Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Working Lunch

I'm on lunch break right now up at my office so come on in, pull up a chair, and I'll get you caught up on everything that's been happening since we last talked. There's coffee in the break room if you want something to drink but keep your hands off the leftover Christmas candy. I've already counted it all so I'll know if one piece goes missing.

Your faithfulness in prayer has been rewarded as Benjamin continues to grow stronger each day. I thought about listing all of the countries where people are praying for us, but I soon figured out that it would be much easier to list the countries that I haven't heard from yet. If you have family in Antarctica or Guam, please fill them in on what God has been doing during the last week.

Yesterday afternoon a surgeon came in to visit Ben and perform a Bronchoscopy, which basically means they put a tiny camera down Ben's throat to see what's going on. Originally, they thought Ben had a rare condition called laryngotracheo-esophageal cleft (LTEC), aka improperly formed trachea and esophagus. After looking around Ben's trachea, however, the doctor believes that Ben does not have LTEC but something called a laryngeal cyst.

In keeping with our theme of mixing amazing medical technology with caveman technology, I now present to you the drawing our surgeon made for us after he completed the procedure. After looking at his drawing style, I have determined that he must have attended the same art school that I did. I have added labels to his picture for clarity.


From what the doctor can tell, Ben's trachea and esophagus are formed correctly. There's just a huge cyst blocking almost all of his airway. The cyst was so large that he was not able to see what what the trachea looked like between the cyst and the tracheotomy incision, but he does not believe that there are any other defects further on down past the cyst. This is still a serious condition, but not as bad as the doctor's had originally thought.

The doctor wants Ben to get bigger and stronger before he performs the surgery to remove the cyst so it could be many months before that happens. We are so grateful that it doesn't look like the massive reconstruction surgery that they thought it was going to be. There is a possibility of damage to Ben's vocal cords, but it's also possible that they could be totally unaffected by the cyst.

That leaves one more big unknown for us to pray about. Early tests on Ben's brain function have been encouraging, but it will still be a while before the scans can be done to determine if damage has been done. I'm hopeful that God has healed Ben's mind as well as his body, but we try to wait patiently for God and subject ourselves to his decisions.

For the first time yesterday, Adrienne was able to hold Ben in her hands while the nurses changed his sheets. I just watched in pleased silence as she gave him kisses on his little swollen head. Because the tracheotomy site is healing well, they are able to put Ben on his side for the first time. This should allow some of the fluid to start draining from his head, but for now he looks like a little bulldog as the built up fluid moves into his face. Mom doesn't seem to care though, since they have finally taken the tubes out of his mouth and nose.

All these events have made me think of a story from the book of John. The disciples of Jesus saw a man blind from birth, and they asked Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." Thank you for being our fellow witnesses as we see the mercy and works of God displayed in our little son.

Do it all for the glory of God,
Whit, Adrienne, and Benjamin

23 comments:

Cheryl said...

I'm so glad things are going well and that his condition is not at bad as previously thought. Thank you so much for all the updates. You have a wonderful sense of humor. ;)

eric connell said...

Wow is our God amazing.....what more can be said!
we love you and will continue the prayers for precious baby Ben!
Jenny, Eric and Will Connell

Gary said...

"Just the beginning of a lifetime of glorious things!" Thanks, Whit, for taking the time to give us these glimpses into Ben's mischief ways and physical condition and into your heart. God bless your family.

Karen said...

That is great news! Hopefully more encouraging finds will come as the doctors probe further. Stay strong!

Jason said...

We love to hear how Ben is doing. I am amazed, thankful and humbled by your faith and trust in God. We continue to pray with thankfulness for these things.
--Nicole & Jason (in Memphis...from Australia/OK)

Tanya Blair said...

How great is our God!!!!! I'm so glad to hear that you guys have met with the surgeon and have some more crucial info about Ben's condition. And I am so glad to know that he continues to do well in the NICU! Whit, thank you so much for the detailed report and the drawing was pretty amazing too (especially the label for the cheeseburger processing unit)!! Adrienne, I am so glad you finally got to hold your precious little boy in your arms!! So many people in our church have been praying and asking about Ben and your family. What a wonderful blessing it is to pray for each other in God's family! May God continue to bring you joys in this time and may He continue to remind you of His mercy and goodness! We love you three and are in constant prayer for you!! Sending big hugs from Texas!!
chris, tanya, kayla, and tyler

Ashley said...

