Surgery

“I love you so much, mommy,” while rubbing my arm up and down is what Jake said right before heading out to our ENT appointment.  My sweet boy who out of nowhere tells me that with a huge smile on his face.  Now, as I walk outside of the ENT office, I have to explain to my sweet baby that he will have to have surgery.  How do you start to begin to explain this to a sweet innocent boy who did no wrong.  Joel is right, his spirit is not broken, he still has that sweet smile and is full of joy.  Meanwhile, our hearts are breaking for him with anger, fear, shock, and the list goes on.  

I first want to say, “thank you,”  to those of you who check this blog continuously, call, email, and text to see how we are all doing!  It means so much to us that we can’t even explain.  

As we were on our way to the CT scan a couple of weeks ago, I was digging in my purse and came across my camera.  I told myself that I should take a picture of Jake by the CT scan because this is a journey that he is having to go through and I want him to see how brave and strong he was when he is older.  So I decided that I am taking pictures of everything that Jake is having to endure so that everyone can see for themselves and understand his journey.  

The ENT appointment in a short form went like this:  The hole is still there and needs surgery to be repaired.  His hearing is the same as last time.  As far as the CT scan goes, one of the bones in his ear has been separated and the doctor will not know what to do with this bone until he goes in there.  The surgery is set for Tuesday, August 2nd.

At the beginning of all this, I was trying to figure out a way to make this a positive experience for Jake instead of it being a negative one.  So I decided to use ABA therapy, something that I was taught when I was a Behavioral Resource Therapist.  This involves getting a treat for everything that he is having to go through so that he can remain strong through some painful things.  Here are some of the treats that he has gotten for being one of the strongest boys I know!  Right now at this moment you cannot put a price on just making him smile for what he is having to go through.  

I continue to pray that this will not break his spirit.  This journey is not over yet, and I just pray that we will soon be able to put this whole experience behind us!  We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for all the support, words of encouragement, and prayers out there.  Please keep them coming for Jake’s upcoming surgery.  

Hearing test every time we visit ENT.

Lots of Love from the Garcia's!

Ear plug that we have to put in for every bath.