Update for Baby Micah (Who is not a baby anymore!)

March 6, 2013

Dear Friends & Family
It has been so very long since we have updated on our grandson, Micah. I hope this update reaches most of you who walked with us during those first few years of his challenging life. We want to update you once again so you will know how your prayers have affected sweet Micah and his mommy (Stephanie) and daddy (Chris).

Micah is now 6 years old! He is a darling boy with a bright smile and great disposition. He still has many of the physical challenges he had when you last heard from us. He is still only about 21 lbs, still does not sit or stand or walk. He can army crawl at a snails pace but is gradually increasing his speed and distance. While he still has a feeding tube in place, he eats most of his meals by mouth. He says a few words : "good morning", "much" (when his mommy says to him "I love you sooooo --" she pauses and he says his word for "much").

Micah is still attending the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia twice a year with his mommy. They go there so Micah can be examined and assessed by all of the brain injury specialists in each area - physical, intellectual, nutritional, visual and respiratory. After the assessments, Stephanie is given a new set of therapies to do with Micah on a daily basis. The physical therapies take four people to do each day. Stephanie is always one of those people, and then three more are needed. I will explain further later.

During the course of Micah's life and treatment from the Instititues, Stephanie has been teaching him all sorts of things. As you may remember, it began with 12 x 12 note cards with a single word written on it in bold print - and Micah would be taught 50 words like this per week, and 11 phrases on large cards per week. At the end of each week, those words and phrases would be retired and a new set would be introduced. This would be done each and every week. Also Micah was taught counting and simple math by on 12 x 12 cards in this same way except that the numbers were illustrated as dots. Math was taught much differently than any of us had learned. All of these lessons continued to progress through the years as Micah grasped the knowledge until, at this writing, Micah is deemed a college level speed reader and understands advanced mathematics (algebra, pre-calc, etc.)! It is quite astounding to know this! Each time he goes back to the Institutes, they test him on the things he is learning, on his ability to understand things and answer questions correctly.

Because Micah is unable to communicate with verbal speech, he learned long ago to communicate by using a facilitative communication board. That is a little square board that has the letters of the alphabet divided into squares. He basically taps out the letters of the words he is trying to communicate with his mommy supporting his wrist. While this is a wonderful way for him to communicate, it is a very, very slow process and can take quite a while and a lot of energy for him to do this. Just recently, we were able to rent a computerized communication system called Tobii ATI with eye gaze technology. It is a technology that is calibrated to a person's eyes and then a person can look at the letters and numbers on a keyboard and the computer types the letters on the screen as it is being done. You can even add a voice to the computer so it speaks the words. This technology can not only enable a person to communicate more effectively and quickly, but can enable them to surf the internet, turn on the tv or any other device it is programmed to do. It could really open up Micah's world so much more. We rented this equipment for two months to see if Micah would be able to grasp how to do it. If he was successful, then we would all move forward to try to purchase this for him. However, initially in the first month, Stephanie found it very frustrating because she could not get a good calibration on Micah's eyes. It calibrates to both eyes and Micah has a problem with convergence in his eyes. His eyesight is perfect but both eyes are not always focused the same, so he was finding it very difficult. Just as we were thinking about sending the computer back and trying again in six months, Micah had a few very successful days with it. He began playing a matching game and one time, got every single match perfectly! So, we HAVE sent the computer back, but only because we are going to buy a brand new Toby computer for him. We are hopeful that one day Micah will be able to communicate more easily with anyone he wants to.

Micah and Daddy

 

 Micah's health has been nearly perfect! He almost never gets sick (which is completely contrary to what the doctors told us when he was born - they said he would be in the hospital most of his life with respiratory illnesses, etc.). This past week he had a sinus infection which came with a mid-level temperature for several days, but he is well on his way to health and smiling again!

This past September, Stephanie moved down to South Orange County (Mission Viejo) to be closer to us and our network of friends and family. She wasn't able to get enough volunteers to help with Micah's therapies each week where she was living. Some of Micah's physical therapies are done twice a day for one hour each session. It takes four people to do them - Stephanie and three volunteers. Once Stephanie moved to Mission Viejo, we were able to enlist many volunteers to help with Micah. We need a total of 42 volunteers each week and we currently have about one-third of that. After Micah started getting more of his physical therapy sessions in, we began to see more rapid improvements in his respiratory abilities, in his physical endurance and muscle memory, and he even began gaining weight. All of this is a result of more therapy sessions. It is so exciting to see the direct benefit from the loving time that our volunteers give to helping Micah. If you or anyone you know would be interested in helping with Micah, one hour per week, we would SO appreciate hearing from you.


If I could only say one thing about Micah it would be that he is a very happy little boy! He loves his mommy and daddy, and all his grandparents. He is adored by all of his aunts and uncles and cousins. Basically, Micah brings such joy to everyone he meets! None of us can even imagine (or remember) what our lives were without Micah. He has been the brightest light in our lives since his birth and continues to fill all of us with so much happiness and joy. Every little milestone he makes is celebrated by all who have followed his life story. And the beautiful thing is, Micah's life story is still just beginning. I wonder where God will bring him in this next year. What healing will He do in Micah? What healing will he do in so many of us who have learned to trust and believe even more because of what we have seen God do in and through this precious little boy?


I look expectantly to the future for what it has in store for Micah. One thing I know for sure is that Micah has been used like his namesake, Micah, in the Bible to draw people back to the Lord. We have received letters from so many of you who have shared how Micah's life and the miracles that the Lord has done in him has drawn you to Him. One letter a woman shared how she had been mad at God and hadn't been to church in years, but because of the love of God poured out on Micah, she had decided to go back to church and start taking her children with them. One precious person we had never even met made a handmade blanket for Micah when he was still in the hospital during his first month of life and she had delivered it personally to him. She shared that she had not been able to make anything for a few years due to circumstances in her life, but that she was inspired to make a gift for Micah. Families have come together in intimate moments to pray for Micah and his parents, giving parents opportunities to share the love of God to their children and teaching them about the power of prayer. We even received a letter from the Vatican that we had to have translated telling us that they were praying for Micah. Honestly, there are hundreds of emails we have received and kept that have been a testimony to God's love and power, and also to the strength of the prayers of His people who come together for the sake of a little child.



