Surgery date confirmed

Dear friends, the Docs had a meeting today and confirmed that they are operating on Lizzie on Monday, 25 September.
Your kind prayers are most appreciated.
Thanks, Simon & Elaine

Possible surgery on 22 Sep - Pls pray!!

Dear friends, Lizzie is into her 42nd day today and she is still in Neonatal ICU. Her condition is stable but her O2 level fluctuates from the high 80s to low 90s (higher better) to low 60s. Earlier on (in Day 6 or so), the Docs have started medication to keep her PDA open for oxygenated blood to flow from her lungs to her heart. That medication has since been increased to the maximum. On the night of 3rd October (Sunday), we received a call from the Prof handling Lizzie's case, saying that she will most probably be operated on in the morning of 4th October because her O2 level remained low for the past few hours. Fortunately, Lizzie's O2 level rose and stabilized overnight, thus negating the need for emergency surgery. Since then, the Docs have tried many things to get her O2 level up. They tried enclosing her head in a box filled with O2, bloodtransfusion, treatments of possible infections and even put an O2 tube in her nostrils. Her O2 level still fluctuates daily between the high 60s to the high 80s. I see Lizzie every day in the morning before work and again in the evening after work. The most precious moments were those when her eyes are open. They are so bright and sparkly and Lizzie will look at me very intensely as if she has a lot to tell me. Sometimes when I look into Lizzie's eyes, I can see the pain she is enduring. It is as if she is asking me for help. If you are a parent, you will know that it is very torturous to know that your child is suffering, and you are powerless to do anything for her. The thought of her suffering tears me up from within every single day. If I can give my life for hers, I will not hesitate even for a second. If only there is a way to trade my heart and chromosomes with hers….Elaine and I prayed for Lizzie every time we see her in ICU. We prayed for her every night. We prayed for her on every journey to the hospital. Yet, God has not come to her. Before her birth, we prayed that God will heal her, but every scan showed no positive results. We prayed that God will heal her at birth, but Lizzie was born with congenital heart defects and Digeorge's Syndrome. We prayed that God will heal her without medication or surgery, but the Docs have already started the medication on her and it has reached the maximum dosage. Yesterday, we learnt that the surgeons are making arrangements for Lizzie's surgery this Friday. WHERE IS GOD?!! WHY IS HE SILENT?!! It is not that we do not believe in medical science. If God choose to heal her through a surgery, so be it. However, the surgeries I am talking about here involve putting artificial tube to replace her missing pulmonary artery. As she grows, they will replace this small tube with a larger one, hence another open heart surgery (when she is 3 or 4 years old). There may yet be another surgery when she is a teenager. In addition to the risks involved, these surgeries mean that she cannot be active and cannot live life as a normal healthy person. These surgeries also do not do solve any effects of Digeorge's Syndrome. It is particularly hurtful when I read the bible and listen to worship songs. The bible tells me that God is loving, faithful and merciful. That God hears the cry of His people and come to their aid. That God is faithful and will not forsake His people. That Godwill send His angels to guard His people that their feet will not strike a stone. That God has plans for His people that will prosper them and not harm them. How is He showing His faithfulness to my child and my family? To a life that is created to bring Him glory? I have asked God for nothing but for children to glorify Him. Why doesGod allow my child to suffer for the rest of her life? What glory is there for God that Lizzie is weak or even disabled? What good are we to God if our time and resources are taken up to take care of Lizzie instead of serving Him? How will pre-believers see us? What purpose does it serve when these pre-believers see God's people suffering unexplainably and endlessly? Elaine and I are beyond desperation. When we thought we have reached the lowest point in our lives, Lizzie's situation got worse. When will these end? How much more does God think we can take? How much longer does God allow Lizzie to suffer? Are we not God's people? What are we supposed to think and do? We are struggling every day between having faith and hoping in God, seeing the reality of Lizzie's suffering and her O2 level dipping and friends thinking that we are in denial. I am sorry for venting and complaining. While I am extremely frustrated, I am still holding on to my faith in a God I have knew for the past 18 years. Please pray for Lizzie, that the surgery this Friday will not be necessary because God has intervened.
Thanks and God bless, Simon

Where are you, God?

