Palate Repair

Bright and early tomorrow morning, if it can be called morning, we will be taking this little one to Children's Hospital to have his cleft palate repaired. The surgery is expected to last three hours. Your prayers are much appreciated. As parents, both dh and I wish we could spare him this day and would gladly bear the pain for him.

For the three months this little boy has been in our home we have done all we can to let him know how loved he is and I dread tomorrow. Today as he played with his brothers and sisters laughing, giggling, and climbing (he is quite a climber), all I could think is it's a good thing he doesn't know what is coming tomorrow. It is heartbreaking to know he will be in so much pain. No one could have prepared me for how difficult Joseph's palate repair would be and it is that much harder knowing what we are in for this time around. Still, we know we are so blessed to have the opportunity to help him get this care. How blessed he is here and has a family to help him through this process. How different his life could have been...

As we drove home from Mass today, I tried to explain to Banana that Peter's surgery, while painful, is necessary for his health. Right now he seems fine, his palate doesn't seem to be causing trouble, but in the future it will impede his speech development, he may develop an infection, and his life is generally better having his palate closed. While it seems harsh to put him through the pain of surgery, it is better than allowing him to remain in this state. Sometimes we have to endure great pain to remedy something that might seem like it's no trouble, something that we've learned to live with. The end result, though, is that we are able to grow and develop properly, we avoid bigger problems in the future, and our health, physical or spiritual, is so much better.

Please keep this little one in your prayers tomorrow.