I hope this update reaches those who had been so faithful to remember Micah in their prayer. Please pass this on to anyone who might have been on your forwarding list. If someone wishes to refresh themselves on Micah's story, you can go to Micahstatus.blogspot.com to get past updates. We would love for you to keep Micah and his parents in prayer. We would love to hear from you, too. I will write again soon with an update on his mommy and daddy and what has transpired in the past years in their lives and I will also share an amazing story about what Micah says about Jesus!


PLEASE PRAY:

- That Micah will be able to learn to communicate more easily - perhaps with the use of the Tobii system.

- That Micah continues to grow and strengthen his muscles and respiratory system.

- That Micah begins to crawl more - faster and further.

- That he would have healing in his legs and arms and hands, and that he would one day be able to purposefully use them to stand, walk and hold things.

- And very importantly, please pray that we could enlist more volunteers to help with Micah's therapies.


Thank you - again - for your past devotion and dedication to our grandson, Micah. You have been vital in his healing and the victories in his life.


With love and thankfulness,

Gary and Teri Stache

P.S. We wanted to share with you that a few years ago, Micah's mother, Stephanie, received the Lord and is a believer and lover of God now! WOOOOO HOOOOO! Thank you to all of you who prayed. Xoxoxo

P.P.S. I am actually considering writing a book about Micah's journey for our families and plan on including tons of photos and clips from the multitudes of emails from those who have written to encourage and bless Micah and our family. I think it would be a beautiful thing to be able to give to Micah one day. If I end up doing that, I will let you all know in case you would like one as well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MICAH!

It has been many months since we have given you an update on our precious grandson, Micah. Thank you for those of you who have written and called requesting information on Micah. We appreciate your continued interest and prayers. They have certainly sustained us all and have directly impacted Micah’s healing.

Micah is now 2 years and 4 months old! He celebrated his 2^nd birthday on September 1^st. While he has not gained much weight over the past year, he remains very healthy overall. He has had one hospitalization because his weight was dropping. He wasn’t taking in enough nutrition. They put him on a custom formula diet to increase his calories and nutrition and he immediately began to gain his weight back. He is still so tiny….not more than 18 pounds. He currently is not eating food by mouth and is taking in nutrition through his feeding tube. Soon Stephanie will begin to try to feed him by mouth again.

Cognitively Micah is always improving. He is so aware of his environment and the people and animals around him. He has a darling personality and if he could talk and walk would be a little stinker, we are sure of that! He loves his mommy and daddy and his dog, Bowie.

Micah still cannot move his legs on his own. His legs remain very spastic (very stiff and difficult to bend). He has an awesome therapist (George) who works with him and by the middle of each visit, Micah’s legs are moving very smoothly like he is riding a bicycle. Micah loves George and we know that George is another precious gift from the Lord. As a side note, George worked quite a bit with Christopher Reeves with his injuries.

Stephanie has continued with the patterning therapy program that is being given through The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, PA (IAHP.org). In fact, Chris, Stephanie and Micah will be traveling there again in March for Micah’s bi-annual visit. There they will assess Micah’s progress to date and put together a custom program for the next six months of home treatment.

Micah is still being patterned two times a day, several times a week. Stephanie is helped by three volunteers that come to help move his little body. Getting volunteers still proves to be one of the biggest challenges for Stephanie. After the summer, she lost many regulars due to life and schedule changes. If you know of anyone who would be interested in helping an adorable boy get better, or if you know a student who could use community service hours, please let me know. It only requires one hour of time.

A huge blessing in Stephanie’s life was that she was able to move into her own place in December. She still lives in Fullerton. She is excited to be on her own and to have dedicated space for Micah’s therapy equipment, crawling track and padded flooring. Also, she has been able to hire her sister to help her several days a week which is another added blessing.

For those of you who prayed for Chris to finish his Cosmetology schooling, you will be happy to know that he finished and got his license. He has worked at a few different salons where they needed extra help but is looking for more permanent work where he can learn more and become better at what he does.

Micah continues to be the joy of all of our lives. Being with him is like a healing balm for whatever troubles one may have. His cute, smirky little smiles and his darling sounds fill us up to overflowing. This little man is truly loved!

There are so many photos I would love to share with all of you but this program I use to blog only allows three. I will send another three photos (with no update) in a few days just because I want to share a few more of my favorites with you.

Please pass this update on to those of your friends and family who have prayed for Micah. We would treasure your continued prayers for Micah’s complete healing, and for his parents, Chris and Stephanie.

Blessings to all of you,

Grandpa Gary and Grandma Teri Stache

Long Awaited Update on Baby Micah!

Hello, dear friends and family –

Again, it has been months since our last update. THANK YOU to all of you who keep asking for a Micah update and who continue to pray regularly for our precious grandson.

Micah is now 22 months old. He continues to be healthy overall – he still has had only a few minor colds and a flu bug – but nothing serious. His personality has really begun to show – he is a very happy and content little boy. I think one of his most favorite things is having his feet touched! He loves his feet to be kissed, tickled, rubbed, sucked on or whatever means you can think of to touch them! He gets very excited and it is a joy to see!

In April, I took Chris, Stephanie and Micah back to the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia (IAHP.org) for Micah’s six month assessment.

At the previous visit to the Institutes six months ago, Micah’s vision was measured to be that of a 5 ½ month old. Amazing considering he had been blind! At this visit, his vision had improved significantly (I believe it was found to be that of a 9 ½ month old. The staff at the Institutes were very impressed (and maybe even a little surprised) at Micah’s overall neurological improvements.

