Symanzik Family Update

I have been reading an excellent book entitled "A Passion for the Impossible - the Life of Lilian Trotter." This extrodinary woman was a missionary to Algeria's Muslims back in the late 1800's. She was a gifted artist and observer of nature. She wrote many devotionals based on lessons observed from flowers, trees, animals.

I found the lesson she wrote about the 'martens' very apropos to what God has been teaching me. I share it now with you.

"The martens have been reading me a faith lesson. They come in flights at this time of year - lovely things with blue throats and feathered claws -

Their faith lesson is this - that their wings need the sense of
'an empty void' below to give them a start
- their leg muscles have no spring in them and when they perch by accident on a level place they are stuck fast

- poor things we did not know that natural history fact in the past and when we have found them on our flat Alger roof
with its parapet protection, we have thought they had got hurt somehow, and more than once we have tried to feed them till they died,

instead of doing the one thing that they needed - tossing
them off into emptiness.

So we need not wonder if we are not allowed to stay long in

level sheltered places - our faith wings are like the martens

and mostly need the gulf of some emergency to give them

their start on a new flight.

Lilias Trotter 30 April 1908

Today Jerard and James are 4 months old!

Jerard

James

Ben having fun with his brothers!

I've had many ask these questions..."Will Jerard need his shunt replaced? What about the cyst?"

It is great to be home with Jerard but we are not done with surgeries yet.

The four neurosurgeons who conferenced on Jerard felt it best to let him get a bit stronger physically prior to operating.

We meet again with the neurosurgeon on Tuesday to find out more about what to expect in the upcoming weeks and months. The shunt replacement is still undecided as to whether or not it will be replaced. Jerard has his cerebral fluid tested again on Tuesday. If signs of infection show up then we will need to replace the shunt. In the meantime the CFS will be monitored.

The cyst will definitely have to be taken care of but the neurosurgeons wanted to let Jerard get stronger and have another CT scan done in one month.

Keep praying for him and for us.

The past three nights I have awoken at 2:30 a.m. with a very uneasy sense of impending doom. I kept praying, "God, if you want us to have this surgery make it clear it needs to be done. If not, close the doors to this surgery. We are just trying to do what the doctors think best."

God ordained that the surgery not proceed! The CT scan showed some technical problems with the surgery and three other neurosurgeons consulted by our neurosurgeon did not see a strong case for replacing the shunt.

So, we brought Jerard home just a few minutes ago. He will continue to get IV anti-biotics from home for the next five days and we are arranging for private duty nurses to come by the home to administer them. We also will be seeing quite a bit of the doctor over the next few weeks...but we are home!

We are not through this yet. Thank you for all of your prayers.

James on the left and Jerard on the right.

Close-up of Jerard's head -- smaller and smaller as the days go by.

Jerard's surgery has been delayed til Saturday.

Today's CT scan showed anachroid cyst in the brain.
Arachnoid cysts are sacs that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid and form in the surface region of the brain around the cranial base, or on the arachnoid membrane (one of three membranes that covers the brain and spinal cord). This is a congenital defect.

So another neurosurgeon who does endoscopic surgery is being called in to assist the neurosurgeon who will be doing the shunt replacement. The endoscopic neurosurgeon will drain the cyst.

Stay tuned and please keep praying!

Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands