Well, it's New Year's Eve and I'm blogging from St.Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock where in about an hour or so, my oldest son, Zack, will undergo back surgery to repair a herniated disc pinching a nerve at L5/S1 in his lower back. A freshman quarterback on scholarship at Taylor University in Indiana, the kid is tough as nails having played through the pain of broken bones in his back, too, for the past two seasons. And after a year of message therapy, chiropractic treatment, steroid injections and epidurals, it's finally (and thankfully) come down to this: surgery. The prognosis, however, is very good and this gives us much cause to celebrate with Zack tonight in spite of our circumstances.
"Be joyful always ...
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ."
I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Dr. Richard Peek is a highly skilled surgeon and partnered with the Great Physician, we know Zack's in good hands. Dr. Peek will make a one inch incision and trim the disc at the point of the bulge eliminating the pressure on the nerve and, consequently, the chronic pain shooting down the back left side of Zack's body from buttock to knee. The procedure will take no more than a couple of hours. Assuming no complications, Zack will be walking within a few hours and for the first time in more than two years (God willing) free of pain.
Our family would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for Zack in the days and months ahead, indeed, as we seek for him a full recovery and return to the playing field. Of course, through such experiences, resolve is tested; and I have no doubt, Zack is growing in character, patience and responsibility through it all. May God continue to have his way and will in our son.
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