Thursday, April 2, 2009

Now this is a date you'll want to remember.

When we started this whole fundraising thing on January 15th, 2009, we were in it for the long haul. We knew we had a lot of money to raise to give Seth his shot at hearing, and even if we had the money to cover our costs, we were told Seth couldn't be implanted until he was a year old.

We didn't want to take no for an answer. We compromised at 10 months, even though I was reading stories of babies getting implanted even earlier and doing amazingly well. Very few insurance companies approve surgery before a year. It didn't really matter anyway, as there was no way we would have the money to get his surgery done before ten (or twelve) months.

The last month has been a whirlwind of mostly unrelated events.

First, John's employer up and changed insurance plans on us. We had to relearn a whole new plan. The upside? They cover two ears! The downside? The deductible is ginormous, and they do not cover Speech or Physical therapy. At all.

Then,  we changed horses midstream in that we changed from a surgeon we loved to another surgeon we thought could do an amazing job with Seth, and who was entertaining the notion of implanting both of Seth's ears at once. This had become an important factor to us, as Seth has a very interesting  reaction to anesthesia. .

One day soon after that, the lovely Courtney from Rhyan's Hope called me. The same family that donated money for our friend Jillian's 2nd implant was interested in helping us, too.

The next day, I checked Seth's implant fund...just by selling bracelets, our Prize Package (minus our contributions to Rhyan's Hope and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep), had exceeded our initial surgery goal.

So the money was there. But what about the insurance? We couldn't do a $200,000.00 (both ears) surgery without insurance approval. We submitted for insurance, and were told to expect a denial, then a lengthy appeal process.

The denial was turned over in TWENTY FOUR hours! I received my denial and my approval letter in the mail on the same day!

Now, read over the above list one more time and you tell me that God is not between every single line punctuation mark, and character. He has streamlined this entire process, giving us what we never thought we could ahieve. In just over two months of fundraising, when he is just 8 months old, on Thursday, April 9, 2009, Seth will be receiving simultaneous bilateral cochlear implants. 


Every second of the last 8 months, God as been leading me. To never take no for an answer, to look for a window when a door shuts. To have every scrap of paperwork, ever necessary test ready for Seth even though he wasn't supposed to be having surgery for months. God made a change in insurance possible. He led every one of you to donate your money, your prayers, your time. He led a family to Seth through Rhyan's Hope. He made a months long insurance headache go away in twenty four hours.  He led us to a surgeon who has done more than 800 CI surgeries. He has blessed us with all of you, the ones who have helped to make this happen.



He is good. All the Time.

Seth will be on his way to hearing, one week from today.

47 comments:

chayil :) said...

woo hoo!! I'm so excited for Seth!!! (:

Mandy Hornbuckle said...

YAAAAAAAAY!! It's even earlier now! WOW!

Anonymous said...

oh what wonderful news. Our Lord is amazing and I stand in awe of what He can do.

Congratulations and well done on being such an amazing advocate for Seth!

bethany1699 said...

Yay! God is so good!

Melissa said...

Thats incredible!! Praise God

Sonya said...

YAY!!! I have tears rolling down my face. Dang it for me reading this at work too. :) I am so happy for you guys. I will be praying for Seth!!

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

I have goosebumps!!! What a wonderful praise!!! I am so happy for you and for Seth!!!

Unknown said...

THAT IS SO AWESOME! You will never, ever, ever regret it. That's exactly 2 months after Ally had her surgery. You are so blessed, and we're all blessed to know you.

Best wishes!

Heather said...

What exciting and terrific news! It truly is amazing what the good Lord can do! I will be praying for little Seth as he/you prepare for next week's surgery. God is good!

Amy B said...

I am so very happy for you and for sweet Seth..what a blessing.

Julie said...

God is good!! I am teary-eyed El! What a blessing! That is SO wonderful! I'll be sure to remember the date (that's Fred's birthday). SO exciting!!

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!! Yeah, so happy for you and Seth. This is going to help him so much!!!!

Audrey :)

Kaycee said...

Wow, that is fantastic!! So quick :) Congrats!

Tricia said...

Wow!! I can't believe it is one week away! And bilateral! I am jumping for joy on this part. Seeing Emmi go through surgery 18 months apart, I can definitely say that two makes a HUGE difference over one.

Shanda said...

God continuously amazes me! Wow, in just a week!?!!! That is awesome! I'm thrilled to have been a part of this journey with you all. I will be praying that all will go smoothly before, during and after the surgery!

Blessings & Peace to you all!

Susan said...

