Prayers for Stephen

I think one of the most devastating things a parent can hear is that their child is either severely injured or will be chronically ill.  Thankfully, Will and Emily have both been very healthy.  Aside from the occasional cold or stomach bug, neither of them has ever been in the hospital, had surgery, or even been to the emergency room.  We've never had to deal with any significant medical problems in our family, until now. 

While the nurses were cleaning up Stephen right after his birth, I noticed something was not right.  As I was counting fingers and toes, I realized there was a problem with Stephen's right leg and foot. His shin bone seemed a little bent, his ankle was twisted, and he was missing a toe.  Something was definitely wrong.

Our Pediatrician ordered an XRAY the next day, and it showed that the fibula (the smaller long bone in the lower leg) and heel bones appeared to be missing.  He tried to encourage us that the bones may actually be present, but are just too immature to be visible on XRAY.  This can be true even in normal newborn XRAYs he said.  However, Stephen’s leg and ankle were obviously malformed, whether the bones were present or not.

About three weeks ago, we met with a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon at Scottish Rite Hospital here in Atlanta.  He gave us a name for Stephen’s condition – Fibular Deficiency Syndrome.  It is apparently extremely rare with no known cause.  His group sees only a few cases each year.  He did say, however, that he thought he could actually feel the heel bones, although they were still not visible on another XRAY done in his office that morning.  He also said that while Stephen's right tibia (shin bone) is shorter than the left due to being slightly bent, it might just be delayed in its growth due to the missing fibula.  Apparently, when one bone is absent during development, other bones nearby can also be affected in their development, or they may not develop at all.  The Surgeon made it clear that unless the ankle, leg, and heel bones develop properly, the foot and ankle would not be stable enough to walk on.  In that case, Stephen may require an amputation of the foot at the ankle, and then he would need a prosthetic foot in order to walk independently.  However, it may take 6 months or more for the developed bones to even be seen on XRAY.  Now, we just have to wait and see.

Needless to say, we have been doing a lot of praying the last few weeks.  Our belief is that God can heal Stephen any time He wants!  His Word says it!  We believe it!  But we also know that God doesn’t always choose to heal when and in the way we want, especially if He has a different plan that would bring Himself even greater glory, or that would draw us closer to Him.  And sometimes it takes a while for Him to reveal that plan to us.  Whether God chooses to heal Stephen miraculously or through surgical means, we know that Stephen will be OK.

Although this condition is apparently extremely rare, we actually met a boy that same day after our Orthopedic appointment who has the exact same problem as Stephen - what a "coincidence"!  He had the surgery when he was 2 years old.  He is now 6 years old and has been completely independent ever since – walking, playing, running, climbing, and even swimming - with a prosthetic foot!  What an encouragement he and his Mom were to us!  We needed to see that Stephen can and would be just fine.  Funny thing is, we wouldn't have even met him if our scheduled appointment had not been "lost" that morning, which made us hang around an additional 2 hours.  Another "coincidence"?  No, divine appointments!

In just 3 months, we will be moving to an area of the world where this abnormality would be considered a curse, a witch's spell, or even demonic possession.  It is not uncommon in the African culture for parents to abandon their children – or worse – to prevent being outcast by their village because of a physical deformity and its presumed spiritual implications.  Mercy Ships deals with this situation on a regular basis.  Maybe, if these parents see how we have responded to Stephen’s condition, they will choose to keep and raise their children, too.  Maybe, because of Stephen’s life, other African children will come to know the unconditional love and acceptance of their families, and maybe even their villages will welcome them as well.

We can't help to believe that God has something special planned for us - and Stephen - as we immerse ourselves in this superstitious culture.  Maybe our "situation" will be a catalyst to show how the love of God is unconditional, unfailing, and free to anyone who asks.  We all have a congenital condition - it's called sin.  Yet God unwaveringly loves us, accepts us, and chooses us, despite our obvious spiritual deformities.  There are numerous stories in the New Testament where people came to Jesus looking for physical healing, and left with their spiritual conditions healed as well.

Please pray for us.  Pray for continued peace, wisdom, faith, and grace for us as we walk through the next few months together as a family.  Pray for God’s love and presence to be very real and near to us when we have doubts and questions along the way.  We will continue to pray for Stephen's miraculous healing, until God reveals another plan.  Pray for our extended families as well as they go through this with us, too.  Pray that in whatever we say and do that our Heavenly Father is glorified.  Even when we are weak - and we will be - He is strong for us!

Thank you all for your prayers!  We feel them! 

Kevin, Melissa, Will, Emily, and Stephen

Isaiah 65:23 - "They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune.  For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed."

Psalm 139:13 - "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."