If you remember, Micah had been put on a reading program right after the visit in October 2007 as soon as it was determined that he could see. Stephanie would introduce 50 new words each week which were written in large, black letters on 11” x 11” cards. She would show them and read them to Micah several times a day between all of his other therapies. At the end of the week, those words would be retired and another 50 words would be introduced for the following week. Also, Micah was being given “phrases”. Stephanie would write random phrases on 6” x 22” cards and introduce several phrases a week to Micah in addition to his 50 new words. The Institutes asked Stephanie to bring all of the tools she was using with Micah to our visit in April. Then they randomly pulled out phrases to show Micah. Most of the phrases they chose had been “retired” from Micah’s program months ago because he had already learned them. An example of how they tested him goes like this. Holding up a randomly selected phrase card to Micah, the tester read, “Daddy is sleeping.”. Then holding up another randomly selected card, “The cat is thirsty”. Then holding both cards up, side by side, “Micah, which one do you do when you are tired?” Micah immediately looked at “Daddy is sleeping”. Now, I know this doesn’t seem like much, and it is a 50-50 chance that Micah will look at the correct answer. However, after repeatedly doing this for MANY cards, Micah looked immediately at the correct answer EVERY SINGLE TIME! The doctor said that not only is Micah learning words and phrases, he is taking in his environment and learning from conversations around him because no one has ever specifically taught him that “when you are tired, you go to sleep” for example.

We are excited about this progress in Micah’s neurological program. While he isn’t communicating well, you can just look in his eyes and know that so much is going on.

After repeated testing in many areas, they gave Micah a report card of being at 17 months in “average” neurological age – and he was only 19 months at the time of the visit. This assessment takes into account his intellectual, physiological, communicative and physical abilities. He is extremely high in his intellectual abilities (they say at about 6 years old in word knowledge and reading!), but his physical abilities are still extremely poor. He is not moving his legs on his own yet, he still does not have very purposeful movement and use of his arms and hands. He IS eating food completely by mouth and takes his fluid in by a dropper. Previously he had been being fed by mouth most of the time but sometimes needed to be fed through his feeding tube. He was not able to take in fluids by mouth before. Now, however, he is taking in both food and liquids by mouth. It is a slower process but he really enjoys eating!

At the end of the assessment in Philadelphia, the goals were set for the next 6 months. In these next months, one of the main focuses will be on increasing his respiratory function (which will increase oxygen flow throughout his body and brain), This will help his eating, his brain function, his vision and hopefully his mobility and physical growth. We have had a custom made, automatic respiratory vest made in Germany which Micah will wear all night as he sleeps and five hours during the day. This will help to teach him to take deeper breaths which will help all areas of his body and brain function.

Another area of focus will be Micah’s balance. An “anti-gravity” device has been made where Micah will wear a body-suit that has mountain climbing clips attached to it. He is then attached to the clips of the device and is bounced and turned every which way (using surgical tubing). He is hung upright, upside down, like superman flying and also on his back. All of the turning and bouncing is good for his balance and visual coordination, and so many other things I cannot remember. He really loved this activity when he tried it out!

Also, Micah will be spending more time on the floor on a crawling track. He is put at one end and encouraged to get to the other end. Much of the time he enjoys it, and other times he just gets mad. Since his legs and feet are not moving on their own, he uses his arms and crawls like a little soldier. It is challenging for him to do but he is getting better all the time.

Just this week, when I was with Stephanie and Micah, Stephanie showed me Micah’s “new thing”. Lying on his back, Stephanie holds down Micah’s arms over his head. Then she tells him to “Go!”. Then, on cue, Micah lifts both legs completely up at a 45 degree angle! Stephanie can do this over and over and Micah repeats his leg lifts on command! He is not bending his knees but rather using his abs and thighs to lift his legs straight up! I will send a photo soon when I take one of him doing this. It’s hilarious AND absolutely miraculous!!!!!

Micah is still doing the masking and patterning (moving his arms and legs in a crawling motion). We are so thankful for the many volunteers that come twice a day, every day to help with his patterning. Stephanie has recently sent out a desperate plea for more volunteers as many of her volunteers are not available during the summer months. If you are interested in helping even for just one hour a week or one hour a month, please let me know. It is very easy to do and you get to spend time with the precious monkey!

Micah continues to be the joy of our lives. I cannot imagine NOT having our precious little man. I don’t get to see him as much as I want (only about twice a week), but I am looking forward to this summer and having him visit with us while his mommy gets away for a weekends here and there.

Something strong is rising up in me and stirring me to press in to praying for Micah even more. Chris and I have recently taken Micah to be prayed for by our pastor Mike Hudgins and many of the staff at the Vineyard Community Church in Laguna Niguel. I would like to take him to Florida soon where there seems to be an anointing of healing going on there in Lakeland. We have seen much healing in our church and we already know of the miracle healings that the Lord has done in Micah. I ask that you would join me in praying and believing for even more miracles in Micah in the days, weeks and months to come.

I will be updating in a month with new photos and new firsts for Micah that are coming soon!

To God be the glory – for all He has done!!!!

With a heart filled with gratitude,

Grandma Teri

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

It has been a few months since the last update. We hope this update finds all of you well and full of the joy of the Lord.

Just after the last update, Chris, Stephanie and I took Micah to the Institutes in Pennsylvania (IAHP.org). This was a return visit – the previous one being six months prior. The purpose was to re-assess Micah’s development and adjust his therapies to fit his needs at this time. It would be very difficult to give you the full report – so much happened – but I will do my best to give you some of the highlights.