Yippee! I'm so excited for you all! I love hearing how God is working, and can't wait to read more! I'll be in prayer for Seth as his surgery approaches!

~ Lisa @ AbidingThere~ said...

ThAnK yOu, GoD ! ! ! ! :)

Mommy3 said...

How amazing! I am excited for Seth and your family! Will be praying that all goes well next week! :)

Stephanie said...

What a wonderful blessing and testimony! One week from today is surgery day and I, along with everyone else will definitely be praying for your whole family!

Katie said...

What great news! How exciting for Seth. I will definitely say extra prayers for Seth next week

Eva said...

Congrats... will be praying for you and your beautiful little Seth on April 9th. God Bless.

Mrs. Granberry said...

That is amazing...our God is awesome!!!! I have been praying and hoping for your family and especially for Seth. The power of prayer is wonderful!!!!!

Mandy & Jeremy Hall said...

I proudly wear my bracelet and tell those what it stands for! Soon, Seth will hear! Many blessings your way! What an awesome day that will be!

Aimee' said...

simply amazing!! im so happy for you guys!

Melissa said...

What wonderful news!!!!

Melissa :)
www.withasmile.wordpress.com

Laura H. said...

Praising Jesus today!!!! Awesome!

Holly said...

that is absolutely awesome!

Anonymous said...

I am BEYOND excited! You made my week. Reading about this just gives me hope for my little guy. This is going to be amazingly awesome!!!!!

So does your new insurance cover therapy NOW?? As a follow up for his surgery? I sure hope it does!

So so excited!!!!! (okay I went exclamation point happy there, but what can I say? I was a former cheerleader its in my blood! HA)

Analiza

Carrie said...

That is extraordinary news! You are an amazing family and a wonderful testimony to your faith! We'll continue to pray for a successful surgery, quick recovery! So many blessings have come from your perseverance in this process!

Unknown said...

He is ADORABLE! I can feel your excitement. Congrats!

laura said...

Praise God! That is so exciting! wse will be praying next week, for sure...and don't forget to send us the flyers for the garage sale...now it can go towards therapy. :o)
Blessings-
larua from FL

Joy said...

God is truly good.. I'm so happy for you guys!

Unknown said...

Do you know how refreshing it was to read this today? I AM SURE YOU DO :)!! But, really God has used Seth and your family in even bigger ways. I needed that lesson today. I needed the reminder that God is sooooo much bigger than any need or suffering we encounter. I, of course, know that in my heart. But the tangible reminder was indeed a breath of fresh air. Thank you for sharing your joys!!! Seth, sweet child, your whole world is about to change for the better. We are praying you through it all!

Kat and Crew said...

God is great!
God is Good!
Praying for a great day next Thursday!

Melissa G said...

Oh my goodness! That's amazing! Praise the Lord! I'm so touched when I see God moving like this. He truly cares for His children.

Les said...

Oh My Gosh!!!! That is so soon! So excited for you guys and Seth

Lisa said...

Thats amazing! I'm so happy for seth to hear all the wonderful things in this beautiful world! I'll be praying for him continually through it all!

Anonymous said...

AMEN!! That is wonderful! Great news! :)

Laura said...

This is awesome, E!!! So happy for you!

M J said...

Amazing! God is good!!! :)

4 Lettre Words said...

Oh, El...I am SO happy for all of you! What a blessing. God is just so good, huh?!?

Jolene said...

I just discovered your blog, but I wanted to tell you that I think this is such awesome and inspirational news, and I will be praying that Seth's surgery goes well. =)

Kelli said...

WOW! God never ceases to do amazing things!! Praying for Seth next week!

Sew a Fine Seam said...

that is just so awesome! We serve a God who is bigger than we can comprehend! So glad for you, can't wait to hear that Seth hears!
Jill

Madison Sanders said...

I'm THRILLED for Seth!!! He's going to be able to hear! Woo hoo!

I can't imagine what it will be like when he utters his first word. You must video tape it so we can share that moment with you. :) Only one week to go and evrything changes!

E @ Scottsville said...

No way, El?! No way! That is AMAZING!!! Oh my goodness, I just got goosebumps. WOW!!!

Can I say WOW again? Wow!

God IS SO GOOD!!! I've been praying for you and for your fundraiser even though I was unable to contribute financially. I've felt guilty that I couldn't "help" monetarily, but we are so 'strapped' right now. =0(

Praise God for working out everything so perfectly. AWESOME, EL! Truly AWESOME!

Anonymous said...

You post just brought tears to my eyes. I am so proud of you for all you have done for Mr. Seth. I agree God is good... All the time :)

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