First Water to Wine, Now Blood to Bone - Miraculous!

Yesterday, Trevor went to his one-week follow-up appointment with the orthopedic specialist at Riley Children's Hospital, one week and a day after fracturing his tibia (during the first football game of the season) due to a bone cyst in his leg. His dad took him while I stayed home, in case the appointment ran late and we didn't return in time for Sean's arrival home from school. This was the best plan because he's much more capable of handling the physical aspects of transporting the wheelchair and I'm never very good at processing and retaining information during doctor appointments (somehow the stress always cancels out my ability to remember what was said). So, even though I wish I had been able to hear the prognosis first-hand, it was good to have John's clarity of mind.

The first good news? A decision to cut the cast down. What relief! The cast had been biting into the flesh of his leg. They cut about four inches off the top of the cast, bringing it down to mid-thigh. It isn't really any lighter to lift because they covered over the split cast (which allowed for swelling) with another layer of fiberglass dressing, but it is still easier for Trevor to maneuver:

They took an x-ray and said the bone is healing nicely. Good news! But the best news of all centers on the miraculous ability of the body to heal. We had all kinds of questions about the bone cyst that led to the fracture. Would they need to go in and remove the cyst? Would the presence of the cyst limit Trevor's ability to ever return to his beloved sport? Could the benign cyst transform into a malignant one (too much information is available online to lead an individual into further worry and concern)?

Apparently, the orthopedist said that right now the cyst is filled with blood but, miracle-of-miracles, it will turn into bone. They don't know how this happens, but that's what generally occurs. When Trevor returns in three weeks for another follow-up, they will take further x-rays. If the cyst has not filled in with bone, they might have to eventually go in and fill it (with what, I'm not sure), but he should be able to recover and heal sufficiently enough to return to football.

We've been praying for both his healing and his future abilities. God is still in the business of doing miracles! If He can turn water to wine, surely He can turn the blood in Trevor's cyst into bone. And so we say, "Go God! Do Your thing!"

We're hoping they will cut the cast down to above the knee when he returns for this three-week follow-up appointment. Perhaps that will make the cast light enough for him to lift more easily while using the crutches (for now, he still slides it along the floor). It was clear he would never gain enough mobility on the crutches to make it through the grueling demands of school, so we rented a wheelchair for a month. This morning, he returned to school all smiles. He said it was wonderful to get out of the house and back to his friends. We are praising God for the miraculous ability of the body to heal and re-grow bone where there once was none. Moreover, we're thanking God for Trevor's ability to keep his spirits up and press through the obstacles.

Trevor's coach came into the front hallway of the school when I was delivering Trevor this morning. He shared a story of Trevor's sense of humor and resilience in the face of this difficulty. He said when players complain of an ache or pain in an arm or leg, he always tells them, "it's okay, just use the other one." Apparently, the night of the injury, Trevor looked up at the coach and said, "It's okay, Coach, I'll just use the other one!"