Wednesday, July 16, 2008

To Spleen or Not to Spleen...

Well, that has been the question... and I want to thank you each for praying so diligently for this decision. I received a call from Ethan's oncologist yesterday evening and after a couple weeks of research, and the discussion with the entire Board of Specialists, the decision was made NOT to remove Ethan's spleen.

The conclusion was that the surgery itself would be more harmful to Ethan than him not having a spleen during transplant, would benefit him. He advised that they talked at length about the pros and cons of each scenario and all felt comfortable it was best to leave the spleen alone. I am so thankful that he won't have to go through such surgery, and this means we will be moving right along with the transplant in Boston. I will find out more details about "when" we will be moving to Boston by next Monday, but I expect we are only about 2 weeks away.

We feel really good about being able to move forward with the transplant, basically, as soon as they are ready for us to come. And that our baby boy will get to keep his little organ... however, it isn't lost on me that his spleen is still a potential issue. It is still quite large and could cause some complications during the transplant (as the spleen will "soak up" all the new donor cells and potentially delay the spreading of those new cells throughout Ethan's body by quite some time). And due to the size of his spleen, it could cause Ethan some trouble breathing (as it could crowd his lungs if it continued to grow) - which is why there was such debate about removing it. But, they decided that the surgery for the spleen puts his body at too much risk and the benefits of not having his spleen during the transplant, though they are good benefits, are not enough to outweigh such risks.

You can see why we were so torn with which way to go.... but I'm satisfied that the Lord has been a significant part of this process from the beginning, and this decision today was His to make.

Who knows.... maybe Ethan being able to keep his spleen will be used as a major testimony to the doctors in Boston when his transplant works MUCH easier than any of them would expect... small miracles are always welcome, right? And I'd love to be a part of a "shock and awe" scenario, many times over, throughout this process!

Thank you for praying for wisdom in this question. We are getting close... so very close to this next chapter in Ethan's healing. You need to know - to fully understand - that you prayers for us have carried us through each and every day these past 3 months. I'm so grateful for you. So grateful that the Lord put you into our path. And in all honesty, I think we've only just begun to really need your help in going before our Lord in prayer for our little boy. This transplant phase will be a trying one and, humanly speaking, Ethan's little life hangs in the balance the entire time. However, I cling to the verse I have had on this site from day one... 1 Corinthians 2:5 -That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Thank you for believing right along with us. Thank you for giving us your strength in prayers. And thank you for continuing to do so...

I pray the Lord blesses YOU with exactly what you need, when you need it.

6 comments:

Benetta said...

Great is HIS faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies we see!

The Drama Mama said...

Do you feel at peace? I am not living in your situation (or begin to know/understand all the details) but I was so happy to hear this news. I KNOW God's hand was on this decision and I hope you and Adam are feeling so comfortable moving forward! Well, moving on to the next phase....and you know we will be here praying and cheering you on! God is good!

Janelle and Ella said...

Kasey, I am so glad that you have been given a clear direction in what to do about Ethan's spleen! We can praise God for that answer! Moving forward with prayers for the transplant.

Megan said...

That is wonderful news. I got the chills while reading the answer we have all been waiting for. This truly came from God. Thank you Lord for coming through again and again.
Please give Ethan tight squeezes for us. We will keep praying for the days to come. God Bless your darling family of three :-)
Love,
Megan

Marge said...

Kasey,

I am thrilled that Ethan is going to be able to keep his spleen, it is his you know? Just trying to put a little humor in to the situation

But seriously though I am glad that God said He gave it to Ethan and he wasn’t going to take it back now.

I truly love that little boy and his parents whither or not I ever meet them or not on this earth or not.

You know what going to be funny? When Ethan gets grown and I know he will. He’ll be out some where and someone that he doesn’t even know will hear his name and come up to him and say “oh I know you”.

That will give him a chance if he wants it to talk to them about the lord.

I just love what I see that the lord is doing now and will do later because of your blog.
I’ll keep praying

Marge

Natalie Ezelle said...

I too, had a sigh of relief when I read today. It was too hard for me to read the day where you described the process Ethan would have to go through now and in the future to remove his spleen. Praise the Lord that his little body does not have to endure the surgery.

Keep on keeping on. You can do it. Just remember everyday, God is using this situation for HIS glory!

Love you!
Nat