The first was an appointment with an ophthalmologist that has vast experience with brain-injured patients. He thoroughly examined Micah’s visual abilities. It was really interesting to watch what types of tests he did with Micah. He used various patterned and colored wheels and watched Micah’s responses as well as the responses of his pupils, etc. The end result was a report that he believes that Micah has the vision of a 5 ½ month old baby! It is a miracle – continuously in the making! Micah has a problem with convergence (which is basically the ability to turn his eyes inward to focus on an object at close range). That is not an unusual problem – even with a non-brain-injured child. With time and continued patterning, not to forget God’s great will, the convergence problem can possibly be corrected. This was wonderful news to us!

After Micah was assessed by all of the specialists at the Institutes, Chris and Stephanie were taught new patterning techniques that they are now doing with Micah. Fortunately for all of them, they were able to stop doing some of the former therapies that Micah just hated!

The top areas of focus (by no means are they the ONLY areas of focus) are improving Micah’s respiratory function, increasing Micah’s weight and size (which increased respiratory function would help immensely), and communication skills.

I am attaching a few very short video clips to show you some of the new therapies that Micah is doing.

These first two clips are of the patterning that simulates the movement of crawling. Where Micah’s patterning used to take two people to do them, it now takes a total of four people at one time, three times a day to do. Volunteers are vital to his continued progress.

The third clip is of Micah in a respiratory jacket. Chris and Stephanie are being taught how to stimulate his respirations by simulating his breathing pattern and pulling on the jacket straps to the beats of a metronome. The jacket has to be specially made to fit Micah. After Micah gets used to doing this therapy in his jacket and he doesn’t cry anymore, we will order a custom-made jacket which is actually automated and will do much of the same patterning but without the need for people. To me, it seems a lot like a blood pressure cuff only it is a jacket that goes around Micah’s mid-section and blows up and releases at the rate of his breathing. This is supposed to help increase Micah’s respiratory abilities. The better that is, the better his vision, his growth, his eating, his brain and body function, etc. This amazing piece of equipment is custom made to Micah’s specs in Germany. Once Micah has this piece of equipment, it will free Stephanie to do his reading program while at the same time doing his respiratory program. A little more on that in a minute. Here is the clip:

This final clip is of Micah doing another therapy which he doesn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, it is kind of fun for him! This therapy helps with his neurological and visual function.

I mentioned earlier about Micah’s reading program. The Institutes have put him on a reading program. If I am remembering correctly, Stephanie introduces 50 new words a week to Micah on 11” x 11” cards which she holds in front of him and then speaks the words to him. The cards and the letters are large which is perfect for maximizing Micah’s ability to see them and eventually recognize and comprehend them. This is an exciting part of Micah’s therapies. We are so hopeful for his progress in all areas in the next six months and really look forward to the six month visits to the Institutes.

This has been a lengthy update. Thank you for caring and for continuing to keep baby Micah and his parents in your prayers. We are very fortunate to have many loving, caring and sacrificial volunteers, friends and family members who are committed and devoted to Micah’s healing and care. If anyone lives in the vicinity of Fullerton, California, and wishes to volunteer to help with Micah’s patterning, please let me know. Stephanie is always looking for wonderful and caring people to come along side her to help Micah. It is very easy to do and does not take very much time at all. In fact, you would only need to commit one hour for your visit. She has openings every day of the week. Let me know if you want to help out!

Please continue to pray for complete healing of Micah’s brain and body, continued protection over his health, and continued strength and support for Stephanie in doing all that she is doing to help Micah get better.

May you be as blessed in 2008 as our family has been this past year with all that God has done. God is so good and we pray for His immeasurable love and goodness to fill your lives and families this coming year.

With love and thankfulness,

Teri and Gary Stache

October Update

Hello Friends and Family,

I come again with a very much delayed update on my grandson, Micah. Thank you to all who have continued to pray for him and also for those of you who so unselfishly and lovingly volunteer each week to help Stephanie pattern him.

We celebrated Micah’s first birthday this past September! Can you believe it’s already been one year? It was a special day with friends and family and a time of reflection and celebration of the precious life that the Lord has gifted all of us with. Micah has truly been a joy to know and to love. I cannot imagine our lives without him. I finally “get” what grandparents say about how wonderful and different and special the love for a grandchild is. I dream of kissing him all of the time and even find myself daydreaming about the next time I can hold him and kiss him. Oh, it truly is love of epic proportions!!!

These past few months (and more notably since Micah’s patterning has become more consistent), Micah has shown so much positive cognitive development. He smiles so much more than ever and he is purposefully communicating more all the time. Now, when you talk directly to him, he often begins cooing back to you as if in response to your communication. Sometimes, you can talk and ask him questions and you can see his little eyes light up and he makes a cooing response right back! As you can imagine, it is a precious and priceless gift to be on the receiving end of his “little talks”. I can only believe that with more time and healing, and more hours spent patterning him and helping his brain to “rewire”, that Micah’s “talks” will become more frequent and more and more intentional on his part. Micah loves his sensory balls in bright, primary colors. It is so neat to watch him focus in on one and then see his arm reach out towards it. He does the same thing to the family Chihuahua, Bowie. Micah LOVES Bowie and will hear Bowie’s nails on the hard floor and slowly turn his head towards the sound as if looking to find the dog. These are all such wonderful developments! It proves that Micah’s brain is registering information and sending messages and impulses to other parts of his body.

With the assistance of her wonderful volunteers, Stephanie has been working very hard with Micah every day. Her hard work is paying off. Micah’s body is getting stronger and his muscle tone and mass is really increasing. Even though his body weight is still very low (not sure what it is at this time), the tightness and spasticity in his legs and arms is much less than it has ever been. He finally looks like he has some meat on his little bones!

Oh, and in the pictures, take note of Micah’s first four teeth! Gosh, that little man has a strong jaw! Beware!!!

