Yesterday was one of the best days of my entire life! Can it be compared to the day I became a Christian, my wedding day, or the births of my three miracles? ...I think so! Yesterday was the day that we witnessed a true miracle. A miracle that we, and so many of our friends and family had prayed for. How often do we pray for something to happen, and in the backs of our minds don't really believe it ever will? It's just something we do..."I'm praying for you," we tell others. "Let's pray about it." Countless times have I put on others' Facebook pages that "I'll say a prayer for you and your family." I really do pray, but sometimes I think I'm just going through the motions and calling words. I'm embarrassed to admit that, but I think we can all attest.
During the Summer of 2010, I had started noticing something a little different about Tyler. He is our gentle, always happy, nine-year old boy with an imagination larger than life...literally! That Summer, he had developed a habit of cocking one of his hips up every once in a while as he stood still. Being a busy, active seven and a half year old boy, his shirt was tucked in with a belt only on some Sunday mornings. One Sunday at church, as he sat with friends on the row in front of us, we stood for a song and I noticed that his belt wasn't seated level across his hips. I punched Kelly and whispered to look at Tyler's belt.(It was light-blue with little sailboats embroidered from end to end.) His response..."Oh yeah, where did he get that, is it new?" Daddies are wonderful, but they just aren't very observant. Later that day, I filled him in on my concern. He agreed it might be something we needed to have looked at.
We had already made a doctors appointment for Kasey because, to her chagrin, she needed booster shots before starting seventh grade a month or so later. So, we decided to make it a family affair. Kelly and I both took all three kids (I think Anna ended up getting boosters too) to visit our favorite doctor, Dr. Crenshaw. We pointed out our concern, she examined thoroughly, and referred us to a orthopedic specialist in Huntsville, Dr. Lawley.
A couple of weeks later, all five of us made our first visit to TOC (The Orthopedic Center) near Huntsville Hospital. The girls went for moral support of course, but let's face it, Bridgestreet Town Center sounded pretty inviting as well. They did x-rays, several reflex tests, and asks lots and lots of questions. Very dry, but focused and polite, Dr. Lawley put the x-ray on the lighted screen in front of us. Tyler could do nothing but laugh because all he saw in the x-ray were his glasses and the outline of...well...we'll just say "parts". The doctor pointed out two places in Tyler's spine that had curves. Starting from the bottom, the spine curved eleven degrees one way, then back the other way I think five degrees. He told us it was very rare for Scoliosis to present itself in a child younger than ten. But, it does happen. He said he would see us back in five months so he could keep an eye on it. We all went to Red Robin in Bridgestreet Center for lunch.
January 2011 was our second visit to TOC. Tyler's spine had progressed only to seventeen degrees in five months. Dr. Lawley invited us back in five months. The trip was uneventful really, except for our "traditional" lunch at Red Robin.
Five months would have been in June, but we spent two weeks in California with Josh and Ginger, went to a NKOTBSB concert, and made our annual mission trip to Berry, Alabama. Soon after, we got a card in the mail from TOC reminding us to reschedule Tyler's appointment. The appointment was for the first week in August. I found out just a week before school started that I had been chosen for a new position at Mars Hill, Art and Computer. There was no way I could turn loose at that time for Tyler's appointment. I was going to reschedule, but Kelly offered to take him by himself, expecting an uneventful visit like last time. So, Kasey went to school with me to work on my classroom, Anna had Show Choir practice all day, and Kelly took Tyler to TOC. I will never forget the phone call Kelly made to me on their way back from Huntsville. Tyler was asleep in the back as Kelly tried to talk quietly. The curvature in Tyler's spine had progressed to twenty-eight degrees to which Dr. Lawley referred to as "aggressive". He would need to be put to sleep for an MRI to find out what was causing the curvature to become so agressive. Doc had also told Kelly that casts or a brace was inevitable. He would have to wear one or the other until he stopped growing, for probably the next ten years. I sat on the floor in my classroom where moments earlier I had been punching out letters for a bulletin board and cried. What would his life be like spent in a brace? Could he play the sports he so loves? Would kids make fun of him? He already wears glasses, and still has trouble pronouncing the "s" sound!
