Change of Plans

"Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will prosper!"

For a few months now we have been busy making plans to have John Asher's pulmonary valve replaced.  During his first surgery, there was not enough of a pulmonary valve to save and we knew it would need to be replaced eventually.  However, that eventually came much sooner than we thought and we found ourselves facing another invasive surgery fifteen years earlier than we expected.  So we threw ourselves into an array of planning, finding places for the other kids to stay, seeing family, making plans for John Asher to miss several weeks of school, and Jeremiah taking time off from work.  We gave up vacation plans and scheduled surgery the week of spring break to minimize the amount of school the kids would miss.  Spring Break came, and so did the pollen.

One week before surgery, I took John Asher to the doctor to see if we could prevent a sinus infection.  However, the pollen got to him before the medicine could and he came down with a severe sinus infection.  Two days before surgery he still wasn't getting better so I called the surgery center and they believed that for his best interest and safety in surgery, he should not be placed on a by pass machine and a ventilator with the amount of chest congestion and difficulty breathing.  Furthermore, we would need to wait four weeks to be sure he is fully healed!

My initial reaction was a slight disappointment that all my planning would need to be undone.  And then I realized what a blessing this actually is, the Lord's protection over my son, and also it buys us a little more time to explore some other options we have looked into.  So instead of being frustrated, I am choosing to be thankful that I am not sitting in an operating waiting room.  Thankful for God's protection.  Thankful that maybe, just maybe, there is a less invasive option out there and we will know more before the next surgery is scheduled!