For those of you who read this and are "pray-ers"...we ask you to join us in seeking some direction on treatment for The Bruiser.
He was born with a mild form of arthrogryposis which caused contractures in his hands and clubbed his feet. We thought that his feet had been corrected already by the Social Welfare Institute. Yet when we received him back in June, it was clear that this was not the case.
During our summer furlough, we visited a renown children's hospital in the US for consultations about what could/should be done. The costs of the consultations alone were $1800 USD! We can only imagine what it would cost for us to return for a short period of time to the US for treatment! (He requires hand surgery...which really MUST be handled in the US...and the mild clubbing of his feet needs to be corrected.)
We visited the local orthopedic hospital here in our city. The reputation of the hospital is that it is "the best in the province" where we live. Their consultation veered significantly from the US doctors recommendation for serial casting for 6 weeks, ortho braces at night after the casting series, and potentially a cutting of the Achilles tendon if needed to enable him to stand flat footed. (This procedure is called a tenotomy.)
Anyway, the local hospital recommended surgery to "move tendons" in The Bruisers foot to "balance the weak and strong sides of the feet." Obviously, there is no way we're going for surgery in a case where the docs in the US only recommend serial casting.
So, we're at a tough spot here. We know that He has a plan for The Bruiser's needs. We know that He placed him in our family and that somehow a miracle will be performed to help us in getting the care that The Bruiser needs.
Apparently, there are some Doctors trained in the recommended method of the US docs, who practice in Beijing and Shanghai. Both locations would require a weekly flight or train ride to see the doctors in their city for the cast to be re-done...for a period of 6 weeks. The treatment itself is not that expensive (the casting)...and we have the orthotic shoes we need for The Bruiser's "after-treatment"...but the TRAVEL would be really difficult financially and would require a great deal of time that we have very little of these days!
We're feeling really pressed that the time is now to begin this necessary treatment...but while we keep sending out feelers around the country here...we're still unsure of how He is leading.
So we put it to you and ask you to lift it up...
His hand surgery needs to be done before he is 5. As he is 3 just now, we have a bit of time for that to come to fruition...but the feet...the time is now.
In times like these we have to hold fast to the faith that He is in control, and that He is not surprised by this need...that He has the answer, and we're waiting for Him to reveal it.
Thanks for those of you who will lift this up with us!
2 comments:
We will be lifting this and all of you up!
Donna
does The Bruiser qualify for SSI or SSDI and/or Medicaid/Medicare?
Not sure where you will end up for the procedures, but sometimes SSI/Medicaid can require non-emergency procedures done in a U.S. facility.
Do you have medical insurance at all?
Also, one of the gals in my childbirth class has a 4 year old boy who, I think, was born with clubbed feet. They went to the children's hospital in the Emerald City. I can give you her name if you'd like.
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