Revelation

I suppose we've all come to expect good news about Ben's progress, but it still feels good to report it. Dr. Digoy examined the area where the cyst had been taken out last time, and he said he was "amazed" at how well everything had healed. With the cyst out of the way, he was able to take the first look at Ben's vocal cords. He could see that the left cord was in good condition, but he couldn't even find the right cord because the cyst continued all the way down over the area where Ben's right vocal cord should be.

Because everything else had healed well, the doctor decided to go ahead with the procedure to remove the next chunk of the cyst and determine the condition of Ben's other vocal cord (if it had even developed at all). There was a risk of damaging the vocal cord with the laser if the cord was underneath the cyst, but he was confident that the procedure could be done successfully. Half an hour later the cyst was out, and he discovered that Ben's right vocal cord was in its proper place, fully developed, and unharmed by the procedure. This means Benjamin will be able to speak once they take out his trach! That will still be several months down the road after Ben has his trachea reconstruction surgery, but it's such a relief to know that we'll be able hear his voice someday.

We're back home now, and Ben has recovered much more quickly from this surgery. You have once again been our advocates to God when we grow tired. I only hope you draw as much encouragement from this as we do.

With all our love,
Whit, Adrienne, and the audio-enabled Benjamin