Thank you for continuing to pray for Micah’s health and for protection from illnesses. Micah still seems to be one of the healthiest babies I have ever seen – and I’ve been mothering for 23 years! We had a little scare a month ago when he was taken to the emergency room for a high fever for days. They took x-rays and thought that he was in the early stages of pneumonia. Then, a few days later, Micah broke out with a rash which was diagnosed as Roseola (which is a common childhood disease). With a healthy dose of prayer, antibiotics and loving from his mommy and daddy, Micah was better and back to his cute little self.

If you remember, last April we took a second trip to the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Pennsylvania with Micah. That is where they assessed Micah’s health and development and then prescribed specific therapies for him. Chris and Stephanie also attended courses to educate them on the methods used and overall understanding of brain injuries.

Well, we are returning to the Institutes in a couple of weeks. Chris and Stephanie will again attend two days of training and education, Micah’s development will again be assessed to see the progress he’s made, and a specific course of therapies will be given to be done over the course of the next six months. We will be taking Micah to see a Pediatric Ophthalmologist who specializes in brain-injured children. We are really excited to see where Micah’s visual abilities are at this time.

On another note, Chris will be finished with school next Tuesday and will be sending in his application to take the State Board test. Once he takes and passes the test, he can then work full-time doing hair. He is very gifted and talented at doing hair, and has a great personality to go along with it. He really enjoys being creative in this way and is looking forward to starting to build his career. In the past there have been some pretty exclusive salons that have expressed interest in having him work for them. Thank you for praying for him and we ask for continued prayers for this season in his life.

Thank you for continuing to love and pray for Micah, and for Chris and Stephanie. I have to say that you would be so proud of both of them. They’ve grown so much since Micah’s birth. Chris is really beginning to grow into the man I know he was created to become. Recently, he went to our church men’s retreat with Gary and the Lord really touched him. He met and connected with several Godly, young men who will be great friends for him once he begins cultivating the relationships. The Lord brought an awareness to Chris of His love and we are seeing some pretty amazing changes in him already. He’s been going to a young adult group fairly frequently and has been going to church more often. Stephanie is proving to be a very good, strong, loving and committed mother. Micah is very fortunate to have her for a mommy. She is fighting for him daily and will never give up.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:

PRAY FOR OUR UPCOMING TRIP TO THE INSTITUTES ON OCT. 21^st thru OCT. 27^th.

PRAY FOR CONTINUED PROTECTION OVER MICAH AGAINST ANY INFECTIONS OR ILLNESSES.

THAT MICAH WOULD GAIN WEIGHT.

PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING OF MICAH’S SIGHT.

PRAY FOR HEALING OF MICAH’S BODY & MUSCLES. THAT ALL SPASTICITY IN ALL PARTS OF HIS BODY WOULD BE HEALED AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE FULL, PURPOSEFUL FUNCTION OF HIS ARMS, HANDS, LEGS & FEET.

PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING & RESTORATION OF HIS BRAIN.

PRAY THAT CHRIS WILL GET A TEST DATE SOON AND THAT THE LORD WOULD BE PREPARING A GREAT JOB FOR HIM.

PRAY FOR CONTINUED STRENGTH FOR STEPHANIE TO DO ALL THAT SHE HAS TO DO WITH MICAH.

PRAY FOR ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HELP WITH MICAH’S PATTERNING THAT THE LORD WOULD BLESS & PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES.

ALSO, PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE MICAH TO TOUCH PEOPLE’S LIVES & HEARTS AS HE HAS DONE SO ALREADY.

I know this journey has been made so much easier because of you, your prayers, support and encouragement, and your love. We appreciate your letters of encouragement and hope you will continue to battle in prayer for Micah’s healing. May your rewards in heaven be more vast than anything you can imagine for all you have sown into our family.

With love,

Grandma Teri

OPEN HOUSE FOR VOLUNTEERS

Thank you so much for those of you who have written to offer your assistance with Micah's patterning. We are now trying to get volunteers plugged in to a time slot that fits their schedules.

If there are any of you who have not responded but desire to help with Micah's recovery, please contact me. We can certainly use your help!

For those who want to help in the Fullerton area or those who would like to see what Micah's patterning entails before you make a decision to volunteer, we are hosting a 2 hour open house this Saturday, August 4th from 1:45 to 3:45 in Fullerton. Stephanie will demonstrate a one hour patterning. If you like, you can try it at that time or you can wait until the time that you come to help. It is really very simple; it just takes two people to do it.

Stephanie needs help for one hour, three times a day, seven days a week. She needs helpers for the hours of 9:00-10:00 a.m., 1:00-2:00 p.m. and 3:00-4:00 p.m.


If you would like to come on Saturday, PLEASE EMAIL ME BY SATURDAY MORNING - 10:00 A.M. (stachemama@aol.com). We need to know for sure if you are coming. I can give you the address and directions when I hear from you. We will have refreshments and you will have a chance to ask questions and get to know Stephanie and Micah a bit.

For the Ladera Ranch volunteers, we have your name and contact information and will contact you in the future when we are ready to set up a schedule for Micah's visits here. There is no need at this time for you to come on Saturday.

Please contact me if you have any questions. It might be more expedient if you call me on my cellphone at 949-322-6176. You may email me as well. I check my emails frequently.

I hope to see many of you!

To the rest of you, KEEP PRAYING!!!! GOD IS STILL AT WORK DOING HIS MIRACLES!

Love, Grandma Teri

July, 2007 - UPDATE

Dear Friends & Family,

Thank you so much for your patience in waiting for this update and thank you also for your continued prayers for baby Micah.

In the last update, we reported the wonderful things that happened while we were in Pennsylvania at the Institutes. Micah smiled and cooed, he moved his legs and feet for the first time, and we found that Micah was beginning to see. We also found out that he was lacking in oxygen to his body. They showed us how to "mask" Micah for 20 seconds. This is where he breathes in his own carbon dioxide. When this was done, the oxygen saturation levels went up and Micah would become more aware of his environment. Micah was not drinking from a bottle at all and was being fed liquids through his tube. He was liking baby food but not eating much at all.

