How Do You Solve a Problem Like Isaiah?

Zay and I spent a good part of today with Team Genetics. To put it into perspective, he devoured 1 snack bag each of (1) Cheerios, (2) Wheat Thins, and (3) Gold Fish during the visit. And that was after a full oatmeal/applesauce breakfast.

It was a thorough visit generated from a referral per Zay's neurologist. He finally obtained Isaiah's old MRI images. Based on the comparisons with the one from last month, Team Neurology concluded there were significant changes in the cysts in Zay's brain ~ suggesting a condition known as periventricular leukomalacia. It correlates with his cerebral palsy and developmental delays. Basically, this could have been caused by lack of oxygen during the pregnancy, at or around his birth. Since he had low APGAR scores, it's definitely a possibility.

Just to cover all bases, they want to perform a specialized MRI called a "spectroscopy" to rule out any metabolic disorders. Dr. L, the geneticist, also asked permission to test Isaiah for the rare Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, which she feels strongly will come back negative (do yourself a huge favor and don't Google it...) She's only known 1 other patient whose results came back positive--a little boy with some of Isaiah's same issues. I only agreed to the test because if Isaiah has it, then I am a carrier. That could have implications for the male children of Savannah and Mariah. Gotta love the gift that keeps on giving, right?

I'm not freaking out at this point. It wouldn't help anyway. What I am doing is focusing on how blessed we are to have Isaiah in our lives. Whether he lives a few more years or outlives all of us, it won't change the significance of his life. Now, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about losing him. My first experience with those thoughts was during the pregnancy when they found the trouble with his heart. I felt so helpless. But I took comfort in knowing that God was in control.

And He is in control now.

So, I guess you don't solve a problem like Isaiah. You just pray without ceasing, believe in miracles, and love that little guy with all your might. With a smile like his, it's hard not to.