SAM...MORE THAN A CONQUEROR: Techno Smurf takes a fall

Sam. Conqueror. Overcomer.

"IN ALL THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVES US : Samuel was born on 15th May 2009, two months early and in respiratory distress. After an initial Apgar score of 1, he was taken to the NICU and placed on a ventilator, together with an undeterminable amount of tubes, IV’s and monitors which made it almost impossible to see the little Smurfie character lying within…slightly blue and only three apples high. Sam was diagnosed within 24 hours with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, a scarce medical advantage as, due to the rare occurrence of the Syndrome and the limited medical literature on it, many individuals are only diagnosed well into adulthood and some never at all. The page-long list of medical/health issues related to the syndrome, while vital in providing a prognosis and compiling a care plan, took a backseat, however, as Sam’s struggle to breathe and swallow became the primary focus of our concerns and prayers, deepened only by the heartache of not being allowed to hold and comfort him for the first ten days of his already traumatic life. After seven weeks Sam was successfully weaned from the oxygen but was still dependent on a nasal gastric tube for feeding, with which he was eventually discharged. Once home, what should have been a precious time to recover from the stress of the NICU and enjoy a relaxed and cherished time together, instead became a seemingly-endless timeline of specialist appointments, therapies, illnesses and surgeries as that page-long list of medical complexities came into play, affecting every part of Sam…physically, neurologically, medically and emotionally. Yet, despite these challenges and an “ineducable” future being predicted when his prognosis was delivered, Sam showed a delightful potential and eagerness for learning. Unfortunately though, this learning potential seemed limited to his cognitive abilities as, physically, Sam’s development lagged significantly behind that of his RTS peers. A week before his 5th birthday a brain MRI confirmed that, in addition to the RTS, Sam also has Periventricular Leukomalacia and Static Leukoencephalopathy (included under the umbrella diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy), which would more than likely have occurred as a result of the oxygen deprivation experienced leading up to and/or during his birth. Thirteen years later and with a number of surgeries and medical procedures which appear to be in fierce competition for their own “page-long list” (which surgeries and their subsequent recoveries have left Sam to face his day-to-day life with a residue of unshakeable anxieties and phobias), the boy you meet face-to-face…with his cheeky sense of humour, unfathomable joy and fierce warrior spirit…make it almost impossible to believe that that disheartening brain MRI and poor medical prognosis are of the same kid. As we begin to navigate this journey with a newly aged differently-abled teenager, leaving behind the little smurf whose fears and discomforts could so easily be remedied with a cuddle on mom’s lap, the anxiety of more surgeries and medical challenges now compounded by the universal fear of every differently-abled child’s parent/s (who will take care of their child once their own time here is gone) threatens to become overwhelming. But then the excitement of a horseriding lesson, the sheer delight of spotting a balloon (especially a hot air balloon) or a super silly giggle caused by simply hearing someone sneeze provides a beautiful reminder of the profound joy and courage these children radiate, despite their overwhelming challenges, and it provides the perfect encouragement and inspiration for facing your own. #samtheconqueror

SAMUEL - COMPLETE IN GOD
Our world has crashed, been blown apart.
This can't be happening....why us? Why now?
Your fragile life shaken before it could barely start,
How do we get through this...please, Lord, tell us how?

Drowning in our sorrow, waiting for answers that just don't come.
Our baby "special needs"? It simply can't be true!
The heartache overwhelms us, we're left feeling cold and numb.
The diagnosis tells us little - these children are so few.

But then we finallyget to touch you, to see your precious face
And all the heartache and questions fade, replaced with love and pride.
It's obvious from the very start you're showered in God's grace,
And with His love and guidance, we'll take this challenge in stride.

When once we couldn't pronounce it, Rubinstein-Taybi's become our norm.
When once the future seemed dark, we now welcome the journey as having an RTS angel brings lessons in unexpected form.

Our world has crashed, been blown apart!
This IS happening....to us.....right now!
We've been blessed with a gift, so precious from the very start. How do we get through this? Here's how.....
By believing in a God, so merciful and great,
By trusting that He's right beside us as we journey through the narrow gate.
By believing His love for us is not determined by a human frame,
By trusting that we draw Him near by merely calling His name. This precious baby we asked God for,
Prayed he'd be perfect and complete.
And, as Samuel means "God hears", He's laid His answer at our feet.

(Nicky de Beer : 27/05/2010)

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Techno Smurf takes a fall

So the inevitable happened...Sam took a tumble from his walker. It might sound terrible, but it was sort of kinda funny...I guess if it had been a more serious tumble I wouldn't be saying that. He's gotten so confident with the walker that if he gets himself stuck in a corner or something, he simply pulls and lifts the walker up until he's free...but pulled a little too hard this time and overbalanced. The funny part was that it was in the most comical slow motion. Usually, when about to fall, Sam makes like a plank, often resulting in his head been the first part to hit the ground. This time, he fell (really quite softly) onto his bottom...sat there for a second or two and then ever so slowly toppled backwards. Thankfully the only thing thing hurt was his feelings at me trying to stifle a giggle while comforting him. I did worry that with his tendency to avoid actions which have caused him "trauma" he might be reluctant to stand up with his walker again but just minutes later he was waddling around as if nothing had happened. Phew!

Apart from his newly acquired walking skills, Sam is fast acquiring a new skill....surfing...the net. A couple of weeks ago, while trying to post Sam came crawling over and asked to be picked up. When it became obvious that him sitting content on my lap while I typed (Really?) was not going to work out, I went onto Youtube and let him watch some kiddies video's (where we discovered the Mother Goose Club - which Sam is now heavily addicted to). What was I thinking? Now the second I come sit in front of the computer, he's trying to get up on my lap, pointing at the screen and signing which video's he wants to watch. Yes, we actually downloaded his favourites onto his iPad but apparently they have a completely different appeal when watched on mom's lap in front of the computer. Another favourite activity is checking out Facebook and watching what his RTS sibling across the globe are getting up to, particularly this last week with it being back to school for our overseas RTS family...which meant even more photo's.

Mother Nature has evidently been spending too much time social networking too as she's been a bit slow on the nearing Spring transition. So, still having really lousy not-much-good-for-outside-activities weather, it was an absolute blessing to have some wonderful sunshine this last Sunday made even better by an impromptu visit to Haven of Hope...