Since returning from the Institutes, Stephanie has been working on gradually implementing a nutrition program and physical/visual therapy program that the Institutes gave them which was specifically designed for Micah. I am thrilled to report that Micah is eating food through his mouth fairly well now. At one time, he was eating up to 2 jars of food per feeding (approx. every 3-4 hours). Now, though, he has been eating about one full jar per feeding. He still continues to get his milk and water through the feeding tube. He also continues to be a very healthy little boy. After the visit to the Institutes, Micah was taken off of his reflux medications and was beginning to be fed food via his mouth. Since then, he has not had any problems with reflux! Micah is still not gaining weight (he was under 13 pounds at his last check-up a month or so ago). Stephanie has been adding almond oils and other natural supplements to his food which were recommended to add calories, but he still isn't gaining weight.

As you can see from the darling photos, Micah smiles so much now. A few times, he has focused in on a toy he likes that is being held over him and he has extended his hand towards it. This is a miracle in itself! He can see and his precious brain is telling his arms to reach for it! This doesn't happen often but still, it is huge progress.

Micah's physical/visual therapies ("patterning") are underway. When he gets his full therapy sessions in a day, his legs are bending by the end of the day and are not spastic at all. It is amazing what a difference the patterning makes in reducing his spasticity. The challenge has now become having enough help to do his patterning consistently throughout the day. Micah's therapies need to be done all of his awake hours (with the exception of when he eats, naps, has a diaper change or just needs a little consoling).

Since Micah's success with the patterning is dependent on the consistency and frequency of it being done every day, we are in desperate need of volunteers who would be willing to help for any amount of time they have available. I would like to help Stephanie by working out a weekly schedule of volunteers and time slots that they can come to assist her with Micah. At this time, his patterning only takes two people to do them. Eventually, it will take a total of three people to pattern him but for now, we only need one extra person to help Stephanie. They live in Fullerton, California, near the 57 freeway and Yorba Linda Boulevard.

Would you please consider volunteering to help pattern Micah? If you are local and have any time to spare during your week, we would so greatly appreciate your help. We will schedule a few dates very soon where you would be able to come and see a demonstration of what his patterning entails. You can be trained at that time as well. It is really very easy to do.

Also, there may be times in the future where Micah may be down at our house in Ladera Ranch (a community within Mission Viejo). If you are able to volunteer to help in Ladera Ranch, please also let us know that. It is most important for volunteers in the Fullerton area, though.

If you are able to help with Micah's patterning, will you please email me as soon as possible with the day(s) and time(s) you would be willing to spend? Also let me know which areas you can help in (Fullerton or Ladera Ranch, or both), keeping in mind that Fullerton is the most important location we need help in. I will contact you right away and can answer any questions you may have.

Micah is approaching his first birthday on September 1st! Can you believe one year has almost passed? Looking back on the year, I am awestruck at God's goodness and His mercy. He has truly blessed our family with a precious, precious gift of love - Micah. Thank you for loving our Micah and for walking this miraculous and wonder-filled journey with all of us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:

PRAY FOR CONTINUED PROTECTION OVER MICAH AGAINST ANY INFECTIONS OR ILLNESSES.

PRAY THAT MICAH WOULD GAIN WEIGHT.

PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING OF MICAH'S SIGHT.

PRAY FOR HEALING OF MICAH'S BODY & MUSCLES. THAT ALL SPASTICITY IN ALL PARTS OF HIS BODY WOULD BE HEALED AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE FULL, PURPOSEFUL USE OF HIS ARMS, HANDS, LEGS & FEET.

PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING & RESTORATION OF HIS BRAIN.

PRAY FOR CHRIS THAT HE SUCCESSFULLY FINISHES SCHOOL & THAT WHEN HE DOES, HE GETS A STATE BOARD TEST DATE SOON.

PRAY FOR STRENGTH FOR STEPHANIE TO DO ALL THAT SHE HAS TO DO WITH MICAH.

PRAY FOR MANY VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH MICAH'S PATTERNING.

ALSO, PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE MICAH TO TOUCH PEOPLE'S LIVES & HEARTS AS HE HAS DONE SO ALREADY.

In your prayers, please join us in thanking the Lord for all He has done, for all He is doing now and for the wonderful things He has yet to accomplish in and through our precious grandson.

Much love and blessings to all of you,

Grandma Teri

WONDERFUL PRAISE REPORT!

Where do I begin?!

First, the MOST IMPORTANT place to begin is in giving ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO OUR FATHER WHO IS THE GIVER OF LIFE & WHOSE TOUCH CAN HEAL ANY DISEASE, INJURY OR AILMENT. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING MIRACLES YOU HAVE DONE IN MICAH. THANK YOU FOR THE NEW LIFE YOU HAVE BREATHED INTO OUR MIRACLE MICAH JUST THIS PAST WEEK. YOU GIVE US SO MUCH HOPE AND JOY. WORDS AREN’T ENOUGH TO ADEQUATELY EXPRESS THE DEPTHS OF OUR GRATITUDE. WE LOVE YOU!

We want to thank Mr. David Wild and his wonderful students at Tri-City Christian School in Vista, California, for all of your beautiful and encouraging cards and prayers. Please keep up the powerful prayers for Micah and his parents – GOD IS LISTENING!!!! We will be answering each one of your letters soon.

