June 10

So this happened at soccer practice in the fall of 2013.

He was probably the only North Pole elf in the history of the world sporting a bright blue cast with spider motif.

Fast-forward 2 years and his viola teacher noticed that he was no longer holding his viola correctly. At first she thought he was just developing a bad habit or getting lazy but as she worked with him, she realized that he actually could not physically turn his wrist in the correct manner anymore. A little more probing, and my non-complaining, high pain-tolerance son admitted that it also hurts him to play.

That's a problem.

And the cause of the problem? The initial break was in the growth plate. That bone stopped growing. The rest of Isaac, including the other bone in his forearm, grew in leaps and bounds.

We could do nothing and just hope that the tendon, which is stretched because of the uneven bone growth, never snaps. And Isaac would always struggle do to what he does well and wants to do for a very long time - play viola.

But also because he wants to be able to play viola for a very long time, we searched for a surgeon we could trust. This led us to Johns Hopkins and a doctor who did the unthinkable - he actually sat down and talked with Isaac, asking about him, what he likes to do, what he wants to do for a career, what kind of range of motion he needs, how he needs to hold his hand, etc.  And then he looked at the bone and the x-ray.

So we covet your prayers for this Friday, June 10, when Isaac is scheduled for surgery. Bone will be taken from his hip to lengthen the bone in his arm. Pray that the surgeon's hands will be guided right where they need to go. We pray for complete healing and perfect range of motion afterward.

We pray that in 2 weeks we will again hear the beautiful music of Isaac and his viola.

Healer, Great Physician, Author of our Stories, hear our prayers.