Incompatible With Life

Here we are at day three. Kristen and I have been blown away by the support we continue to receive. We cannot begin to express our sincere gratitude. With everything that is within us, we say thank you!

Have you ever experienced a day, week, month, or even a season where things didn’t turn out the way you had planned? Of course you have, so have we. It wasn’t in the plans (at least not ours) for Truett’s skull not to develop. We didn’t plan on having a baby born without the majority of his brain. Maybe you didn’t plan on getting cancer. Maybe it wasn’t in the plans for your spouse to pass away unexpectedly. Maybe you always dreamed of growing old with your husband and now you’re a single mom. I’m not sure what your story is or how life has treated you. There are things I don’t understand nor will I ever understand. But, this is what I know, “I say this because I know what I am planning for you, says the Lord. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NCV). I may not know the plan(s) but the God that intricately formed Truett absolutely knows the plan(s).  He knows the plans for my life and he knows the plans for your life.

On September 25, 2014, Kristen and I became a part of a family we never knew existed. We joined other parents that our hurting, parents that were given a fatal diagnosis for their child. We’ve joined a couple of support groups on Facebook. To read some of the stories is absolutely heart wrenching. I remember reading the story of a mom that had 3 pregnancies with 3 babies suffering from anencephaly. I could not imagine going through that process 3 different times. Just tonight I read the story of a mom who gave birth to twin girls 11 years ago. Marley was born first and her sister, Grace, was only one minute behind. Two hours later Grace had breathed her last breath. The mom writes, “This year will be 11 years and their birthday is the best and worst day of my life... I have found a way to grieve and celebrate, early in the morning I leave on horseback I ride to a special spot and I grieve. Then I come home and celebrate no tears for Marley she deserves to have a happy day!” What a roller coaster of emotion for this mom to experience on their birthday.

Today, I want you to pray for all of these hurting moms and dads across the world that have received a diagnosis of acrania, anencephaly or any other diagnosis that is “incompatible with life.” Pray that these families will find hope and comfort during their darkest days. These families need all the love and support they can receive. Thank you for interceding on their behalf.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Duke University - Day 2

A lot of people have been asking us about Duke University. Well, Kristen and I have become huge fans of Duke and we hope you will too. Duke University is the only organization (that we know of) researching neural tube defects, such as acrania and anencephaly. The research dates back to the 90’s and focuses on the genetic factors associated with neural tube defects. You can find out more information about the study by clicking here. Kristen and I have agreed to participate in the program. Kristen and I both will donate blood as well as donate blood from Truett’s umbilical cord. We hope that by participating in this study Duke will be able to prevent and/or treat families facing similar diagnoses.

This is why I’ve become an outspoken Duke fan. I’ll never forget watching the Duke men’s basketball team on TV after we found out about this study. I cried like a baby watching the game. All I could think about was a university that cares about my son. I felt an immediate connection to the school. Please join us in praying for Duke University. Pray that the researchers will be able to learn more about acrania and anencephaly; what causes them and how to prevent them from occurring. One of the biggest drawbacks to the study is funding. Would you consider donating to the study? Pray for God to provide funding for research. Thank you for praying for Duke today!

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you” (James 1:5).

7 Days of Prayer for Team Truett

 Beginning today, I’m asking and inviting everyone to join with us in prayer for the next 7 days. These 7 days will take us to April 7^th, which is Truett’s scheduled arrival. As April 7^th approaches Kristen and I become very excited. In the very next breath we become very anxious and afraid. The purpose of these 7 days is to put all of our energy together. I’ve heard it said before that prayer is the hand that moves the hands of God. Let’s get this team fired up over the next week and watch the hands of God move over Truett, Kristen and I, and of course, you! Hold on cause it’s gonna get good!

People constantly ask us how they can pray for us. These next 7 days will have a specific request for each day. Be sure and check back daily for each request. Also, please feel free to share this with your people, your church, your friends and your social media. We want the world to know about Truett. When they hear his story, hopefully they will hear His story as well.

 We’ve been using the hashtag #TeamTruett on all our social media posts and have asked others to do the same. One of the definitions for the word team is a group of people working together. If you are reading this post, you are on the team. If you’ve sent us a text, you’re on the team. If you’ve prayed for us, you’re on the team. If you’ve offered or given anything for the benefit of us or Truett, you are on the team. We’ve got the best team in the world! Thank you for everything that has been done for us. Let’s do this!

You can pray at anytime that is convenient for you and your schedule. I do want to share a few dates and times that have been significant to us during this journey. If these times help you remember to stop what you are doing and pray then certainly use them.

• September 25, 2014 / 9:30am / This was the time of our first appointment with Dr. Million and when we were referred to Dr. Fareed.
• September 25, 2014 / 2:00pm / This was the time when we met with Dr. Fareed and were told of Truett’s diagnosis. 
• April 7, 2015 / 10:00am / This is the time of c-section for us to meet Truett.

