The Facts of Life

     I would assume that everyone reading the blog is old enough to remember this reference.  You take the good, you take the bad, you take em both and then you have....The Facts of Life.  A funny reference to life but perhaps a bit more present in our minds this past week.  It's kind of funny because when you break it down, a fact is defined as something that actually occurred or actually is the case.  So by that definition the facts of life are things in life that have actually occurred or actually are the case in life.  I suppose it strikes me as funny because at times I look at my handsome sleeping boy who was so close to being taken away from us, but was not, and my brave wife who seems to be only getting stronger with each hurdle we jump (she's like a kinetic flashlight, the more you crank on her the brighter she glows) and I have to stop and think that all this has really happened.  We really are in Kansas City, Tracy really did go into labor at 30 weeks, and Jude really did defy the odds.  If you don't stop to think about the facts of life then it really just becomes reference material.
     We did meet with the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor yesterday who talked to us about the imaging results.  It appears that the tumor actually starts in the back of the mouth on the soft-pallet and that the blood vessels going to the tumor start back there as well.  This is not exactly good news because there is an increased chance that the tumor is invading upon other areas (although the doctor said it did not appear it was, Amen) and because it is now much more difficult for them to operate on because well, the mouth is the only opening in which they can go through and the area to operate on is further away and being blocked by a tumor.  That's not to say that they cannot operate successfully, just that it does make their job more difficult.  The second thing he told us was that there is a lot of blood flow to the taratoma.  This was not surprising to him but again, it would be more beneficial if things were different since a lot of blood flow means more blood to lose.  Think of it as the difference between surgery on your hand and surgery on your chest.  There is always going to be more blood flowing through your chest than your hand, therefore a surgery on your chest is always going to be more dangerous than a surgery on your hand because there is more blood flowing.  The last nugget of information he gave us was that Jude does in fact have a Cleft Palate.  This too was not surprising but rather confirmed by the imaging.  For those of you not familiar, a Cleft Palate is when the roof of the mouth does not form properly, in Jude's case this was caused by the taratoma.
     There has been a lot of good news given to us about Jude the last few days.  Jude is doing great on the smaller ventilator and is improving in his gases daily.  His billirubin is going down, which means he's losing his Jaundice.  The swelling in his head has also gone down significantly in the last 24 hour so he no longer looks like a "Bobble-Head Jude."  Tracy and I were discussing this morning that everything that's up to Jude, that is things his body is regulating such as temperature, oxygen saturation, billirubin levels, etc. he is excelling in.  He is fighting hard and actually my exact words earlier were "kicking butt."
     We are grateful for how the facts of life have continued to unfold.  The timing of Jude's birth in itself presents interesting facts.  My Dad, for example, was on his one week off that he will get this entire year until next Christmas (because of his brand new job) and thus was able to come visit.  If Jude had been born even a week later my Dad would only be able to come for a short weekend.  Tracy's sister, Natalie, was also in town from Alaska for Christmas during the week of Jude's birth.  Flights from Alaska don't run cheap or convenient so it certainly made it nice that she was already here, with time off to be able to see his birth.  As I have mentioned before, the fact that Jude was born smaller may have been instrumental in Jude's exit procedure going so quickly and smoothly.  Even the fact that Jude came well before my spring semester at Boise State begins, which has afforded me freedom to be with he and his mother as much as needed.  This has also spared my sanity for the time being.
     There are still a lot of obstacles for Jude to overcome.  We have been forever grateful for prayers and words of encouragement and we are ever mindful of how lucky our family is.  God has funny, sometimes odd ways of working things out and making himself known.  Last night I was reading a book about the history of the Hebrews and in it the author discussed how the Roman empire, which had higher education, numerous resources, written language, and influence over a vast territory in the ancient world was the last ruling empire over the Jews before their nation became ultimately divided.  The Romans were oppressive and hated by the Jews.  It was fascinating, however, to note that it may just have been the vast influence and resources of the Roman empire that helped spread the gospel of Jesus as far as it did over the Middle East and Europe.  This made me think of Jude.  Not that God necessarily chose for Jude to have health problems or that He necessarily chose for the Romans to rule and oppress the Hebrews, but through it all God was glorified.  God is being glorified through Jude in numerous ways.  Our faith is being tested daily but the love and encouragement we get from others comes daily as well.  People are unified in prayer for Jude.  Some have said their prayer life is increasing because of Jude, while others are praying to God for what feels like the first time (for some it is).  Like the Jews of the New Testament, this "oppressive force" (the tumor in our case) is not what any of us would have hoped for but increasing love for others and glory and praise to God just might be the end result.

To God be the Glory,

-Chris