Healing, an unexpected gift!

Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.

This has been an amazing day! This verse has been running through my mind for the past few hours. This morning Emma and I headed out for an 11am. Pre-op appointment where they prepare her for her upcoming surgery scheduled for next Friday July 9th. We checked in and went to our usual first stop, X-rays. We waited there as usual and after a while Emma was called in for her turn. We then proceeded to the ortho waiting room where we waited to see Emma's surgeon. Dr. M. came to see us, chatted a bit, examined Emma and took a look at her X-Rays. As he was looking them over he said, "You know, this doesn't look as bad as it did. If this has improved the way that it appears that it has, we won't be doing this surgery! I would like a couple of different views of her spine and then we'll decide." Well, this sent Emma off the deep end! she was so excited that she might not have to have this surgery. I was cautious and telling her not to get too excited just in case. We went back to radiology and had the other X-rays, then back to see the Dr. This time, another surgeon who has seen Emma as well came in with a student to examine her case and X-rays. They were not at this time aware that Dr. M was looking at not doing the surgery. I brought them up to date and they chatted it over. Dr. M was still busy with another patient. After a few minutes, they left the room and we could hear them chatting about Emma out of our sight. We couldn't quite hear, or understand for that matter exactly what they were saying. Another few minutes passed and Dr.M, the student Dr. and the ortho nurse all came into the room. Dr.M. calmly stated, "We are not doing the surgery." And then he went on to expain and show us why. I'll try to recap in my uneducated language here. The reason Emma was having the surgery is due to something I affectionately call "the hinge". Below her last fusion (C1 to C4) she also has a natural (or unnatural, however you want to look at it...she was born with it.) fusion which joins C5 to C6. This left motion between C4 and C5. Motion is good, however in her case she was hyper extending which the Dr.'s called "unstable". This meant that she was at great risk of injury and also that over use could damage her spinal chord because of the unusual extention of her vertebra. The Dr. showed me on the X-ray a disk at C5 that is worn down because she has apparently had the hyper-extention since birth and it was exasperated by the last surgery. Today however, this "hinge" fell within the "normal" range. Enough so that they said that she has gone from unstable to stable. The last scan she had was in April, and that is the one that made the Dr's say, "it's time, we have waited long enough, we have to do something about this." Today, there was no cause for concern and she no longer needs the surgery. Amazed? I am dumbfounded to say the least, it gave me shivers. I asked Dr. M before we left, "Have you ever seen something like this happen before?" He asked me, "You mean vertebra going from this kind of unstabilty to stable? No, I've never seen this before." He then asked me if I had any questions. I was speachless. I just kept saying to Emma, "This is crazy!" I still am processing all of this and feel a little like I'm in shock.

After calling Keith, I spoke to my sister-in-law Megan. She said, "what an answer to prayer." And I said to her, "We never even asked for this!" It is more that an answer to prayer. We were praying for Emma's safety before, during and after her surgery. Not for healing. It just shows how we don't know what we need and God does. How, He gives us gifts that we don't deserve just because He loves us. It reminds that we are always in His sight and that He is actively involved in each of our lives. His hand has touched Emma's body. He has taken what he created and changed it for the better with greater craftmanship than even the best surgeon in the world could have. For Emma, for our family, for our church family, for friends, for the Dr's, and all those who hear this story.

Psalm 103
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits---
who forgives all you sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear
him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust,
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and it's place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him.
and his righteousness with their children's children--
with those who keep his covenant
and rememver to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

I will post a short update soon. There is a little more to what happened today and what the future holds for Emma....but hey, who knows, after today, I am reminded that God's ways are not our ways. Anything is possible.

Thank you Lord!
And, thanks to all of you for your many prayers!
We love you!
Corinna and family.