Heartened!

Amazing conversation with Dr. Mary Staat at Children's Hospital International Adoption Center.  She reviewed Tommy's health record and all the information we got from Holt.

She shared it with her associates at Childrens:

• Dr. Linda Michaud, a physical rehab specialist with gobs of experience helping kids rehab from physical issues associated with international adoption.
• Dr Meg Care, a pediatric neuroradiologist.

Here's what they've concluded:

• It's unclear whether there's sufficient evidence that Tommy really has schizencephaly, or whether that's just the diagnosis the doctors in ET landed on with the limited evidence they had.  The more they look at, the less likely it seems.
• It's more likely he had in-utero "event," possibly an ischemic (lack of blood flow) attack.  These usually cause irreparable damage to developing brain tissue and vasculature.
• There is asymmetrical hypomyelination in the right temporal lobe.  This means the myelin (the protective covering to nerves in the brain) did not develop properly in the part of the brain that controls hearing and the ability to appreciate music or sing.
• A portion of the left basal ganglia is undeveloped.  The basal ganglia is located deep in the front part of the brain and is associated with functions like voluntary motor control, procedural learning relating to routine behaviors or habits, eye movements, and cognitive, emotional functions.
• His exam of predominantly right-sided findings (including language delay and right hemiparesis) corresponds well with the Left-sided brain findings on MRI. 
• Language issues with right-sided hemi-paresis palsy typically resolve.  The delay that occurs with right sided hemiparesis (but not with left-sided hemiparesis) is typically followed by catch-up in language (because language can re-lateralize to the right hemisphere for lesions occurring before age 8 yrs)
• Then, they said some magic words: "The rest of the brain looks normal." 

You just can't imagine how hopeful our family feels.  When we first accepted Tommy's referral, he was essentially immobile and incommunicative.  And over time, we began to receive communications from the agency that showed him making more and more progress.  It was very encouraging.  At a certain point, we began to believe that whatever his condition was, and whatever deficits he was experiencing, we'd be able to make some improvements if we could just get him some good doctors and therapists.

The feedback from these doctors just reinforces our belief that we can make a huge difference in Tommy's world when we get him here.  Moreover, this news has served to bolster our belief that God is watching over him, has led us to him, and will help us to bring him safely home.  How appropriate that we find this out just two days before Christmas.  "It's just what I always wanted."