Oliver Update: As most of you know, Oliver is 7 years old. He has a rare form of dwarfism called Diastrophic Dysplasia. He lived in a crib in Eastern Europe, completely neglected, for 7 years. He is non-verbal. He cannot hold his head up or sit up on his own. He rarely makes noise. When he does make noise, it is usually to cry. He doesnt cry very often, only when he is in lots of pain. He is a tough kid! Oliver can turn his head from side to side and move his arms. We recently discovered that Oliver has very poor vision. We are not sure how much he can see. We know he responds to light and dark. Sometimes he responds to objects that we place in front of him. He does not seem to track objects with his eyes. Oliver had an MRI done last week. After his MRI, the neurosurgeon came up to speak with us. His MRI results showed severe brain damage, likely due to lack of oxygen while in utero or shortly after birth. The institution told us that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck 5 times when he was born, which is probably what caused the brain damage. Due to his severe brain damage, his brain will eventually not be able to keep up with his body. His life span will be shortened. Oliver is very medically fragile. We were told what kinds of things to look for to help us know when his body is beginning to shut down. We were told that one bad virus could be too much for him. We have to be very careful about spreading germs to him. When he starts developing pneumonia, it will be a slippery slope downward. We were not given a time frame. It could be 5 weeks or 5 years or 10 years. Josiah and I are not fearful. We are so thankful that the Lord kept Oliver alive long enough for us to bring him home and show him the love of a family. He has a mom and dad, a brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We want everyone to know that we would do everything all over again. When his time comes, Oliver will not die alone in a crib in a mental institution. He will be loved. Here are before and after pictures of Oliver. The first picture is what he looked like when we first met him in the institution. The second picture is what he looks like today, after being in the U.S. for only 3 weeks. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 14:19:42 +0000
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