Happy New Year!

Firstly, Clare and I wish all our blog readers a Happy and Prosperous 2008!

Secondly, we saw our paediatrician yesterday and he went through the post-mortem results with us in greater detail. The overall assessment is still the same but we did learn some new things as a result of the visit.

The post-mortem revealed that Theo was more poorly than we had realised from the earlier results. He had no cartilage around his trachea and this is one of the reasons why breathing was so difficult. The airways could inflate while air was being pushed into him but then collapsed before carbon dioxide could be exhaled. The paediatrician feels that such a condition made Theo "incompatible with life".

In addition to this, there were slight issues around the top and bottom of his spine which meant some of the vertebrae were fused. The 20 week scan had shown some indication of this but hadn't been evident on subsequent scans.

The report concludes with a likely diagnosis of type II collagenopathy and Kniest and SEDC are both types of this disorder. Such a condition effects the connective tissue and clearly problems with the cartilage were quite prolific in Theo.

We discovered that samples from the post-mortem have already been analysed by Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. As conditions such as Theo's are so rare, there is a European group which gathers information and analyses it and Theo's samples have been sent to Amsterdam as well. He certainly is well travelled!

Once the results from Amsterdam have returned, we will be able to proceed with the genetic tests and we hope to get a genetics appointment fairly soon.

So, overall, another positive visit. Although difficult for us, it is reassuring to know that Theo would not have survived and therefore his little life ended quickly without needless suffering. We feel blessed that God, in his mercy, did not put us in a position where we had to make difficult decisions. We continue to be hopeful that this is just an isolated occurrence, though we still must wait for further results before we know anything for sure.

On a final note, we know that for many people as for us, 2007 has been a difficult and testing year. We take courage in the strength and resolve that has been demonstrated by so many of our friends in these hard times. We, like many people we know, acknowledge that the strength we have comes, not from ourselves, but from God.

How shall we look back? Naturally, with a great deal of sadness but also with joy because God is working out His plan in our lives. Something Clare wrote on Tonya's blog highlighted an interesting point for me. In the Bible, it talks about God using the things that are weak and seemingly nothing to promote His Gospel message. He does this so that no-one can boast about themselves but only about God.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 1 v26-31

Theo was certainly little and weak but, through him, many life's have been touched and more people have learnt something new about God than would have been achieved without him. So, in his short life, God used Theo for His glory just as He promises to use all of us if we let Him.

And looking forward to 2008? Faith in God gives us a hope for the future, just as the Bible promises.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29 v11

This hope is not wishful thinking that things will turn out for the best. In fact, the Bible never promises that things will always be easy and go the way we want them to. What it does promise is that God is there with us every step of the way... that He has a plan that is glorifying to Him and that we have a part to play in it... that He loves us and whatever life on Earth puts our way, we have the promise of heaven to look forward to.

So the big question for 2008 is not "How will life turn out for me?" or "What will happen next?", though these are important questions. It is "How is God going to use me for His glory this year?" If this is a question you've never thought about before, think about it today. God wants to answer that question and, if you let Him, your life will never be the same again.

Happy New Year!

love,
Andy and Clare