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December 23, 2003

New Prayer Request for Strength and Comfort

Family and Friends,

I have some very sad news.

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers for my mom. She is doing ok and will be going forward with her surgery in January. I'm sorry that I haven't responded personally to each one of you that replied, but shortly after I sent the original email we were hit with some other bad news. Needless to say, last week was an awful week. Also to address some concerns, we did feel the earthquake yesterday but are alright. There was no damage near Los Angeles. Please pray for the families of those that were killed during the quake.

As you all know from previous emails, Kristina and I have tried to get pregnant for five years. We were successful, without the help of doctors shortly after we moved to Los Angeles. God has decided that it is not yet in his time for us to have a child. We first found a problem last Friday while going for a routine ultrasound and genetic counseling session. Because Kristina just turned 35 this year, they consider this a high-risk pregnancy. In a high-risk pregnancy, you have more frequent ultrasounds and tests that check for heart defects and possible Down's Syndrome. We were prepared that if something came back positive for one of these problems we would accept it and move ahead.

When the doctor tried to do an ultrasound, she had difficulty getting an image. This is caused because of a lack of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. This meant that either there was a leak or that the baby was not producing any of the fluid. As the exam progressed, the doctor was able to locate the organs from the abdominal cavity and above (brain, heart, diaphragm, stomach), but was not able to locate the kidneys. The doctor explained the situation and discussed some details, but we had a very poor experience with this doctor. That is part of what made Friday so difficult.

Last night, Monday, we sought out a second opinion. Unfortunately, we have come to the same conclusion. This doctor was amazing though. He was very supportive and did everything possible to find some ray of hope. Ultimately, there is no chance that the baby will survive to term. About 1 in 5,000 pregnancies result in RENAL AGENESIS which is an absence of kidneys. We were assured that it was nothing we did. Kristina has carried this baby very well and her health has been in excellent control.

On the positive side, there are no documented cases of multiple renal agenesis pregnancies. We have been encouraged to try again very soon and that the odds are very good that we will get pregnant soon. Also, because we have had a problem with this pregnancy there is a very LOW chance that we will have problems in the future.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. Friday and Saturday were extremely rough. Yesterday was not easy, but we were prepared and had a few people praying for us. We took time last night to call our family and a very few others who were aware of this situation. We do believe that God has a greater plan and purpose for this happening. At the very least, he let us know that we could get pregnant and gave us much needed encouragement. We had become very discouraged before this summer. We are doing alright, but know we are grieving and will be for an undetermined period of time. This is probably one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do or write, but I felt it was important for my process and to let all of you know what happened. Also know that we love you all hope you understand that we will not want to discuss this with everyone. It is extremely emotionally draining on Kristina. I want to be honest and tell you that it is very rough for us to see our friends and family have successful pregnancies, but this is something that we know God is working through with us. We encourage all of you who are pregnant or may become pregnant to enjoy every single minute of it because it is a blessing and a miracle from God. Just know that we covet your prayers and understanding.

Love and peace,

Marc

Posted by Marc at December 23, 2003 9:26 AM

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Comments

Posted by: michelle at December 23, 2003 10:52 AM

Posted by: :: jozjozjoz :: at December 24, 2003 11:51 AM

Posted by: Stephanie at December 29, 2003 9:13 AM

Posted by: Linda Brown at February 4, 2004 3:54 AM

Posted by: Linda Brown at February 15, 2004 2:26 AM

Posted by: Linda Brown at February 15, 2004 2:53 AM

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