Curtain Call: The Last Update

I know most of you have been following the updates on Facebook but I figured I’d go ahead and cap it all off right now. 

The surgery was a success.  The inadequate parts of Elden’s heart were mended in surgery over a period of four or five hours.  He will attend yearly checkups for the rest of his life to monitor the condition.  During our stay at the hospital, he was given a genetics test and it was discovered that he has DiGeorge Syndrome, or 22q deletion.

At first, the new announcement seemed like another blow to the jaw.  As time has passed, I found that my concern was selfish and quite petty as I compared his circumstances to others that were present at Children’s.  So rather than inundate my friends and family with a barrage of updates on Elden’s progression, as it relates to his congenital heart defect and 22q setbacks, we will, instead, celebrate his victories and his life equally alongside our two daughters.  

To put this 22q thing into a nutshell:  Heather and I will have to detect certain symptoms and respond accordingly.  By all accounts (from genetics Ph.D’s), his particular case appears to be mild.  Only time will tell.  Check out the 22q page for more info.   

What does this really mean for us?  Nothing.  We are charged with rearing him just like any other normal kid.  Elden loves music.  He can watch me play the guitar for an hour straight and he smiles when I sing New Amsterdams songs.  He loves playing with his sisters and mommy makes him smile with the sound of her voice.  He loves his squeaky toys and is mesmerized by Elmo.  Derek and Emily discovered a sound that he loved instantaneously.  Fortunately, Mary taught me how to make the sound a few years back so now I can cheer him up within a matter of seconds.

What I love most of all is that he loves to communicate.  He is already offering up squeaky, giggly responses to my ridiculous inquiries.  I’ll ask him if he feels like joining me for a Stella while we watch the Broncos beat down another rival.  Every once in a while I’ll see if he’d like a piece of albacore nigiri.  And I know he’s always down for a burrito!

So ya’ got it in a nutshell.  Elden will be playin’ ball and hating mathematics right next to your kids.  Maybe he’ll be patrolling the city streets with your friendly local law enforcement agency.  Or maybe he’ll walk onto a stage with an instrument in front of a packed arena like his old man used to do. 

The kid is five months old and he’s already hurdled an immeasurable obstacle.  God is on his side.  We’ve got his back.  Nothing can stop him.  

Cheers.

The Press Family

Romans 5 v. 3-4  ....we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope....