January 24, 2008

Shunt Pictures

A few more pictures--this time of the shunt. The first picture is of Whitney's head before they put in the shunt. The second is after the shunt surgery. The shunt is somewhat hard to see in the picture. In person, it is pretty easy to see because it is a small ridge on the side of her head. That said, we are thankful for her head full of hair because it camouflages the shunt pretty well. The doctors have told us that after Whitney develops a thicker layer of skin and more hair, people will generally be unable to see the shunt. They also warned us that some people will make insensitive remarks about the shunt. I think those comments, whether they are about Whitney's shunt or some other aspect of Whitney's spina bifida, are going to be those kind of remarks. We pray that we will have the self-control and inspiration to respond appropriately.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

If anyone notices the shunt and says something insensitive about it, that will shock me-- I'm guessing that most people won't even notice it because they will be captivated by how incredibly cute Whitney is!

-- Erin

Anonymous said...

Suzanne and I continue to pray for your family daily. We just want you to know that you are loved, let us know if there is anything we can do for you guys,

Daniel, Suzanne, Dakota, and Joshah

Anonymous said...

Oh the beauty of Whitney far outweighs any shunt! I know God will give you the grace to say the appropriate things to those that are "uneducated" and insensitive. I know we have learned many things thru our adoption of Denis at an older age as he was. First you may be stunned and then God will give you insight and wisdom on kind responses to reply back about your daughter. We will pray that He gives you just the right words at just the right time. Oh the Lord has great plans for this precious little miracle of yours! May you continue to see His hand in your lives with each new day.
Praying for you often! (hoping you feel those prayers with each new day!) In Christs love, Melody and John Timmerman and all our kids that pray each day for Whitney! (Nate, Denis, Ashley, Bethany and even Rachael)

Anonymous said...

If that is your only concern at this time, God is surely amazing!

~Liz Koetsier

megan sohar said...

As a 23 yr. old with a L-4 and L-5 myelomeningecele, I pray blessing upon you for what will be a long road ahead. Mostly I pray that Whitney will surprise you with what she can do, and how strong she really is.

Anonymous said...

Hi guys,
Keep up the good posts- we love to read them!
Praise God for the blessing Whitney is in your life- you are going to see many special things from both your girls!
Love in Christ,
Laura Wiese

Anonymous said...

Hi i dont know how it feels to have a daughter with spinda bifida but i do know what its like to have a sister with spina bifida. The doctors when she was first born said she would never walk. She's been walking since she was 2 when she got her AFO's and everything but she will make it just be strong i know how tough it is to see.

Anonymous said...

My name is Rebecca Welker. My daughter Lilly is just 3 weeks old and has hydrocefuls. She is going to have a shunt put in tomorrow and I am a little nervous. I would love any comments you can give me. My blog address is welkerboys.blogspot.com and I would love to hear from you. Your daughter is so beautiful. i wouldn't worry too much about what people say. Ignorance causes fear.

Anonymous said...

I am the proud mother of a beautiful girl with an l-4/l-5 defect. She is currently 6 months old and is soon headed for an aggressive round of surgeries to fix a cyst near the top of her spinal cord. No one has ever said anything about my daughter other then to comment on her beauty. She is amazing and worth every hurdle we have to jump, I wouldn't change a thing about her.

Anonymous said...

hi my name is Tiffany. On may 30th I delivered a beautiful baby boy named Landon at only 25 weeks gestation. He wasnt due until September 8th.
Landon had a Grade III brain hemorrhage after his birth and now we are looking at a shunt surgery within the next week.
Landon weighed almost 2 lbs when he was born but now he weighs 4 lbs and 4 oz. God is trully amazing.
We are hoping that after Landons surgery he will get to come home within the month. he still has to learn to drink out of a bottle and maintain his body temp. He has been in a hospital an hour and a half away since the day he was born and since hes so far away and gas is so expensive- we only see him twice a week. Please pray for our family- you are in my prayers as well.
Whitney is so beautiful.

Sharniece said...

HI I have a daughter in the rnicu in lansing and I am having a hard time trying to cope and understand everything that is going on with her and i seems as if you have been through it already.She is going to get a shunt comment on it

Sharniece said...

HI I have a daughter in the rnicu in lansing and I am having a hard time trying to cope and understand everything that is going on with her and i seems as if you have been through it already.She is going to get a shunt comment on it