I want to remind all of you of where Micah has been physically up to this point. Micah is still not taking a bottle but being fed breast milk by tube. He likes to eat baby food but cannot take very much at a time. He doesn’t seem to have any problems eating by mouth. Micah has had visual light sensitivity and recently we thought from time to time that he might be looking at us but could not really tell for sure. He has been very healthy overall with the exception of a couple of very small colds. His legs and feet are very, very spastic. His legs are totally stiff and do not bend at the knee. He has never moved his legs or feet on his own at all. He hasn’t really smiled – sometimes a little gleam in his eye and a “sort of” smirk/smile but not very often. He hates the car seat or sitting in any seat and does not like to lie on his back or on his stomach while he is awake. When he does, he cries and cries. With the exception of a very occasional time, Micah has not started cooing. Just after a sneeze he might take a second big breath and let out an “oooooohhhh” for a brief second – but nothing intentional and pretty much that has been it.

We took Micah to the Institutes in Pennsylvania (IAHP.org) a couple of weeks ago to spend two full days with their specialists. The purpose for this visit was or them to assess his developmental abilities and then to put him on an intensive therapy program to try to re-pattern his brain. Also, we were seeking a “second opinion” because the medical doctors here at home were strongly recommending a surgery for Micah where the muscles in his hips and legs would be cut (released). Micah’s hips are dislocated and his femur bones are several inches from his hip sockets, and his knees are being pulled in the opposite direction because of the muscle spasms. This is caused by the brain injury. What we have since discovered is that this surgery that the doctors are pushing for is only “cosmetic” in nature and does nothing to improve Micah’s abilities – present or future. It serves only to make Micah look normal (his legs loose and bent at the knees and his feet straight, etc.). We have been told that he would most likely need repeated surgeries just like this through the years because of scar tissue and also because the problem isn’t really solved. The brain will still tell the muscles to do the same thing. The general opinion of the Institutes is that this surgery is NOT a good thing – especially for a baby who has so much potential for healing in his brain. The idea is that if the brain is healed or re-patterned, the muscles will hopefully begin to do what they are supposed to do.

The first day we were there, Micah saw all types of doctors, therapists, a nutritionist, respiratory specialists, etc. Each one of them had the job of assessing his current developmental stage. While Micah was seen by numerous specialists, one session stands WAY OUT.

- One of the doctors was testing Micah’s ability to feel cold. He touched his naked little body with a cold pack and Micah showed that he could feel it (we already knew that). Then he laid Micah down on top of the cold pack so that his bare back was touching the pack. Micah immediately began to hyperventilate and then his legs and feet started moving!!! One of his knees even bent a little! He began to smile and he started making sounds that he has never made! Unfortunately for me, I had just left the room to get a diaper for him when this happened. When I returned to the room, Chris and Stephanie were beside themselves with joy and wanted to try it again so I could see. This time, instead of using the cold pack, they blew on his face so that he would take in air. As soon as he took a big breath, his little legs began to lift and his feet moved a little back and forth! Then the doctor placed a few large white cards with black shapes on them in front of Micah – and Micah looked at them! He followed the cards as they were moved. It was so obvious to all of us that Micah was seeing!!!! Micah’s little face was just beaming – he was very obviously excited! It was as if a whole new world just opened up to him. We just cried right there. I cannot describe that moment any better than to say that we were witnessing yet ANOTHER MIRACLE in the making!

The doctor put a pulse ox on Micah’s finger to find out the oxygen saturation level in his blood. The result was a 77% -not very good. Then, the doctor put a plastic mask over Micah’s nose and mouth and let Micah breathe his own carbon dioxide for 20 seconds. He removed the mask and waited one minute and then tested his oxygen level. It was now up to 96%. He masked Micah again for 20 seconds – now it was at 98%. He repeated the process one more time and Micah was at 100% oxygen saturation. The doctor said that Micah is not getting enough oxygen and that all the oxygen that he is getting is going to his trunk and that his legs and brain are not getting what they need. So, part of Micah’s therapy will be masking him numerous times throughout his waking hours every day.

Since that session with the doctor, Micah has not been the same. He LOVES being on his back now – probably because he can see! He has begun to interact with us. It was so fun watching Chris and Stephanie talk to him and play with him. They were so animated and excited and Micah just got excited right along with them. Micah was doing what all the medical doctors to this point have said he would NEVER do – he was INTERACTING with them! You can imagine the joy we all felt – especially Micah’s mommy and daddy. We spent hours blowing on Micah’s face so he would take a deep breath in and move around. And so often he would coo.

I have attached two short video clips to this update. I hope you will be able to access them. Make sure your volume is turned up so you won’t miss his little voice. The videos are quite shaky but you will see the “new Micah”. Look at the expression and life in his little eyes and the little smiles. Take a look at his legs lifting and his little feet doing small little movements. AND REMEMBER, HE HAS NEVER DONE THIS ON HIS OWN BEFORE!!!! (If for some reason you have trouble playing these videos, please email me at stachemama@aol.com and I would be thrilled to send them to you).

Using the Institute’s methods (which they established & are now being used throughout the world), back in December Micah was at the “developmental” age of less than ½ month old even though he was actually 3 months old in age. After this appointment, it was determined by them that Micah is now a little over 3 months in his developmental age. He is now 8 months old. So, in 5 months, Micah has grown over 3 months developmentally. We know that Micah will catch up!!!

Stephanie was given various therapies to do with Micah. One is masking Micah numerous times a day. Another is to begin getting Micah used to eating food by mouth. He is on a strictly “organic” diet as is Stephanie now since she still feeds Micah her milk. Micah will also begin being “patterned”. One of the initial patterning techniques that will be done on Micah takes two people. One person will move his arms while the other moves his legs in a flowing movement that mimics his movements while he was in Stephanie’s womb. This patterning is done numerous times throughout Micah’s waking hours. Eventually, we pray, Micah’s brain will register muscle memory from that early stage in his life and then his legs will begin to loosen and move in that same pattern on their own. The masking will aid tremendously in this process by giving Micah the oxygen he needs to feed his brain and body. Also, the masking will help to improve Micah’s vision. The doctor says that he can see up to about 2 feet. He does not see “up”, but straight out and down. He sees outlines and color. His vision is not “good”, but HE CAN SEE!!!!!!!! We know that this is just the beginning.