Alright, here we go!

Day 1: Today is a day of thanksgiving. I want everyone to thank our Lord for the family He has given us. Thank him for Kristen being an amazing wife. She has shown me such strength and honor during this time. Thank Him for our precious little Anniston. She is a little piece of dynamite. Her mommy and daddy love her more than we are able to express. She has certainly been a source of comfort for us. Finally, thank Jesus for giving us the honor and privilege of calling Truett our son. Thank Him for making Truett just the way he is. He is perfect little boy who is fearfully and wonderfully made. Praise God for a beautiful little boy named Truett!

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, everyone of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:13-17)

13 DAYS!!!!

13 days!! Lord willing, Truett will be making his appearance in 13 days! EEEEK!!!!!

I know it’s been awhile since Harry or I have blogged, but as you can imagine, life has been crazy and isn’t slowing down. So I may repeat some things I’ve already said, but I’m going to try to update y’all the best I can!

We have a cesarean scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 10am. Having a day set was reality for us. This is really happening. We had something to look forward too. I had an urgent cesarean with Anniston so that, plus the circumstances with Truett are why I’m having another one this time.

We’ve continued having our routine doctor appointments with Dr. Million. We cannot express enough how amazing she has been! Each visit she encourages us and lets us know that yes, this will be difficult, but in the end, everything will be okay. And she’s right, it will be! We have faith that the Lord will get us through this.

On February 22, my amazing friends and family threw us a “Shower of Love.” I’m going to be honest I was SUPER nervous about the shower. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want people to feel awkward or uncomfortable. My friends did an outstanding job and everything was perfect. Thank you for each hug, prayer and word of encouragement. Often times we don’t know how to respond, other than saying ‘thank you.’ So, THANK YOU for all your love and support shown to us.  

I’m feeling lots of different emotions these days! As if I didn’t think about it everyday before, it often overwhelms me. I think about checking in the hospital, them taking me back into the OR room, how Harry will handle seeing him, how am I going to handle seeing him. What will happen when we go back to our room? How emotional will our family and friends be? What will little Anniston think when she sees her “babay?” We are so excited but also very nervous because we have no idea what to expect.

This past Sunday, our church, LifeSpring Church (www.lifespring.cc), had a Life, Love, Acrania Day in honor of sweet Truett and us. It was overwhelming to see so many people in their “Team Truett” t-shirts supporting us and praying over us. Harry shared, as well as his Dad. The words spoken were so sweet and sincere. A service I will never forget. On everyone’s way out they were encouraged to take home a luminary to light that evening in honor of Truett and use the hashtag, #teamtruett or #lifeloveacrania. Harry & I were in tears at all the pictures that flooded social media that night. We seriously couldn’t keep up with all the notifications. We are so grateful for LifeSpring Church!

Today was my last routine doctors appointment, bittersweet for sure. We got to hear Truetts heartbeat and he put on a little show for Dr. Million, dancing and kicking all around! Next time we go to North Florida we will be entering Labor and Delivery! I’m not really sure how I feel about that at the moment but I know the days ahead are going to fly by!

Many people have asked how they can pray for us specifically. First and foremost, please pray for little Truett. We want him to be with us as long as the Lord allows, but we also want him to experience as little pain as possible. Pray for me that on the morning of April 7th I will be calm and experience God’s peace that can transcend all my understanding. Pray for Harry that God gives him the strength, wisdom and peace that he will need to be there for Truett and myself. Pray for Anniston that she will always remember meeting her little brother and the impact that he has had on the lives of others and that she will one day be able to share his story too. Pray for our doctors and nurses that day also. Dr. Million and Dr. Hatfield will be with me along with lots of nurses and staff. Pray the Lord gives them the knowledge and wisdom to do what they know is best and also that someone’s life will be touched because of Truett. Lastly, pray for our family. Sometimes I feel like they’re overlooked. Our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins have all been here for us since day one and I know that this has affected them too. Pray that Lord comforts them during this time in a way that only He can. Pray God gives them the strength and energy to be there for us and each other.

I know we’ve said this numerous times before, but thank you. Thank you to this little small town, that we call home, that has bent over backwards for us since our diagnosis on September 25, 2014. We wish we could thank each one of you personally. We will never forget how you’ve touched our lives during this time.

I apologize, I know this is getting long, but one last thing…. We would LOVE if everyone who has a “Team Truett” shirt could wear theirs on Tuesday, April 7^th and even post a picture using the hashtag, #teamtruett or #lifeloveacrania. We want to do whatever we can to share awareness about Acrania and show our love for baby Truett that day!