Whit, Adrienne, and little Benjamin,

I went to OC with both of you and I think I actually had a class with Adrienne, I'm not positive on that though. Your blog has truely given me strength. The faith you all have is immeasurable and so encouraging to me and many others.

The God we serve is truely amazing and I'm so thankful (as I know you are) that he's doing such amazing things in your lives and the life of little Benjamin!

I'm so thankful that Lia sent your blog to me, I've been keeping up with Benjamin's progress and God is so amazing and wonderful. I agree with Cheyrl, your sense of humor right now is incredible and I know that is how you are staying so strong. I will continue to keep you all in my prayers. Not only will my prayers be of thankfulness for your strength and all the amazing improvements Benjamin has made, but also for continued improvments and for God to continue guiding you and wrapping your family in his arms as you go through this.

Your faith is truely the faith of Job and you will be rewarded for that one day!

Ashley Little

Vanessa said...

How wonderful!! God is so good! And you're right - the names of you three are on the minds and lips of people EVERYWHERE! After these first two days of school I had several friends in a class with your mother, and she was sure to tell them all about her new grandson. That little boy is larger than life. :)

SeekerofGrace said...

Praise the Lord! We have been lifting you up in prayer relentlessly... Ecstatic to hear good news and amazed at Whit's talent in recounting it all. Does he have a master's in blogging? :) Adrienne, people from MATESL say hi and send best wishes! Everyone commented what a wonderful mom you were preparing to be over the semester. You impressed us all. Both of you and especially Ben are in all our prayers and those of our praying friends. Our God is a great God of miracles!!!

Always Believing,

Desiree (& Minsu) Jang
Shawnee, OK

Gina said...

The NICU can be a deep dark place. It is good to see that you are keeping your humor...such a necessity!
Damon and I experienced a difficult birth and the NICU almost 2 years ago. Because of an irreversable birth defect our little angel went home to be with her Maker. I am telling you that not to depress you or to scare you, but to tell you this. God has taught us so much from our experience. We know that every life whether short or long has an amazing purpose on this earth. We are confident that no matter what happens in our life we will survive because of God. We rejoice everyday that our baby is with God and look forward to the day we will see her in Heaven.
God will hold you in His loving arms throughout all of this. No matter the outcome, He will stand beside you because you are His children. There is immeasurable strength in that!!
I am so glad that things are going well. You and your precious son will be in our prayers...and if it helps your list, Damon deploys to Guam on the 25th. Mark that puppy off.
God bless!
Damon and Gina Blankinship
PS We meandered over here from Karen's blog. We also went to OC.

Wyatt and Tammy said...

We are all so glad to hear the good news you are gettng from the doctors. We continue to pray for many more days filled with good news.

We also pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the strength of your faith and the shining example you all continue to be in these times of trial.

We love you all,

Wyatt,Tammy and family

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing news of Ben's progress and of your inspiring faith and humour. God certainly is great and its fantastic to see His spirit at work in you, your wife and your little boy.

The OCU Antwines forwarded me a mail asking for prayers with a link to this site. I was really moved to read your 'Lockdown' posting and have been keeping you all in my prayers since. It's amazing to see the positive effects of prayer working.

Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers here in London.

Rebecca

Shawn said...

Gatewood Family:
God is so amazing! I have to tell you that I am so excited to hear of the great news about baby Ben. I am so thankful that Adrienne was able to hold her baby boy and to kiss his little bulldog head as she held him in her arms. Adrienne, you are an angel and Ben is so blessed to be able to have you as a Momma. Whit, you are so good to be leading your family so much by Faith. Thank you so much for the updates. It is the first thing that I check every morning. We continue to pray for baby Ben....Kelcy covers that baby boy in prayer without fail. WE look forward to hearing more of the healing that God continues to provide. We love you guys so much and are with you every step of the way.

