BRYLEIGH GIRL: We've been on this journey for a little over three years - watching as things happened with Bryleigh that we knew weren't normal, but not really putting all the pieces together and knowing how to help her until MUCH later. We've got a pretty good handle on her diet (praise the Lord!) now that we have had an actual test tell us things that her body just can not tolerate. After being off of those 10 things for a solid year, any time she gets even the smallest amount, even by accident, she usually ends up throwing up for about 12 hours. She's extremely sensitive to her allergens now, but we are thankful for how well we know we can manage her diet, and that SHE takes ownership over what she can and can't have. Cleaning up her diet and adding some supplements to help heal her digestive tract have made a HUGE difference on her quality of life. When she does get a flare up now, we can usually pinpoint what caused it, and we have all the tools we need to help get it taken care of (QUICKLY!).
We are SO very thankful that God led us to Dr. Heather and the answers she has helped us get. We are thankful to be in a completely different place than we were this time last year and that she is not in as much physical pain as she was for so long. With that being said, she's got some pretty crazy sensory issues that she deals with - like changing clothes between the seasons over the last year - as well as anxiety, leading to night terrors and now panic attacks. All of these things we are trying to calmly and patiently work through with her, both as a normal 4 year old and as a chiropractic patient with a history of some pretty yucky stuff. Dr. Heather has been so great at answering our questions and continually working with us to find things that work for our B-Girl. Bryleigh tells us almost daily things that she is going to do that we know she is fearful of, but she always finishes with, "But I can do it because Jesus makes me brave." Yes He does, baby girl! Yes He does!!
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| Wearing shorts and a t-shirt these days is a huge praise! Even if they don't match, and have a fur vest added!! |
We get the question all the time, "So does Will have what Bryleigh has?" And what a question that is considering we still don't really know WHAT Bryleigh has. We have some answers to different things (-we have all the answers we need to truly help her at this time-), but we don't have a NAME for what has gone on and what to look for in Will or in both of them as they get older. But the easiest answer is: Yes. Will faces the same difficulties that Bryleigh does in digesting his food, among other things we see in them. We just introduced green grapes to him this week, as Bryleigh is allergic to red ones and hasn't had a single grape since long before her diagnosis (we KNEW that this was a huge culprit of her issues without a single test). Almost immediately, Will began to have strong reactions to the grapes, and it brought a lot of flashbacks to what life was like with Bryleigh when we had no answers.
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| This little "Cheese" face is my favorite thing he does! |
WHY TODAY IS DIFFERENT: But we have answers. We KNOW this time around what is causing reactions in Will as it is happening. We know what to do and how to help him when he does have these flare ups and reactions. For the longest time I feared more than anything the day that would come that let me know Will is going to fight the same battles his sister did/does, but that day happened on Wednesday of this week (with a few other confirmations along the way) and after a mild pity-party for myself, I realized life is NOTHING like it was when we were at this place with Bryleigh. In those days, I was full of despair. I wanted God to fix it, immediately. I wanted every single answer that I could possibly have regarding my child's body, and I wanted it as fast as I could get it. I felt like I was fighting the battle all (or mostly) alone. And without knowing it, I didn't fully trust God with my life, or (especially) with my children's lives.
I have learned so much over the past few years. I have seen the promises of God stand true, and I have seen how faithful He is to our family in every single need. I have learned to pray for what brings Him glory and to thank Him for every piece of our journey, no matter how difficult it may seem.
PRAYERS MOVING FORWARD: You, our friends and family, have been SO faithful to pray with us and for us, and we are so grateful for that. People are always asking how they can be praying so I wanted to share that as well. For Bryleigh - prayers for peaceful sleep each and every night. Prayers that she would learn to share with us what she is feeling so that we can help her work through those feelings. Prayers for us to have wisdom to know what is just 4-year-old growing pains and what stems more from her body and how she is made/what she has experienced in her little life. For William - our most pressing need is healing for his body from this current flare up. They're extremely painful and uncomfortable, so the sooner it's over, the better. Prayers as we decide when to give him the same test Bryleigh had so we can best know what foods he needs to eliminate as well. Prayers for the issue Will has had from his circumcision to improve with the current medicine and guidance/wisdom on next steps if this round doesn't work. My prayer, above all, is that we would honor and glorify God with each step we take, teaching Bryleigh and Will how much God loves them as His children.
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