Prayer request

To my loyal readers, my apologies for the dearth in blogging. It's kind of rude to suddenly drop out with no explanatory note.

My reason is not trivial, though. I've been distracted by several life disruptions, the most difficult being the news that our baby, curently in utero, may have some serious health problems. Dads are hardwired to protect and comfort, but I find myself reduced to flailing on the sidelines, completely helpless.

Almost completely, that is. As Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "it's impossible to lose your footing on your knees."

So I'm praying with great fervor for as much healing as Our Lord wills. I believe He's already begun that healing, as the first diagnosis (or at least a very strong suspicion, comfirmed by two specialists via ultrasound) was a condition called trisomy 18, in which the baby dies on the day of birth.

In light of that devastating news, we elected to have an amniocentesis done, and had to wait two weeks to get the results.

The doctors were wrong. It's not trisomy 18.

Bullet number one dodged.

But there are a few visible anomalies: enlarged lateral ventricles and posterior fossa of the brain, plus a hole in the heart along with a smaller-than-normal atrial valve. The fetal cardiologist told us the heart may well heal over time before birth. The brain issues are more murky, hard to discern. So we continue to storm heaven.

The amnio found that the baby has a small portion of chromosomal material on the ninth chromosomal pair, and so we're meeting with a geneticist MD soon to find out what that could mean, if anything.

We're in no man's land. If you could remember the baby and us in your prayers, through the day or during holy Mass or rosary, it would be so greatly appreciated. We're asking our Catholic brethren to ask especially for John Paul the Great's intercession. My wife and I got to meet him briefly in Rome on our honeymoon. We have a picture on our wall capturing the moment when we asked for his prayers and pledged ours for him.

Holy Father -- now it's your turn!