In His Amazing Love - Shawn and the gang

Tammy said...

Talk about the Joy of the Lord! Between the chuckles and tears my prayers while reading your post were probably incoherent! Good thing the Father has the best interpreter ever! I love you guys and love your love for Him. Hugs to Ben,
Tammy Bowers

Chloe said...

Again I am drawn to learn more of God's totally ROCKIN ways!!!! Noel called me today, so am glad he made it home safely..Whit, Adrienne, your continued faith draws me closer to God and I thank you for that.. This baby Benjamin is going to be one solid testimony of how God works and Heals!!! How you both keep your humor, your faith and footing is amazing, but that's God once again.. much love and prayers sent your way.. Peace, Chloe

Summer said...

How wonderful to hear such good news! I showed the drawing to Eric (he's in med school) and he loved it. We'll keep praying!

Ami said...

Hey guys it's Ami Daffurn from Australia! I sent a brief email to Noel when I was in Victoria for the Christmas break and now that I am back in Sydney I have been able to follow Ben's progress. I have been praying for him and for you both and I am so delighted to hear of how well Ben is doing and (even though it’s still serious) it being a cyst as opposed to the initial condition is good news. I will continue to pray for you and continue to follow the updates. I especially enjoyed seeing the few photos’ I saw! I love you guys and maybe I'll get to see the three of you one day. If not we can keep in touch and spend eternity together!! Love Ami -xox-

vickiecorum said...

Oh, Whit, Adrienne, and Benjamin, we rejoice with you so!!! Truly God is an awesome God. Adrienne, I know that finally getting to hold him has healed part of t he ache inside and with each tube removal a little more will go with it. Whit, I am thankful that you are sharing this with us so that we can witness God's awesomeness and wisdom. God Bless and Keep you all. Te Corums in Ava

Michael & Jennifer Michener said...

Dear Whit & Adrienne,
It is good to know that you are fully exposing Benjamin to the arts at such a young age. While you might want to stick to more prominent artists for his major teachings, his doctor's sketch is a good stepping stool for one as young as Benjamin.
We rejoice with you as we learn that God is taking care of little Banjamin better than we thought possible. You could not wipe the grins off our faces as we think about your joy in this latest good news. We continue to pray for you and think of you often. We have our church family and Deer Creek updated frequently and praying right along with us. Unfortunatley, we are all located in the state of Oklahoma and cannot aid you in your search for prayers in far away places.
We love you. May God continue to hold you in His arms thereby wrapping you securely in His blanket of peace. Another tap tap on Benjamin's toe for us, if you please. Hugs for the rest. You are not alone.
Love,
Michael & Jennifer (Corum) Michener

Niven Ingrid said...

Dear Adrienne, Whit, Aunty Kay and Uncle Noel

I'm so glad - I've just been told about your site by my mom and it's been extraordinary to be able to get on to it and see, almost first hand, what's going on, as opposed to hearing the filtered bits and pieces that have been coming our way this side of the world.

Lots of thoughts from all of us in Jo'burg and from all of Ben's cousins, cousins-in-law-to-be and extended family.

Niven, Yvette, Danielle, Mike, Charlotte, Richardt

Unknown said...

YAY for our lil man!! everyone here at Central was asking about Ben last night :-) I love telling them and seeing their faces light up when they see just how God is working in your families life and the thought of the impact prayer and Ben is having on the staff there at the hospital.Adrienne im so excited you got to hold him!!!! you are strength.. because you rely on God. Whit thankyou for being the amazing godly husband to my gorgeous adrienne and your blogs are very encouraging and make me smile... i check each day just to see whats going on..!!! Love you 3 and the rest of my Malan/Gatewood family. Hugs from Florida

Unknown said...

God is faithful! Trust Him without any hesitation! we will pray for your lovely baby.

rici said...

Your writing skills get better and better with each entry! Thank you so very much for updating us all on Ben and I am SOOOO grateful that the news thus far has been positive.

I want to see more pics of the family!!! What a blessing to hold your baby finally for the first time. How sweet the simple joys of life can be. Much love, Rici and Jason Preuit