Concerning Isaiah

A lot has been going on with Isaiah. We have been trying to get everything we could figured out before sharing any of it. There was so much we just didn’t know- and some we may never know. Anyway here is an update on our son Isaiah:

First we know that he is a precious gift to us from the LORD. God has given him into our hand in such a way that we can be assured he is ours and we are his Mom and Dad. The funny thing is that the initial agreement we signed in this adoption was to become his guardians. In Texas, it takes six months to finalize an adoption. Our agreement allows for us to give the twins back in any time during the first six months or for the adoption agency to take them back any time in the first six months. Isn’t this a sad commentary on the low value that our society places on children and families? Isaiah is NOT a pair of pants to be returned to Wal-Mart when we discover he doesn’t “fit” or when we find a flaw in the fabric. Isaiah is our son and we praise God for allowing us to be a part of this little man’s life. It is our great privilege to steward him on God’s behalf, to watch him grow, to watch him laugh, to watch him fall down and get back up, yes even to share the love of his true Father who sent Christ to die for us and for Isaiah. We have now been parents for over 31 years, and still we cherish every day and look forward to what God has planned for Isaiah.

Second, we knew almost from the day we became his parents, that he had a short optic nerve. As it turns out both his optic nerves are short, but the right much more so than the left. This condition is called optic nerve hyperplasia. We were told that it could mean that he might have limited vision, or possibly cause him to be blind. Yet this did not change our love for him or our determination to be his parents. As he grew we knew he had vision in both eyes- which is very good and a relief for Betty and I. As time passed, we did begin to notice his right eye crossed a lot. Some of our other kids have had this problem. We took him to see a pediatric optimoligist we have used for years. She agreed with his previous diagnosis. She examined his eyes and told us Isaiah’s vision is very good in both eyes- nothing she would correct at this point, perhaps a bit near sighted though. Then she began what has been for us a several week investigation into neurophysiology. She explained in many cases of optic nerve hyperplasia there is also something wrong behind the optic nerve; she wanted us to have an MRI of Isaiah’s brain. This was a bit unsettling, but we know that God had given us Isaiah and he would empower us for anything that might lie ahead. There is a very unpleasant syndrome that is associated with optic nerve hyperplasia where portions of the brain do not fully develop. The areas of concern were: where the two optic nerves cross, the connection between the two halves of his brain and the outer covering of the brain. The MRI has shown that all of these physiological possibilities are not a problem with Isaiah. This rules out any problems with his brain.

The second area commonly affected with optic nerve hyperplasia is the pituitary gland. This gland is essentially the control center of the body, producing many essential hormones. The next step after the MRI was for us to get Isaiah to see a pediatric endocrinologist. This was normally to take 2-4 moths to get an appointment. After seeing the MRI, the endocrinologist worked us in the following Monday. In all of this God has given us an incredible peace to go along with the deep love He gave us for Isaiah. We knew something was up to get an appointment that fast. The diagnosis is that Isaiah’s pituitary gland is a bit smaller than it should be. This is NOT something that he will grow out of. We are still awaiting the results of several blood tests to tell us if the pituitary is keeping up with the hormone production Isaiah needs. The endocrinologist was GREAT. He explained all the symptoms and warning signs we should be looking for should the pituitary be failing to keep up. Isaiah will have blood drawn and visit the endocrinologist every 4 months for the first two years and then once or twice a year probably for the rest of his life. We will go more often when and if his pituitary isn’t keeping up. The doctor was very encouraged with his physical examination of Isaiah. His impression pending blood tests is that everything is working as it should right now. This can change at any time as he grows. His growing body may at some point exceed the ability of his pituitary gland to keep up. At this point we just don’t know if that will happen, and quite honestly it doesn’t matter to us. God had allowed us the amazing opportunity to be Isaiah’s parents, as I have said we have amazing peace with all of this and know in our love for our son and God’s great love for all three of us, we have great joy.

There are many hormones produced by the pituitary. We think, should there be hormonal shortcomings, that he will be able to make up the difference with hormone therapy. Most people have wanted to know what problems might develop. Therefore, we want to share the possibilities as we currently understand them (we still have a lot to learn). Growth hormones may not be produced in sufficient quantities. Hormones that regulate sodium, potassium, and other critical mineral absorption may fall too low. Hormones that regulate sexual maturation (physiology) may fall too low. Hormones that regulate his body’s stress response can fall too low- this hormone is the one that triggers his body to fight off infections and disease. At this point everything appears to be normal and we will be watching out for the warning signs of change.

There is nothing in this that you should be sorry about or worry over. Isaiah is fearfully and wonderfully made according God’s perfect plan for his life and ours. His bright smile touches the hearts of everyone he meets. We know that God chose us to be Isaiah’s parents, and he is a blessing to us beyond measure. We often in Christian circles talk about being prolife. But do we mean that we are prolife or do we just mean that we are anti abortion. Betty and I are unashamedly prolife. To us this means far more than opposing abortion. It means placing value on every human life that God creates. God does not create junk or accidents. We believe there is value in the elderly, value in the unborn, value in the orphans and widows, yes even value in a tiny seven month old boy named Isaiah with an under developed pituitary gland. All have value and are a significant part of God’s plan for His people and His creation. Because there was infinite value in a tiny babe in a manger, we have a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father who creates each of us with value and purpose. Isaiah has great purpose and Betty and I hope we will be faithful stewards of him on behalf of the LORD. God knew Isaiah when he was knit together in his mother’s womb and has created him according to the perfect blueprint He drew up for Isaiah Samuel. We live in a fallen world that would encourage us to take Isaiah back to the adoption agency. The world around us would say that we should not be burdened with these potential medical problems. The world would say it’s not your problem. We are so glad that the Spirit of God who dwells within us, assures us that we are not of this world, it is this Spirit that allows us to shout “thank you LORD for blessing us with Isaiah, for allowing us the privilege of being his Mom and Dad.”

Jim and Betty