The Miracle Story Of Our Little DC

            

        Four years ago, when he was just four months old, my little DC was diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux or VUR. Vesico-uretic reflux (VUR) occurs when the valve between the ureters and the bladder is not working properly. Urine can flow backwards into the ureters, sometimes as far as the kidneys. If infected urine flows into the kidneys, this can damage them. There are 5 grades of VUR reflux and my son was diagnosed with grade 5, the most severe.

                Each month we had to rush him to the Emergency Room because he was having high fever, chills and turning blue. We always hoped for good news, but it seemed like we never heard any. The doctors told us that high grade reflux, especially grade 5, rarely resolved on its own despite years of observation and treatment. We were told to prepare ourselves both emotionally and financially for the very real possibility that our son would need to undergo major surgery at the age of 3. They also told us that if his condition worsens and surgery won’t work, he may eventually require a kidney transplant. The news was devastating. At an age when most children were excited about starting school, my son would be waiting for a kidney donor to appear so that he could live.

                Every day for the first four years of his life, he has had to take prophylactic antibiotics in order to avoid urinary tract infections and renal scarring. Each year he was exposed to all different types of machines that emit radiation, such as ultrasound scans and voiding cystourethograms (VCUG). He even had to have a circumcision in order to clear the passage to his urethra.

                We prayed every night. We went from church to church and pleaded with God through the intercession of Mama Mary (Our Lady of Manaoag) to please cure our precious little boy. Sometimes I would feel like maybe he was cured already because to look at him he appeared so healthy, but it was never the case.

                And then August 22 came, a date that is forever burned in our memories as the most special day of the year, because on that day the doctors announced that our precious baby’s VUR had been downgraded from grade 5 to grade 1 and he would no longer be required to take the antibiotics. My tears of joy are overflowing. There are not enough words on earth that can express the sincere gratitude I feel towards all of his doctors – Dr. Bisnar, a truly phenomenal urosurgeon, Dr. Canonigo the best pediatric nephrologist, and last but certainly not least I also express my gratitude to Dr. Bolong, his fantastic pediatric urologist.

                For four years I prayed for a miracle. Even in the depths of despair I never gave up hope. Some people shrug miracles off as being merely coincidence or hopeless fantasy, but every time I see my son laughing and playing I am reminded of just how real they are.