As you can see from the picture, Elizabeth Fe'Lynn looks perfect. However, there is a part of her brain that didn't develop while she was in the womb. She has what is called complete agenesis of the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is the main communicator between the two hemispheres of the brain. There are some other smaller communicators betweeen the halves, but the corpus callosum does most of the work. The corpus callosum has over 200 million connections. The next largest connector only has about 50,000. There are several forms of agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC). Complete=absence of the corpus callosum. Partial=partial abscence. Hypoplasia of the corpus callosum=thin or underdeveloped. Dysgenesis=malformation. Elizabeth has complete which means that the corpus callosum is absent. There isn't a single cause that makes this happen. We probably will never know what happened, but that is okay. Some estimate that about 7 in 1000 children have some form of ACC. Others say it is as rare as 5 in a million. One study suggests that 2 out of every 100 of those with developmental disabilities may have this condition. The rate of diagnosis is likely to increase with greater access to the technology used to identify these structural abnormalities. Disorders of the corpus callosum are conditions one must "learn to live with" rather than "hope to recover from." However, many therapies and supports may help individuals with ACC lead more successful lives. Common characteristics in individuals with ACC with limited additional neurological problems include: delays in achieving motor, language, and/or cognitive milestones; poor motor coordination; sensitivity to particualar tactile sensations sucha s food textures and touch; high tolerance to pain; difficulty with multidimensional tasks such as using language in social situations, complex reasoning, creativity, and problem solving; challenges in social interactions including lack of awareness of the thoughts and feelings of others, misunderstanding social cues such as facial expressions and tone of voice, limited sophistication of humor, and difficulty imagining potential consequences of behavior; limited insight into one's own behavior, social problems, and cognitive challenges. There are also possible vision problems and the possibilities of seizures.
God has worked many miracles for us during this time and we want to give him credit for them. The baby didn't seem to be growing correctly, so our midwife scheduled a second ultrasound. This is where they first found that something didn't look right in the brain. They thought she had hydrocephaly. During this ultrasound, they also saw that the liver looked enlarged. This ultrasound led to several of the other praises. They scheduled a Cesaerean section for Pamela for April 20th because of the ultrasound findings and the baby not seeming to grow correctly. When new babies are born, they have a test they give to assess the baby's health. The highest score is 10 and it isn't given very often. Elizabeth scored a 9 on both of hers. Praise God she was healthy when she came out. There were probably 20-25 people in the delivery room. Most of them were pediatricians. A few hours after birth, they did an ultrasound on Elizabeth's head and liver. The liver had no calcification and wasn't enlarged at all. Praise God again. The ultrasound showed that she didn't have hydrocephaly, but that she had ACC and colpocephaly. Colpocephaly is an enlargment of two small structures in the brain. These are larger because the corpus callosum is missing. On Saturday, April 21st, the pediatrician that came in to see us told us about the ultrasound findings of ACC. She explained a little of what that meant and told us that we would want to make sure we had a doctor that would help coordinate between all of the different departments that would be involved in Elizabeth's care. The pediatrician we have used for the last twelve years told us that she wouldn't take any new patients. She told us this before we knew about all of the problems that Elizabeth has. We explained this to the new doctor that morning and she said that she would be happy to coordinate for us and to be our new doctor. 
Her name is Deanna Ward and she is a family physician with Saints Family Medicine Center. She is a Christian and she was praying for Elizabeth before she was ever born. She has now added Elizabeth to her permanent prayer list. We are going to be having all of our children changing over to her. She has been great to work with and coordinate with the different departments in the hospital to get everything done. We even discussed with her about immunizations and our feelings about them. She respected our views and said that if we decide to go overseas for any mission trips, that we should be immunized for the diseases that we might encounter. She has a great heart and we can already see her love for our little Elizabeth. Pamela prayed for a new pediatrician and now we have a new family doctor.
Her name is Deanna Ward and she is a family physician with Saints Family Medicine Center. She is a Christian and she was praying for Elizabeth before she was ever born. She has now added Elizabeth to her permanent prayer list. We are going to be having all of our children changing over to her. She has been great to work with and coordinate with the different departments in the hospital to get everything done. We even discussed with her about immunizations and our feelings about them. She respected our views and said that if we decide to go overseas for any mission trips, that we should be immunized for the diseases that we might encounter. She has a great heart and we can already see her love for our little Elizabeth. Pamela prayed for a new pediatrician and now we have a new family doctor. God has given us both peace during this trial and we have definitely felt your prayers. Pamela seems at times to be coping better than I. The six weeks of bed rest and just an ache in her heart told her something wasn't right with the baby. She had six weeks of crying out to God and learning to depend on him for everything. I on the other hand have been busier than ever and haven't really had time to cope with it all. There are times that I just feel like crying. For anyone that knows me very well, I am not a crier. I don't want to cry for myself, but for the difficulties that may lay ahead for my little girl. God is showing me that in reality all of my children, my wife and I, and everyone else are in His hands. We don't know what tomorrow holds for any of us. We just take for granted the health we all have. If someone would have told my pastor that his wife would be having hospice care because of the cancer that would ravage her body a year ago, he wouldn't have believed it. That is exactly what he is facing today though. Just remember that our time on this earth is short. We need to make every minute count. If you love someone, tell them. If you have unresolved issues with another person, do all in your power to rectify them. Spend time with your family and close friends, you may not have another chance. God has blessed each and every one of us. Let's not take those blessings for granted. Life is short, make yours count for eternity. Share your faith with the lost, live your faith out with your family, raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and Love God with everything and your neighbor as yourself.
Every need we have had to this point has been met over and above anything we could ask or even imagine. We had a toilet that was draining very slowly and carpets that needed cleaned before we came home with a new baby. One family in our church paid for a plumber to fix the toilet and for carpet cleaners to come and do the carpets while we were at the hospital and no one was in the house. We have had food, meals, house cleaning, baby-sitting, and offers for anything else we might need come from our church and home-school group.
Normally, I place prayer requests here at the bottom for our family. I will never be able to give back to all of you the things you have given to my family, but I would love to bring your needs before God's throne. So, I ask that you email me with any requests that I can pray over on your behalf.
May the Lord bless and keep you. May His face shine upon you and be gracious and give you peace.
Derek
For the Woods
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