Dear friends, Lizzie has been in the Neonatal ICU since 9 August. Apart from the heart conditions, the docs are also taking precautions over the effects of Digeorge's Syndrome. Among the effects is immunodeficiency. Only limited persons are allowed in the NICU and we have to wash our hands before going near Lizzie. For Lizzie, we also have to wear masks for added precaution. After the paediatric cardiologist scanned her, he concluded that the main artery supplying oxygenated blood from the lung to the heart is missing. With this, the heart will not be able to send oxygen to the other parts of the body. The obvious sign is that she will turn blue (hence the term blue babies). Lizzie hasn't turned blue cos she is relying on a artery branch ("PDA") which exist in all newborns as the replacement artery for this function. Typically, this branch will close within 48 hours of birth. On the monitors, we are keeping close watch over the O2 level. Anything below 80 is bad.The first 3 days went by without much fuss as Lizzie's PDA served her well. On the fourth day, the O2 level began to drop, crossing the 80 level very frequently. Finally, at 10:30pm, the docs decided to start the medication which will enlarge her blood vessels, including the PDA. This meant that Lizzie is a step closer to surgery. There is also a risk that the medication will cause respiratory problems. The next morning, Lizzie's O2 level rose to 96 and she wasn't facing any respiratory problems. We were relieved....temporarily. The docs mentioned that the medication is kept to the minimum level (0.01) and is working in keeping the PDA open. Two days went by and Lizzie's O2 level started dropping again. The docs increased the medication dosage to 0.02. Another day went by and the O2 level went down yet again. This time the docs increased the medication to 0.04. This worked for a while and soon, the medication was raised to 0.06. The maximum dosage is 0.10. Lizzie's O2 level was holding up in the range of 89 to 91 for 2days. The docs came and told us each day we visited Lizzie that she is doing very well. The calcium level is holding up and they are reducing the calcium supplements for her. Her blood platlet count is good. We were overjoyed. Lizzie's PDA is staying open and there are little signs of Digeorge's Syndrome. We thank God for hearing and answering our prayers. On 20 Aug 2006, Lizzie's O2 level is on the move again and this time, it plunged to 70 and hovered around 75 to 78. After more than 1/2 hour, the doc decided to increase her medication. I am not sure what is the current dosage, but I know it is now in the high level. Our faith level has also been fluctuating with Lizzie's O2 level, especially during times when we prayed and the O2 level dipped further. We are still hoping and waiting for God's hand to move in our lives. Where is our God? Elaine and I sometimes feel disappointed that it is not God who sustain our little baby's life but medication. We visit Lizzie in NUH daily. Seeing her being hooked up with tubes and sensors and the constantly changing numbers on the monitors just make our hearts sink to new lows everyday. We do see small victories each day, of Lizzie opening her eyes, of her finally drinking milk from the bottle instead of the tube that leads into her stomach, of hearing the sound of her cries, etc. But we yearn for more. We know that our God is not just one who give us small temporal victories. He is a God of impossibles. We yearn for a deep healing touch from God that will heal Lizzie of her congenital heart defects and Digeorge's Syndrome. We prayed that our child's life will not be sustained by medication and surgeries, but the medication has already started. We are holding on to our prayers that the medication will be reduced and eventually taken off and there will be no surgery for our child. As long as the docs have not performed surgery on Lizzie, we are holding on. Having said that, the cardiologist has already mentioned that he is only waiting for Lizzie to put on enough weight (to atleast 2.5kg) before he will operate on her. Lizzie is now 2.0kg. Thank you for your kind prayers for our Lizzie. Time is running short.
God bless, Simon

Lizzie has arrived!!!!!

Hi everyone, Lizzie has arrived. Elaine gave birth to Elizabeth Lee on the 9 August 2006, at 8:09AM. Lizzie is still in Neonatal ICU, with the congenital heart condition and suspected immune deficiency. She is currently on medication to keep her blood vessels enlarged so that enough oxygenated blood flows through her body.
Please pray that: 1. One of Lizzie's blood vessels, called PDA, will remain open. This is the one replacing her main artery from the lung to her heart.
2. For God's intervention that her heart will be made new so that there is no need for surgery or prolonged medication.
3. For God's protection over her mental and physical developments sothat these areas are not affected in any ways. In Psalms, God told me that He hears the cry of His people and He will answer them. The righteous will have many troubles but God will deliver him from them all. I am holding on to a fainting hope that He is my God and He hears my cry. God has to heal Lizzie soon, before the paediatric cardiologist decides that it is time for surgery.
Thanks for your prayers, Simon

1 month left to Lizzie's birth

Dear friends, Thank for your encouragements, well-wishes and prayers these past months. Elaine and I are holding up strong and praying everyday for Lizzie. I also welcome those who just joined this webpage. May our testimony help to bring you closer to God. Today is the 28th July. Lizzie's expected delivery date (EDD) is 27 August. We have exactly 1 month.
I humbly ask for your prayers in the following areas:
1. In the last scan by the Antenatal Diagnostic Centre specialist, Lizzie is small for her age (34 weeks). The specialist has scheduled another scan this coming Thursday to determine if Lizzie is in distress. If she is, they will want to induce labour and bring her out earlier. We do not want her in the incubator. Elaine wants to carry her to full term and allow each part of her body to grow to properly. Please pray that God will make her grow to normal size, so that there will not be any pre-term delivery.
2. In the last scan in Gleneagles, the paediatric cardiologist told us there is no improvement. The hole in her heart (VSD) is enlarged and the artery leading from the lung to the heart (pulmonary artery)is small and hardly visible. He will not see Lizzie again until after the birth.
From the lessons in the bible and many personal testimonies of God's deliverance, I've learnt that God comes when you least expect it and at a time when His actions speaks the loudest. While we only have 1 month left, He only needs a moment to heal my child. I have also learnt that in Jesus' time, everyone who came to Jesus was healed.He is our Healer, our loving and compassionate Saviour and our Deliverer. I do not doubt Jesus will heal Lizzie, only a matter of His perfect time.
3. As I mentioned, Lizzie is also diagnosed with Digeorge's Syndrome. Elaine and I have been praying that this syndrome (as well as Fallot and/or Taussig Bing Syndromes) will be removed in Jesus' name. We continue to believe that the name of Jesus is greater than any other names, including the names of these syndromes and so these syndromes will be removed. Please pray for the removal of these syndromes from Lizzie. I know I am asking a lot from you. These are our desperate prayers to God and we asked that if you can, pray not just for us, but with us for Lizzie. Your prayers are the greatest thing you can do for us and we thank you.
May God bless you. With heartfelt thanks, Simon & Elaine