Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Surgery for HEARING!!!

Well it is finally time for Miata to have her Atresia surgery which is in Charlottesville, VA (University of Virginia) where Dr. Kesser is located! During this five hour surgery Dr. Kesser will create Miata an ear canal, line that new ear canal with skin grafting, and create the flap of skin (more skin grafting) for creating her ear drum. Please pray that all goes well with her surgery and that soon she will be able to hear from that ear! This is what we have been working toward for the past year and it is hard to believe that we are finally at this stage!

As for how Miata has been doing from the last surgery...
Her ear has healed very nicely and there have been no problems at all from this surgery. We unfortunately do have a bit of not so good news. The morning Miata went in for this last surgery (in July) with Dr. Brent I had a consultation with him regarding an area of concern from the healing of the prior surgery where the ear was elevated away from the head and the skin grafting was performed and put in place behind the ear. Well during the healing of that skin grafting there was a section of the ear that grew together (reconnected at the back - which is why there is a defined line in her ear.) At the time of this consultation I asked Dr. Brent if it would be possible for him to correct this during this surgery but unfortunately there was no way he could do it because it will require more skin grafting and much more time in surgery which there was no additional allotted time. So what that means is that she will have to endure yet another surgery to correct this!!

Pondering... Random Thoughts...
To think of this precious little life and all she has endured in her short 7 1/2 years. Born of a woman that she will never know. Abandoned in front of a medical clinic at 1 1/2 days old for a reason never to be known or understood. Born also with two special needs to endure for the rest of her life. Placed in an orphanage where she lived for the first 2 1/2 years of her life. BUT adopted into a family, our family, that loves her more than words can express!!! From that point... having to leave her birth country to never again truly know or understand her people, heritage & culture, having to begin again in learning a new language, correct behavior, obedience, how to function in a family, etc. Then onto having to endure surgery after surgery! Wow, to reflect on where she has been and how far she has come is overwhelming! And to think... We could have missed this!!!! We could have totally missed the abundant blessings the Lord has so graciously showered us with through our three adopted girls just by staying in our comfort zone and turning a blind cheek to the need of orphans! There are over 130 million orphans who desperately await for someone to step out of their comfort zone and with open arms take them into their family and show them the love that our Savior Jesus Christ showed us by adopting us into His family!! James 1:27 says... Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless (orphans) and widows in their affliction. If you ever have the opportunity to be in a foreign country don't miss the opportunity to live out this command. By visiting an orphanage and seeing the many little (and older) faces of children who need nothing more in life at that moment than a family will forever change your life!!! Below are some links to orphan ministries for helping orphans, adoption, even going on a mission trip to visit orphans...

ESPN Highlights Adoption




ESPN segment highlights the touching adoption testimony of Georgia Bulldogs head coach, Mark Richt and his wife. Compelled by the biblical mandate of James 1:27 to care for orphans, the couple adopted two toddlers, one of whom has special needs, from the Ukraine several years ago and take time to reflect upon the blessings these children have brought into their lives.
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