Just after we knew that Micah could see, I went out to a local bookstore and bought several new books for him. I got this one big book on Colors. Each page had objects in one color and the color was bright. It was so fun showing Micah the books because you could just watch his eyes go over each object on the page. It was wonderful!

We will be returning to the Institutes in six months for another assessment of Micah and a review of his therapies. Believe it or not, at that time depending on his visual abilities, they may start him on a reading program!

I realize this update is long but I know you do not mind! The prayer requests are simple this time. I would ask that you would continue to pray as the Lord leads you.

We would love you to specifically pray for the following things:

THAT GOD WOULD GIVE STEPHANIE SUPERNATURAL PATIENCE, STAMINA & HEALTH – THE DAYS WILL BE VERY LONG FOR HER.

PRAY THAT STEPHANIE GETS INTO A COMFORTABLE RHYTHM OF DAILY THERAPIES FOR MICAH.

AND MOST OF ALL – ASK GOD TO CONTINUE HIS AMAZING, MIRACULOUS HEALING OF OUR GRANDSON. HE HAS DONE SO MUCH ALREADY – IT SEEMS SELFISH TO ASK FOR MORE – BUT WE WILL ANYWAY!!!!

Once again, we thank you from the depths of our hearts for your continued prayers and encouragement. It blesses us when we get requests for updates when we haven’t done one in a while because it means you are still thinking of Micah. We love your letters of encouragement.

Thank you for loving our Micah.

Grandma Teri

April, 2007 - Update

Look at my new hair-do!


Me & my grandma enjoying the sun...

Micah is doing pretty well these days although he may have a little cold right now. At the last update, the pediatric orthopedic doctor at CHOC said that Micah was going to need surgery to release the muscles in his hips and legs. Micah saw another doctor for a second opinion and his advice was basically the same. It was said, though, that Micah will most likely need repeat surgeries and that one of the drawbacks of doing this surgery is that they can cut too much muscle which could permanently affect his ability to walk later in life.

After the first doctor’s recommendation for surgery, Stephanie called the Institutes in Pennsylvania to talk with them about their recommendations. It is their general belief that this type of surgery is not ideal for a child because it damages vital muscles needed to walk, crawl, etc. and because they believe that with proper therapies, the brain can be re-patterned and the muscles can relax on their own. I know there are much better explanations than the ones I am giving for their general disapproval of this type of surgery. The good news is that they have asked us to bring Micah to them for a very extensive assessment by their team of specialists. We are bringing all of his xrays, MRI’s, CatScan results, etc. for them to review. They usually do not allow someone to come for this type of an assessment for sometimes up to 1 ½ years after they have done their home therapy program and had remarkable results. However, due to the decision about the surgery that has to be made very soon, and the fact that Micah is only 7 months old and his brain is so impressionable, they are allowing Micah to come now. This is a miracle in itself…that they would step up the process for Micah’s benefit! They will assess him and then give their opinion on whether they feel this surgery is best for Micah. They told Stephanie that they feel that the surgery should only be done as a last resort. After they have seen Micah, they most likely will put him on an intensive home therapy program to help re-pattern his brain. Hopefully, the Lord willing, his brain will soon begin to tell his body what it needs to be doing and he will begin another leg of his journey to healing. We will be going to Pennsylvania from April 24^th-28^th. If you would like to visit the Institutes website, you may find them at iahp.org.

Since finishing his steroid treatments, Micah has not had any more seizures. We are praying that they are completely and forever gone.

Micah is eating baby food now. He loves his food! He still only takes a minimal amount but he does very well with what he does eat. He is not taking the bottle well again and takes most of his fluid feedings through the tube.

Chris recently gave Micah is first haircut! He looks just like a little man now….so darling! Micah still continues to bring joy to his family and everyone he meets! He is a most precious gift from God to all of us.

As we continue to wait with expectation for the next miracle that God will do, we ask that you would continue to join us in prayer. We continue, just as the Lord has directed us, to persist in prayer for Micah's healing.

Please pray for the following:

PRAY THAT MICAH WOULD BEGIN TAKING THE BOTTLE AGAIN & THAT HE WOULD TAKE IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS OF MILK.

PRAY FOR PROTECTION OVER MICAH AGAINST ANY INFECTIONS OR ILLNESSES.

PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING OF MICAH’S BLINDNESS.

PRAY FOR WISDOM, DISCERNMENT & PEACE OVER THE DECISION OF MICAH’S SURGERY.

PRAY FOR HEALING OF MICAH’S BODY AND MUSCLES. PRAY THAT GOD WOULD TAKE AWAY ALL SPASTICITY IN ANY & ALL OF HIS MUSCLES & THAT GOD WOULD GIVE MICAH FULL USE OF ALL OF HIS BODY PARTS.

PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING & RESTORATION OF HIS BRAIN.

PRAY FOR STEPHANIE & CHRIS THAT THEY WOULD HAVE ALL THEY NEED PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, SPIRITUALLY & FINANCIALLY.

ASK GOD HOW HE WOULD HAVE YOU PRAY FOR THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

PRAY FOR THE UPCOMING TRIP TO PENNSYLVANIA FOR A SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT OF MICAH & WISDOM FOR HIS TREATMENT.

AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY – THANK GOD FOR ALL OF THE MIRACLES HE HAS ALREADY PERFORMED FOR MICAH AND FOR THE PRECIOUS LIFE OF THIS CHILD HE HAS ENTRUSTED TO US.

I will be updating again after we return from Pennsylvania to let you know how it went.

May God’s abundant blessings be with all of you. Thank you for praying for our grandson.

Love, Grandma Teri