there.

On Monday, April 6th, 2009, we spent another day with Lia's new friends at Children's South - she's become well known and quite popular there. We've visited the multicolored cow so many times now, that we've decided to name him. How's Patches sound? Or does he already have a name? It was another day of ups and downs, but mostly ups. We did learn that Lia has more issues to be resolved with her breathing patterns, but these are minor and can be taken care of after the neurosurgeon releases her from his care. On the plus side, we found out that Lia's hearing was perfect! She passed her audiology test with flying colors this time, after having failed the first time. So that's great news. Hearing and speech should be OK. The neurosurgeon also reassured us with his confidence in the procedure, though he did offer his customary caution about the risks associated with this procedure and they are certainly not insignificant. Assuming a successful surgery, the possibility of long term complications seem more remote than some of his early assessments. So, all in all, it was a great day.



This week, Lia Faith will undergo surgery at Children's Hospital in Birmingham to repair the meningcele, or lump, on the back of her head. The surgery will be performed Thursday, April 9th at 9:00 am. She will be in ICU for a day and then spend another 5-7 days recovering in the hospital. Lia Faith will spend her first Easter Sunday with her forever family recovering at Children's Hospital. As we thought about her surgery and prayed about it Sunday at church, it occurred to us that Lia doesn't even know she has this little problem. She's not aware that there's something a little "not normal" about her. And yet, we have to put her through this surgery. That's the hard part. I know that someday that she'll understand, but for now, it will be difficult to watch her suffer and not know why.

We know that there are many people who have prayed at various times for Lia Faith and for that we are grateful. May God's blessings brighten your days and enrich your lives for lifting our little angel up in prayer. Please continue to pray this week for Lia Faith, for her physicians, the Children's Hospital, and for Lia's concerned family. We place everything in His hands and await the good news ... A Miracle in the Making.







God Bless You,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five