I apologize for the extended absence from posting.  The last few months have been particularly hectic for the Stewart clan as both my shiny new nephew and my father have had some medical emergencies.

I had originally planned on departing the ship in early December but a week before Thanksgiving my Father suffered a life threatening fall from the roof while working on a new patio structure in my parents’ backyard. He fell a dozen feet or so, landing on the concrete.  Sometime later my Mom came home from work to find him barely conscious, bleeding, and unable to move. The paramedics were called and it was discovered he had been lying there in the cold rain for over an hour. By the grace of God my mother had come straight home otherwise he may have died on the pavement.

By the time I learned of his accident it was Friday morning in the Tenerife. I immediately booked a flight out to get home as soon as possible.  Due the amount of time to process departures through the customs office, the earliest I could get home was the following Tuesday.

After being delivered to the hospital, the immediate course of action for my dad was to warm him up and get his blood pressure up, which was dangerously low.  After he stabilized the next day, he had surgery to repair his broken femur, pelvis, and tailbone. A few days later he had surgery to repair his right wrist/forearm. After nearly two weeks he had a third surgery to repair both eye sockets, nose, and several other breaks to his skull.

Needless to say he was in pretty poor shape following the fall. I am happy to report that my Dad has made a truly amazing recovery so far. He is currently working on getting his mobility/strength back and is working on using his cane less.  He has also returned to work and is working his way back up to a full workload. The biggest remaining hurdle for him is the recovery of his head/face.  He had extensive work done and is expected to continue to have increasing discomfort for a few more weeks before it will start to diminish.  It could be more than a year before his face feels “normal”.

If that were not enough, while all this was going down my nephew Graham was having his own drama. Upon his birth it was noted that his jaw appeared to be on the small side.  This was noticed by the doctors but was apparently within the envelope of normal, particularly because the jaw is one of the later parts to develop in the womb and develops significantly after birth. My sister and her husband took him home but after several days of him struggling to put on weight he was admitted to the children’s hospital where a feeding tube was inserted through his nose. 

The doctor’s theorized Graham had a random genetic disorder call Pierre-Robin Syndrome (PRS).  This condition usually includes a cleft palate, which Graham did not have luckily.  However, PRS can cause a small jaw, which constricts the throat, limiting the ability to take in food and restricts the airway. It was decided to do a full genetic workup on Graham since PRS usually occurs with other genetic disorders as well. The results of his full genetic workup would not be available for a few weeks.

It was determined that the best course of action for Graham would be to do a mandibular distraction surgery to extend his jaw.  This would aid in his ability to both feed and breathe. This surgery entailed severing his jaw bone on each side and screwing in an extension screw device (under the skin) that would be cranked each day for a number of weeks, allowing the bone to grow to fill in the gap.  Following healing of the jaw, a surgery would be performed to remove the mechanisms in his jaw.

The surgery went smoothly and Graham stayed in the hospital for a few more weeks for observation. Following surgery there was an immediate improvement in his breathing and feeding was improved but obviously not easy following a significant surgery to the jaw/throat area.

Graham was eventually able to go home where he continued to be fed through the feeding tube in his nose.  With the feeding tube he was able to put on weight, though slowly.  He developed significant problems regurgitating his food.  The feeding tube in his nose also meant he had to stay wrapped up, otherwise he would pull the tube out of his nose due to discomfort.  After a number of weeks back home it was decided that inserting a feeding tube directly into his stomach was the best course of action.  This would be far more comfortable for him.  It would also allow him more time to play around without being bundled and theoretically would help with his frequent vomiting.

Graham was once again admitted to the hospital and had his surgery to insert the feeding tube into his stomach, with minimal drama. A few days later he was able to come home. Following the surgery there was still plenty of vomiting but Graham was noticeably happier due to having more free time not bundled up, and to be free of the obnoxious tube going up his nose and down his throat. It was shortly after this surgery I was finally able to meet him for the first time. What a glorious day!

Shortly after Graham returned home from his surgery they finally received his genetic test results.  It was learned at this point that Graham did not have the genetic marker for PRS but that he had a different genetic mutation.  This one is incredibly rare and does not have a name.  At the time of his testing there had only been 6 confirmed cases of his variant.  This genetic mutation has a wide variety of outcomes but the most notable were hypotonia (low muscle tone), epilepsy, developmental delays, and issues regarding speech.  It was expressed by the genetic counselor right off the bat that he may struggle to walk and may never develop the ability to speak and may need the assistance of some sort of communication device.  This was obviously a difficult blow during an already difficult time.

Graham eventually had a few seizures and it was decided to put him on anti-seizure meds.  Since starting those meds he has become a whole new baby and it has been a joy to see his development improve.  He is so much more consistently happy, alert, and interactive than he was before.

He has had surgery to remove the mechanisms in his jaw. Around that same time he started developing some low oxygen events but those have subsided for the most part. He is still struggling with keeping his food down consistently but his weight is trending upward and Graham is seeing a GI doctor to work on improving his nutrition.

This has been a trying season but I am so thankful how things have worked out so far.  The timing of everything worked out perfect for me to move in with my parents so I could be around and help take care of things while my father was recovering. It has also been a joy to be near my sister, bro in-law, and stinking cute nephew during these tumultuous times.

Next Steps

Since things have stabilized at home I can now return to work.  I have been pursuing roles where I can leverage my natural problem solving skills and engineering experience to bring restoration to people and our broken world.  I have had a few interviews for positions relating to international development/aid and disaster relief. While I wait for those opportunities to pan out I will continue to take seminary courses online to further my studies of the Bible. We shall see what the future holds. 

This season has been incredibly difficult for myself and my family. I could spout countless platitudes about refinement through trials and how “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”. These are things I think many of us know but also pray that we will never be tested in such a way to find out. Through all the trials 2020 and the pandemic have put us all through I pray you have used this time to take a moment to reflect on what is really important and lasting in your own life.

It has been amazing to see the amount of recovery for my Dad from such a significant injury. It has likewise been inspiring to see the strength and patience that my sister and bro in-law have maintained during this season. Through all of this I know I am not alone in saying that God has continued to provide for us over and over throughout all the blows endured during this time. There have been countless moments where I have found peace when anxiety should have been spiraling in my mind. When fears should have overcome only thankfulness could be found. Thankfulness for access to (mostly) amazing healthcare for both my father and nephew but also the ability to test Graham and get a head start on getting him as much care and support he can get to maximize his ability to thrive.

Graham’s future is uncertain as ever but God has remained faithful this far and we will continue to trust he will provide the strength and peace we need to endure the road ahead. Graham’s life has not gotten started the way any of us imagined and will likely continue to not be what we had in mind when he first entered our lives.  The death of expectations can be a heavy weight to carry but we can maintain our hope in God and be filled with peace, that we have come to know, that Graham is a magnificent blessing. His life may not be easy and it may not be what we had pictured but that does not mean it will not be good.

I want to give a heartfelt thanks to all the friends and family who have supported me and my family in this time. A special thanks goes out to my Mercy Ships friends who were so helpful in making sure I finished well on the ship and got home safe. Thank you to all the friends and family who have continued to reach out and provide prayers and support over the last few months.

This last year has been trying for many of us, for a multitude of reasons. Despite the hardships of this last year I have witnessed immense growth in my faith and have come to know a peace without understanding that can only be found through Christ Jesus. My prayer for you is that you can know the same.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV))