Thumbs

On the 12th day of Christmas (Jan 6), the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital is giving Matthew a thumb!  

Today was Matthew's second hand consultation in Dallas.  It was a rough journey there, both literally and figuratively, but it was well worth it.  The hand surgeon noted the following:

-Matthew is an anomaly (as we knew).  He is the first kid that she has seen with a missing thumb that doesn't have abnormalities in the wrists.  His wrists are perfect and will make the pollicization easier.
-The way that Matthew uses his hands makes him a perfect candidate for the surgery.  He uses his index fingers like thumbs, and he has muscle forming the way that it would for a thumb.  
-The surgeon was very excited to watch Matthew play, to see how active he was and how much he uses his hands.
-They will do one hand at a time.  We get to choose which hand goes first.
-He will have a cast after surgery. The cast will go all the way up to his shoulder and he'll have to wear it for 6 weeks.  For a boy that dislikes wearing long sleeves, it may seem like a very long 6 weeks.
-We will schedule the 2nd surgery at the 6 week post-op visit to get the cast off the first hand.  
-The good news about doing it so early in the year is that Matthew should be cast free for the summer.    
-Matthew would do just fine without the surgery. We know this and he proves it to us every day.  This is an optional surgery, but this surgery will make it easier for him to do what he does.  (50% of hand usage is attributed to the thumbs.)
-After the cast comes off, Matthew will not need therapy. He will use his finger like he always does, now it will just be easier for him. 

As I entered the waiting room that we first visited 14 months ago, I remembered how I sat there that first visit, praying that the day would come for us to have this surgery...that Matthew's heart would be strong enough, that he would still be with us.  That day is soon here!  Thanks be to God!

As excited as I am for Matthew to have thumbs, I wish I had a crystal ball to see how this all turns out. Because this is the first optional surgery, I worry if we are making the right decision. But I keep going back to the thought that this will make it easier for him.  Oh how I wish I could make every thing easier for him!

Matthew & Mickey have a lot in common!
Mattie was gifted this shirt from a sweet soul.