Our 3 month old nephew, Paul Joshua Belcher, was recently diagnosed with a condition called Craniosynostosis. (CRAY-NEE-O-SIN-O-STOE-SIS) This is a condition where one or more of the fibrous sutures of an infant skull prematurely fuses by turning into bone (ossification), thereby changing the growth pattern of the skull. To put it a little more simply, as Paul grows, his brain will not have the room it needs to grow as well. Paul is thriving as a normal and healthy baby boy. He is meeting his milestones and the happiest little guy you’ll ever meet. But if his diagnosis is not corrected, it could leave lasting effects on him such as headaches, pressure on the brain, seizures and developmental disabilities. Although a very scary and unsettling thought, the silver lining in Paul’s diagnosis is that there is a surgical procedure that will fix his condition. Josh and Jen have met with the pediatric neurosurgeon and the pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon and were faced with a very difficult decision to make. They were given a few options of different types of surgery. Some being less invasive and one being more invasive. After lots of prayers asking for guidance to make the right choice for Paul, they have opted for the more invasive surgery, known as CVR (Cranio Vault Remodeling). He will be cut from ear to ear for prime access to the skull so that the doctors can reshape/mold his skull to how it should be, allowing that little brain of his to grow! It is a more promising surgery with a more predictable outcome along with a very low chance of any additional surgeries in the future. He will spend 5 days total in the hospital, the first 1-2 days in the pediatric ICU. Paul’s big day that will put him on the long road to recovery is scheduled for January 6, 2020. We ask everyone for extra prayers on that day and the days leading up to it! The one thing Jen has consistently told me is how much faith, strength and hope it is giving her and Josh to know how many people are praying for Paul. As we all know, children are strong and resilient. We have so much faith that Paul will recover perfectly from his procedure and lead a normal and healthy life. It will take many months for Paul to physically heal from this big surgery, which will not allow him to be in the care of anyone outside of his own home for quite sometime. He will need lots of one on one care. Because of this, Josh and Jen will be required to take a lot of unexpected time off of work. Thank God for health insurance, but unfortunately it will not cover all of the expenses that comes with a surgical procedure. The medical bills have already started rolling in for pre-op items and they are still recovering financially from an 8 week maternity leave when Paul was born, leaving Jen with no additional paid time off. The emotional burden of going through such a difficult event as a parent is hard enough. When you add on all of the financial stress that comes with situations like this, it becomes very hard. It is never easy to ask for financial help. It’s a bit awkward, maybe even embarrassing in a way. But, if we could all rally behind the Belcher family and help provide even the smallest financial help in this situation, I can tell you it would be the biggest and most humbling blessing they could ever ask for. I have had many amazing people reach out and ask how they can help. To be able to lift the burden of the financial aftermath of Paul’s surgery would be so wonderful and helpful. Any size donation would be a blessing and would help so much. And if you are not able to donate, a prayer would be equally as important and appreciated. With all of this being said, and on behalf of Josh and Jen, our family wants to say THANK YOU. Thank you for all of the messages, prayers, outreach, and concern. The Belcher family has been given a very difficult, scary and trying situation to overcome. With the help that has been offered from so many kind people, they will get through this. It will be a long journey, but we have faith!!