There is song I am loving right now called, “Born for This” by Mandissa. It is about a girl from the Bible named, Esther. An unlikely person with an unimaginable task trusting in an all-knowing God. Esther didn’t come from royal blood, but became queen. Esther was faced with the task of stopping her husband, the king, from destroying her people…the Jews. But this would take telling him who she was- a Jew…this would mean coming before him unannounced and requesting something that no one had ever requested before…this would mean telling him that it was his best friend, his right hand man that had been the one to make the decree to kill the Jews therefore leading to his demise. There was a lot at stake for Esther, but she trusted in a God who was so much bigger than her circumstances and because of her loyalty to her people and her faith in God, the Jews were saved.
You should really read the Bible…there are awesome, true stories of faith throughout the whole thing!
I think so often of this task, this assignment that has been placed before myself and my husband. It has been a long, hard journey and one that is not over yet. And yet, I would do it over and over again for our precious, Abigail, who is doing so well right now!
We are still on weekly appointments with the liver team and frequent blood draws down at CHOP. Our latest appointment this past Tuesday brought such great news though. As I had mentioned previously, Abby’s kidney numbers were slightly higher than normal and we were trying to figure out why her potassium was still so high. Last Friday, the numbers hadn’t changed much and so we started two medications- one to help decrease her potassium numbers and a second anti-rejection med to protect her liver so that the first anti-rejection med could run at a lower dose.
Abby is now on 12 different medications, but because of these meds, her labs on Tuesday showed a significant decrease in her potassium levels and a slight improvement in her kidney numbers!! This kid never ceases to amaze me! The plan for now is to keep our medication regimen the same and go back next week for another appointment and more lab work.
The other exciting piece of all of this is the fact that we are going to begin trialing a more complete protein based formula for Abby. Because of the MMA, Abby’s protein intake has been restricted to about 2 eggs worth of protein for an entire day. And it’s just not meat protein- any protein!! Her body sees protein as an enemy to wage war on hence, causing so many issues to her little body. But, now that we have this new liver that has the enzyme capability to breakdown protein, we have seen her MMA levels drop from 1M to 100,000!! A 90% IMPROVEMENT!! When you stop and think about how the body works and the miracle of organ transplant, you can’t help but think that something more than a big bang created our amazing, intricate human bodies!
I love this quote that I have heard several times- “God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” Maybe you think that you won’t ever make a difference. Maybe you think that because of your upbringing, God could never use you. Maybe you think that because you don’t have a lot of money, you don’t have the resources to help others. Stop. All that God is looking for is a heart…a life…a mind that is willing to say, “God, I don’t have it all. But all that I have is yours. Use me in whatever capacity You see fit and allow me to make a difference for you wherever you call me to!”
This line from the song mentioned above is one of my favorites- “Long before your heart could run the risk, you were born for this.” Long before I knew what MMA was, God knew I would be momma to this incredible blessing. Long before I knew I would be a nurse, God knew I would raise a child with severe medical needs. Long before I met my husband, God knew we would need to live in PA near one of the best children’s hospitals in the country. Long before my heart could stop and think about the risks associated with saying “yes” to adopting a special needs baby girl, I knew that I was born for this.
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'” Isaiah 55:8-9
—All photographs by Meg Brock Photography