For those of you who we haven't gotten a chance to tell--we are expecting a sweet baby boy in mid October. Bennett Anders Ellis has already found his way deep into our hearts. Bennett means "a gift--blessed--a benediction." Anders means "strong". And Ellis, which has taken on a whole new meaning for us, means "for life, for God." We are beyond grateful for this gift of life!
We share with heavy hearts though, that after going in for our routine 20 week appointment on Monday, June 4th, the ultrasounds revealed that our sweet boy is showing severe conditions--specifically in the areas of the brain and heart. We were immediately scheduled with a specialist at a perinatal unit south of Denver. This doctor ran another round of scans that uncovered yet more than our OB was able to detect at the prior appointment. The preliminary results came back a day later indicating that Bennett has Trisomy 13 (or Patau Syndrome), a rare genetic disorder in which there is an extra chromosome 13 present.
We are writing to ask you to pray and stand in belief with us--that the God who formed this child is the same God who raised people from the dead and brought sight to the blind. We are holding onto the truth that anything is possible with Him--that nothing is too far from His reach. We are begging for a miracle--despite what the scans are showing. Will you pray specifically for the following with us:
- for his cerebellum to properly form, that the fluid in the back of his brain would decrease - for his jaw, nose and left eye to continue developing properly - for his hands to become unclenched and properly turn outward - for his pulmonary artery to miraculously appear. they were unable to detect one on the scans. - for the left ventricle in his heart to increase - for the 3rd blood vessel in his umbilical cord to form - for any pain or discomfort to leave him in the name of Jesus. - for our sweet boy to know the intimate love and comfort of God through all of this
We have never felt more broken and near to Jesus all at the same time. He shares with us in our suffering in ways that we don't have words for. We are grateful for each of you and thank you for your support. We need you.
Moving forward, you can find me over here. I write most days, because I can't help it. It's one of my avenues of healing. Trying to articulate my days through this grief is often hard for me to speak of in person--the words that tumble out don't seem to even scratch the surface. So, I write because I don't want to isolate--it's so easy to do in these days. I write because I want to keep the memory of Bennett alive in my heart. I write because I long for these valleys of sorrow to lead me to acres of hope.
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