It all began at Matthew's 2 year check (Nov.96) up when our doctor felt that Matthew's spleen seemed a bit big. She sent us in for some bloodwork and an ultrasound. It was the longest weekend of our lives. What we didn't know was that our journey had only begun. We went back to the doctor's after the weekend and she said that the spleen was twice the size it should be and that his platelet count was quite low. She referred us to a pediatrician as she wasn't sure of the cause. She thought maybe a viral infection. We went to the pediatrician's office a few days later and suddenly our whole world got turned upside down. He told us that it could be anything from a viral infection to leukemia. The tears flowed. We were then reffered to BC Childrens Hospital to the Oncology/Hematology clinic. We had just had Natasha only 3 months before, so luckily she slept through a good part of it in the beginning.
With hearts hung heavy and tears in our eyes, we went to the hospital. They ran some bloodwork and told us that there were no cancer cells. We were very thankful and we just kept praying. They told us that cancer in kids usually is very aggressive and hits them pretty fast. They wanted to see us in one month, after Christmas, for follow up. It was hard to enjoy Christmas because we could not get it out of our minds.
We went back after Christmas and they ran more bloodwork, it is hard to explain to your toddler why they keep having to poke and prod. They found no cancer cells and told us that they were 99% sure it was not cancer. We rejoiced and praised God. The question now, was what was causing this? To look at our son, you'd never know he was sick. He showed no signs or symptoms of being sick. He had his doctors puzzled, but they still thought maybe a viral infection. We went in for follow up check ups every 4-6 weeks for a while and the platelets kept going up and down. The normal range of the platelets is 140,000-400,000 (140-400). He usually hovered around 100. By the time we started going every 2 months for follow up, we got to have his blood taken from his finger. This was a little easier on Matthew, but he still got anxious when we went. I had a hard time keeping my emotions in and got frustrated and upset alot. People deal with things in their own way and people told me "just deal with it". That is easier said than done if you have never been in situation like that. But I turned to God for guidance and He showed me that I must trust in Him. Sometimes it is hard to remember to keep our faith in trying times, but it is what got us through.
They still tried to figure out what the cause was, they thought a viral infection would've cleared up by now. They did an ultrasound of his spleen and the flow was fine. All other organs checked out ok too. They did a chest x-ray and that came back ok too. They had thought about doing a bone marrow test, but it's like looking for the needle in the haystack...they didn't know what to look for. They decided to just follow him and see what happened as opposed to doing any invasive procedures and said we could come in every 3 months for follow up and alternate between the hospital and the pediatrician. This was good news.
A low point for us was the doctor's visit in Aug'97. Matthew's platelets went down to 66. They expected him to bleed/bruise more easily, but he didn't, so they realized that his platelets still were jumping around but his body was handling it. We felt discouraged and angry. I kept wondering why God had given us this ordeal to handle, because I didn't think I was doing all that great at handling it. But we must remember to trust in Him, there is a reason that we are going through this, I'm not sure why, but He is walking with us and we must remember to look to Him.
We do have great news that we are rejoicing for and thankful for...we went to the hospital in Nov. and the platelets went up to 88. Our last visit back to the doctor's in Feb had his platelet count up to 122. Praise the Lord. We still have a ways to go, the platelets need to come up still and the spleen has to return to normal size, but this is great!! Our latest check up and his platelet count is up to 124. His spleen is still the same size, but we are thankful for the platelet count still up. They still don't know the cause, but his excellent health and development is encouraging to his doctors and us. We got to see our favorite doctor, Dr. Fernandez and learned that he will be working at the Childrens Hospital in Nova Scotia now. We wish him all the best and know the kids back there are really lucky to have a great doctor coming to their hospital. We are sad to see him go, but thank him for all he's done for our family. Feb 1999...The platelets continue to bounce around but are hovering below 100. *** August 1999 update*** Matthew's platelets continue to climb slowly, they are still below 100, but he's looking great and doing great. Our family doctor said she thought he looked good the last time she saw him. The GREAT news is that we are down to yearly visits with the pediatrician and that's all! Yeah!
It has been a rough time for us. The stresses of having a sick child can be overwhelming and take over your lives if you let them and we did for a while. We learned to deal with it over time and emotions ran high in our house. It is because of our faith that God will help us through and the wonderful doctors at the hospital, that we have been able to get to the point we are at now. Dr. Dix and Dr. Fernandez were our doctors from day one at the hospital and they are great doctors who are very reassuring. Dr. Fernandez in particular was a great help when it came to Matthew trying to deal with this. He was great with Matthew and helped to make him feel at ease. He has also helped me out in many ways, just by being the wonderful person he is. I am able to relax more when he is around and I appreciate how he takes our feelings into consideration. Words can not say enough when it comes to the many ways he has helped our family to this point! It was a sad day for us when his rotation in the clinic came to an end, but Dr.Davis who took over was great with Matthew as well. Matthew still has a hard time with the fact we still have to go and they still take blood, but he has definately gotten better (so have I!). He has an inner strength that as his mom, I only wish I could have. Sometimes I need to look to Matthew for the encouragement, I think we help each other. It is the smiling faces of our kids and their laughter that gets me through the rough times. To our friends and family who have been there for us, thank you. We know you may not have understood why we didn't tell you the news right away in the beginning, but we had to deal with it ourselves and Matthew and Natasha were our first priority. We didn't know for sure what exactly was wrong and we needed time to get through it as a family. Scott, our most heartfelt thanks, you were there the day we had to go from the pediatrician's to the hospital and you shared the burden with us. Your presense and friendship was what we needed. You have been a real blessing in our lives and we love you lots! Please continue to pray for Matthew.
And yet another path has taken us down the road to Childrens. This time for Joshua. At 3 weeks they detected a heart murmur and sent us down to the hospital. They ran an ECG and an echo (ultrasound) of his heart. They found that the valve that is supposed to close over in babies at birth, did not close over for him. There is a minimal amount of blood flowing through it, which is a good sign. It is called Atrial Septral Defect and is a common thing. They say that most valves close on their own by 2 years of age, but if it doesn't, they will need to close it. If they don't, it can cause stress on his heart later on in life. He is doing extremely well other than that and they are very pleased with his weight gain and development. He is now 8 1/2 months and over 25 pounds. He is thriving and that is a great sign in a child with a heart condition. His cardiologist is great with him and they will monitor him every 6 months. Yet again I find myself in a position where my faith is being tested. I am told that I am getting stronger through all of this, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it. So please pray for Joshua.
I know God has heard the many prayers for our sons and we thank all of you who have been praying. God Bless all of you.
Please remember to support your local Childrens Hospital. It is through your donations that much needed new equipment and research can help our children. We need to have these hosptials and the equipment and staff there when tke kids need it the most. You never know when someone you love will need it and you want them to receive the best treatment possible. Our family thanks those who gave to our local Childrens Hospital, we benefit from your donations. We thank all who give their time and money to help out kids everywhere.
Our back door is always open
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