Much Love! <3

Kristen

Tom Brady and Truett

Like many of you, Kristen and I watched the Super Bowl on February 1^st. I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard fan of either team. However, I believe Bill Belichick is one of the more intelligent coaches in professional sports. He and Tom Brady have done something remarkable with that organization. It’s hard to count the New England Patriots out when it comes to the playoffs. However, after the first four games of the season, people did just that.

New England opened the 2014 season with a loss to their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots hadn’t lost a season opener since 2003 when Drew Bledsoe and the Buffalo Bills beat them 31-0. After the first four games this season Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were 2-2. Many people wrote them off. Don’t mind that there were still 12 games to be played. Tom Brady was finished. Bill Belichick’s era was coming to an end. The life that the New England Patriots had known for so long was now over. No one believed in them, except, themselves.

You can call me crazy if you want to. I told my wife and a small group of friends before the game what I am now about to tell you. I believe with all my heart that there are some similarities between Tom Brady/Pats and our son, Truett. I believe that God spoke to my spirit concerning this.

No one has given Truett a chance. Very early on, Kristen and I didn’t even give him a chance either. His life was going to be over soon after it began. I do believe that God has led us here. I believe He will continue to lead as long as we follow. We may lose some games early on. People might write Truett off saying there is absolutely no hope for him. But I believe in God. I believe God is stronger. I believe God is greater. I believe God is wiser. I believe God is gracious. I believe God is kind. I believe God is love. I believe God is able. I believe God! And because I believe God, Truett has a chance. Truett has a chance to be healed. Truett has a chance to live. Truett has a chance to grow. Truett has a chance to be loved. Truett has a chance, because I believe God.

You can’t simply discount the New England Patriots after four games. That’s crazy talk. It’s the New England Patriots. They find a way to win. They find a way to succeed.

You can’t simply discount God after you receive some devastating news. That’s crazy talk. He is the creator of life itself. He spoke the world into being. He is the defender of the weak. He is the rock. He is salvation. Time and time again Jesus did things that were impossible. Blind men can see. Dead people are now alive. Crippled people now walk. These things, according to man, are impossible.

We left our friend’s house after the halftime show. My mom was watching Anniston at our house and we didn’t want to be out too late and make my mom stay late. We got home and Kristen went to bed. I normally would have gone to bed as well but it was the Super Bowl. Not only was it the Super Bowl, but, I personally felt like I had something riding on this game. At the end of the third quarter the Patriots were down 10 points and things weren’t looking good. The Seattle Seahawks had scored 17 unanswered points and it seemed as if the Seahawks were going to repeat. But, they were playing the New England Patriots. You can’t count the Patriots out just because things don’t look good. The Patriots took the lead with a little over two minutes left in the game.

Then I began thinking of Truett. I started thinking about what God had spoken to me. If you ask anyone in the medical field they will tell you that Truett has no chance at all for survival. We asked 3 different doctors what they would do if they received the same diagnosis we did. All three said we should terminate the pregnancy. We spoke to four or five other people in the medical field. We received four or five more votes to terminate the pregnancy. Early on, people wrote off the Patriots. Early on, people wrote off Truett. Truett has now been alive in his mother’s womb for about 30 weeks. When his skull was supposed to develop, it did not. Around 20 or 21 weeks we found out that Truett has “hardly any brain tissue left” (Dr. Million). He still has a good strong heartbeat. Kristen and I still get to feel him moving around inside her belly. Sometimes Anniston gets to feel her little brother kicking her while Kristen is rocking her to sleep.

I have to admit, when Russell Wilson threw that deep pass to Jermaine Kearse, I had some doubts. I guess I didn’t believe what God had said after all. Seattle had the ball inside the five yard line. It was too easy. The game was over. It was going to be too difficult for the New England Patriots to stop them from scoring.

But, the miraculous happened. Even when I doubt, I believe. I can’t tell you what I felt inside my soul when the game was over and the New England Patriots were Champions. No one in that organization knows us. They don’t know Truett or his story. When the game was over I felt like Truett was a champion. The Patriots defied the odds. With their backs against the wall they won, they conquered. I believe Truett will live longer than people think he will. I don’t know if that will be a few days or weeks or how long that might be. But, the miraculous can happen. Truett may not ever have a skull and his brain can be forever gone, but the miraculous can happen. Truett will live. We look forward to spending as much time with him as possible. You see, Truett and Tom Brady really aren’t that different, you can’t count either one of them out.

Thank you all for your continued support of us through this journey. We love and appreciate you very much. I wish we could give everyone a hug and let you know how important you are to us. Please continue to pray for Truett, Kristen, Anniston and myself. I pray that through our journey and through Truett’s life, you will see Jesus in all of us. Here are a couple of verses that are very close to me.

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 ESV)

Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. (Romans 4:20 NLT)