Greetings from Manila! The Lord has blessed us with success here thus far. I apologize for my silence for the last couple of weeks but I have been very occupied with making sure Cedric is well taken care of in addition to his daily physical therapy needs and my other responsibilities. Due to the fact that time here is precious and short I decided to wait to make an update until there was substantial news.
The major accomplishment to report is that the braces for Cedric’s legs have been finished. This means that when he wears them the deformities in his feet are corrected and he is now able to walk normally. More importantly, this will arrest the deterioration in his feet and ankles so he will not lose the ability to walk. We have also completed multiple intensive physical therapy sessions. Every day that we have not had a PT appointment I have supervised his exercise myself, under the direction of his physical therapist. I am amazed at how much he has improved during our time here. Between our hostel and the Church there is a fountain that I take him to after we go to mass. When we first arrived here he only was able to walk around the fountain once or twice- with pain and difficulty and heavily leaning on a cane. Now he is able to walk around it ten times with no cane, almost running! The other day I heard a pounding noise down the hallway accompanied by Cedric’s voice: “Jump! Jump! Jump!” He was jumping for the first time in his life! If he continues to receive assistance in his daily therapeutic exercises the outlook for this aspect of his condition is very hopeful. I have been personally assured of this by his physical therapist, thanks be to God.
In regard to the part of his condition which is presently the greatest concern, we have a follow up appointment on Wednesday so that his urologist can evaluate the progress with his neurogenic bladder. If the bladder is no longer a danger we will most likely leave Manila this weekend. If there hasn’t been adequate improvement, though, we will stay a little longer to see if anything else can be done. The leading cause of death in spina bifida patients is renal failure, which is what Cedric’s neurogenic bladder will lead to without the proper treatment. For that reason I am resolute in trying to do whatever can be done to correct it. Please pray for our Lord to bless us with success in this matter. Again, there will be more information about this later this week.
It has taken time to do some reading and to be able to question the medical professionals involved in Cedric’s treatment but, thankfully, his situation has become much more clear. It is apparent now that his parents were given very bad information by a previous doctor who unofficially examined him. Essentially, they were told that his situation was hopeless unless an impossibly large sum of money was spent on a major course of treatment. This has been proven to be entirely incorrect. Though the spinal nerve damage which was incurred in Cedric’s infant spina bifida correction is irreversible, it is entirely possible that further deterioration can be prevented and that he can go on to lead a fairly independent and normal life- IF he receives the help that he needs. It has also been made clear that if he remains fairly healthy and strong (through daily therapeutic exercises and use of braces) the necessary treatments will not be hopelessly expensive. His outlook at this point is quite good- Thanks be to God.
I want our supporters to understand that God sent our help to Cedric at a critical time. He was on the verge of losing the ability to walk. Those of you who have experience with things like this will know how quickly and drastically a person’s condition can worsen when this ability is lost, to say nothing of the demoralizing effects. Also, without the proper treatment for his neurogenic bladder irreversible damage to his kidneys (which would lead to renal failure and eventually death) was imminent. I have trained Cedric to self catheterize using clean technique four times a day. This practice, combined with his prescribed medication, has hopefully gotten his hostile bladder under control. We will soon find out- but regardless of the state of his bladder Cedric can now walk into the hospital for his appointment rather than being confined to his wheelchair! I hope all of you will share my joy in this great progress. I especially thank those of you who have helped us. I would have been able to do nothing for Cedric without you. May our Lord bless you for that! I will give more news soon.
MISSION OF MERCY 