Tuesday, January 25, 2011

December 2010

December 2010
During this busy time of the year it’s hard to keep up with all the happenings, but I wanted to make you aware of a few things that are happening with Amelia and to encourage you continue to pray for her.
The insurance company finally approved some visits to the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles and at the end of November Kristina and DJ finally got take Amelia for her first appointment. They met with an audiologist who conducted a hearing “booth” test and she reviewed the MRI and CT scan information from Rady Children‘s Hospital, which DJ and Kristina had brought along. They talked about the possibility of a brain stem implant and found out that this procedure has been done successfully for adults, but is not yet approved by the FDA for children. While approval is being sought in the US, other countries are currently doing the procedure on children and Italy is one of them. There is some encouraging documentation to support their work. The next step is to see a doctor who has a particular interest in auditory brainstem implants in children and then talk to Dr. Coletti who does these procedures in Italy. Naturally this involves lots more phone calls, e-mails and paperwork to seek approval from the insurance company. The best results for future learning and speaking are achieved by the earliest intervention, so Kristina and DJ are moving forward with this path.
We are all a bit nervous about the whole thing, so we need you to pray with us for God’s will in this endeavor and for doors to open to allow it to happen in a timely manner. And of course the whole thing is wildly expensive, so the Lord needs to provide the necessary funds as well. I know that He is up to the challenge if this is to happen.
Meanwhile Amelia is enjoying the Christmas season and all the interesting decorations everywhere. She is surprisingly good about not touching everything and even makes the “no” sign when she approaches the tree. Her ophthalmologist recently prescribed glasses for Amelia, because he determined that she is very near-sighted, so a few days ago she got a brand-new pair of pink glasses. She tolerates them for a short while and then hands them back to us. It’s hard to tell if the glasses are helping, but she does look a bit startled every time we put them on her.
The Burkes and Hestons wish you a wonderful Christmas and God’s blessings in the New Year.