To Hear or Not to Hear.....that is the question!

Today we met with our ENT to go over Esther’s MRI results and to do, yet another, hearing test in the “booth.”  Our insurance approved the surgery three weeks ago but there are many steps prior to actually getting to that place. 

When we walked into the room Dr. Bauer said he thought he was going to have to "give us some news that none of us would like," after he read her MRI report.  However, when he looked at the films he saw a glimmer of hope.   To us, Esther has been nothing but a glimmer of hope from the day we laid eyes on her so this statement was not surprising!

Here are the findings (sorry for all the details but necessary for us to record the journey).  The results of the MRI show that Esther had bacterial meningitis at some point in her life.  This is the cause of her hearing loss.  She was not born deaf but contracted this disease and didn’t receive care for it and it attacked her inner ear.  The best news in that story to me is that she is alive! That could have been a fatal disease in the US but in a third world country the odds were not in her favor.  God has a clear purpose for her life and I am humbled He chose us to be part of that plan!

That being said, this does not make Esther the best candidate for a cochlear implant (CI) .  The surgery will be double the time a normal CI would take and so they will just do one ear so that she won’t be under sedation too long for her little body.  Once the doctor gets in he may find that there is not a place for him to implant the device due to bone calcification and lack of fluid in places that should be fluid filled.  If he is able to move forward there is still chance her hearing won’t be what we thought it might be and yet there could be some hearing.   There are many variables and many "what ifs" in the surgery.  We have opted to give the surgery a try and pray for God’s hand to be in the process and trust the His will and plan for her life is what will prevail and we are just along for the ride.  We will give her every opportunity to be able to hear and if she can’t then we will continue with sign language and move on with life! 

Hearing or deaf, tall or short, skinny or fat -  none of those things define who we are.  We all place labels on ourselves or others and give excuses for the hand we have been dealt or what we wish we could achieve “if only” – take the person God made you to be and love that person well!

Thank you for your prayers for all of our family as we continue on our journey. Esther's surgery is scheduled for July 1st at 10:00am if you want to mark your calendar to pray for us on that day!

“Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we’re doing or why, but it’s hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about is living well before God.” Heb 13:18 (The Message)

Blessings,

Tiffany