tentative diagnosis

Joseph's liver biopsy showed a reduction in the number of bile ducts consistent with Alagille Syndrome. The doctors are not 100% sure that Joseph has Alagille Syndrome, but it seems like the most likely diagnosis to them at this point. We are to return to Auckland so that Joseph can undergo tests to confirm this diagnosis. Richard, the girls and I will also need to be tested for this genetic disorder. There is a broad spectrum of severity for Alagille patients and there is no way to predict right now how intensely Joseph will be affected by it. Richard and I know very little about Alagille Syndrome in general or about how it is affecting or will affect Joseph - the doctors from the hospital did not end up calling us as planned; once the call was two days late we contacted the pediatrician who first caught Joseph's liver problems and he obtained the biopsy results for us. He did not have too many specifics on how the specialists planned to proceed, etc... other than that they would need to do further tests on Joseph and the rest of the family, probably in the middle of the month. We hope to speak to the specialists this week.

mini march for life

This morning we saw a dream fulfilled!

As part of our "evangelization term", we invited the youth to join us

 in public, peaceful, contemplative prayer for unborn babies... 

we were surprised & delighted to have so many adults participate as well. 

Because this kind of public demonstration is so uncommon in New Zealand, 

we expected no more than 10 people to attend -

 instead we had more than triple that number.

Right after morning Mass we stood on church property near a busy road with a few gentle posters

 praying, singing hymns and enjoying good fellowship.

 After praying a Rosary we walked up to a major intersection 

and stood there for another 45 minutes or so.

We offered prayers for better laws protecting the unborn, 

for mercy & peace for those who are haunted by involvement in an abortion,

and for courage in any girl currently feeling pressure to 

end the life of her child.

It was encouraging to have many, many cars honk in support of the cause

and we intend to regularly repeat this vigil on the first Saturday of each month; 

hopefully each month our numbers expand.  

There are about 18,000 medical abortions annually in New Zealand

but abortion, like most other controversial or sensitive issues, is a true taboo here.

We were elated to see so many of the youth willing to do something culturally radical 

to stand up for unborn children and their mothers. 

some of the youth who attended 

(they worked up an appetite during the pro-life event

and an impromptu McDonald's lunch followed)

waiting

The biopsy is over - only a tiny band-aid marks the site. There were no complications, praise God.

It was a hard day for the little man. His sleep was destroyed the night before - nurses woke us at midnight and at 2am to try to insert an IV to correct a vitamin K deficiency discovered late that night (apparently this deficiency would negatively affect his clotting during and after the procedure). At 4am I had to wake him for his last feed - he was required to fast prior to the biopsy. At 5:30 am he woke himself, hoping for a snack and was miserable when denied. For the next four and half hours he wallowed in misery, doing his best to communicate his hunger. The 10 am procedure took about an hour and he spent the rest of the day nauseated, vomiting and generally unhappy.

The next morning Joseph was back to his usual smiley self. I was packing up our suitcases when the doctors suddenly started talking about him staying in the hospital for a week. Finally they decided it made more sense to discharge us for a few days and bring us back up to Auckland after the biopsy results are back. And so, we wait. We should get a phone call on Tuesday with some kind of diagnosis. On Wednesday or Thursday they want us to return to meet with the whole team of doctors who have been involved in his care. At that point they'll explain the diagnosis more thoroughly and give us a sense of what the coming weeks, months and years may hold for Joseph. Other specialists will meet with us too - for example, a nutritionist will evaluate the effect Joseph's liver functions are having on his meager weight gain and will prescribe appropriate supplements.

Up until now it has seemed easier to believe that there'd be a simple and "easy" answer to all of this. Today the crushing weight of more serious possibilities looms larger than I had thought possible even just a week ago. We appreciate continued prayers for renewed peace and trust in the Lord.