A couple of weeks later, Kelly and I took Tyler once again to Huntsville. Only this time it was to the hospital. We were so apprehensive because Tyler would be "under" for at least an hour. They don't require anesthesia for all MRIs, but you can't expect an eight year old to remain perfectly still for that long. I couldn't stay still for that long! So, we were taken to a small room where Tyler was given anesthesia through an I.V. Dressed in his Vince Young Tennessee Titans jersey, he said, "Mama, I feel kind of..." and that was that- out! I was glad they didn't take him from us until he was fully under. The MRI went well. We ate at Red Robin and went home.
The very next day, we went once again to TOC for the results of the MRI. We had talked to Tyler about the possibility (or probability) of having to wear a brace. He didn't miss a lick..."Oh good, I can be either a policeman or bull-rider when I grow up. I will already have the vest!" Oh to see life through the eyes of an eight year old! Dr. Lawley put the x-ray up and began to explain what we saw. The curve was definitely pronounced. He proceeded to name all of the conditions the MRI had ruled out...all of which were pretty grim. It was simply "Scoliosis". I am so thankful I hadn't known what they were looking for ahead of time. He explained that the curvature of the spine can never be corrected, only stopped. Much to our surprise, he wanted to wait four more months before we made a decision about the brace. Of course I didn't WANT Tyler to have a brace, but why let it get any worse if it "can never be corrected, only stopped." He assured us this was the best decision. We trusted him and made our appointment for December. We stopped at Old Navy and bought four pairs of $10 jeans, ate at Red Robin, and went home.
Now, hold on to your seat as you read about yesterday's visit. Our family and a few close friends knew that Tyler had an appointment yesterday. We, of course, pray for ALL of our kids every day. We pray for happiness, success, and health. But, yesterday morning I decided to text several of my friends (about forty because I could only send twenty at one time, and after two times I had to get dressed) to request that they pray for Tyler. I asked that they pray that the Scoliosis had not gotten any worse, or better yet that somehow God would heal Tyler completely. Then, I prayed for the same. "Please God, please reverse this crippling disease in my baby. Let him be able to play all the things he wants to play. Don't allow him to be put in a brace for the next several years." You know before when I said that we sometimes pray for things, that we don't truly believe will happen? I so totally and completely felt God telling me "I've got this!" It's a feeling that I can't describe. I felt Him there...with me...talking to me! I was at peace. I started receiving several text messages from almost all of the friends to whom I had sent prayer requests. They were all praying as well.
For the first time, we had an appointment at Dr. Lawley's Madison office which shaved about forty-five minutes off our trip. Kelly had been talking to Tyler about the brace he might "get" to wear. Tyler then decided that he could definitely be an NFL quarterback because they wear padding around their ribcage for when they get "sacked". Our appointment was at 2:40 p.m. We arrived at 2:35 p.m., went straight back, got an x-ray, and sat down in Exam Room #3. About five minutes later, a knock at the door. In walked Dr. Lawley with a resident named Jeremy. Handshakes and introductions all around. I will never forget the next words out of the doctor's mouth, "have you guys been praying?" I immediatly thought of all the text messages I had received on our drive to Madison. "We have had a lot of people praying", I said. Doc said, "I figured such because it's the only explanation for what I'm seeing on the x-ray. Tyler's curvature is back to only eight degrees, almost completely normal!" Kelly and I looked at each other not knowing what to say next. The words of Dr. Lawley from months earlier echoed in my head, "the curvature of the spine can never be corrected, only stopped." But, it HAD been corrected - through prayers and faith in God's power. I had to ask, "Do you see this often?" "This is extremely rare, and I've never seen it in a child Tyler's age, and certainly not this dramatic. Look, I didn't do anything, you didn't do anything. Let's give glory where glory is due", Doc said as he pointed toward Heaven. How lucky were we to have such a great doctor who also believes in God's power and clearly gave Him the glory! To me, this is different than when someone has been healed by God through modern medicine or science. Don't get me wrong...God is definitely at work through the doctors, scientists, medicines, etc. But, as humans we are guilty of not giving God that credit. In Tyler's case, there had been no medical intervention whatsoever...only divine intervention. By 2:51 we were back in our car and just plain giddy! Tyler simply picked up his DSi and resumed his game of "Wipe Out". Kelly and I began making phone calls, texting, and updating my Facebook status. We wanted everyone to know about the true miracle we had just experienced! We stopped and ate at...no, not Red Robin...Steak and Shake, and drove home.
It took an "in-your-face" miracle to remind me of God's mercy and power! Thank you for your prayers. GOD IS GREAT!
