Aiden Update - Trip to Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Today we went with Aiden to the Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. We learned that Aiden does not have Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome as was suggested previously. The doctor' at Cincinnati Childrens are confident that he has Blue Rubber Bleb Syndrome. What does this mean to most of us who have never heard of either of these syndromes. Blue Rubber Bleb is a bit more serious and could result in internal bleeding later in life. Even though he shows many symptoms now (the bulge on his elbow, many other skin lesions) - it could become more pronounced once puberty sets in. For now we just pray, wait, and see what happens with regular check-ups (6 months or less). Lesions can form both externally and internally. Internal lesions are the problematic ones. Lesions that form on the gastrointestinal tract can cause internal bleeding. Please pray that they don't form there. We also need to make decisions on whether to have him undergo some treatments to reduce the size of the bulge on his elbow, plus remover some of the external lesions that may cause discomfort (some on the foot already provide some minor discomfort. Our prayers are that we will make the right decisions as to the what and when - and that insurance will cover these (they can also be viewed as cosmetic). More to come as we learn more.

March 2009

So whats' happening with the Tkach kid's lately? Adam had dental surgery last week. Several crowns, fillings and a tooth extracted. We don't think we ever want him to play hockey because so much is invested in his mouth! He started complaining about tooth pain on and off a few weeks ago. For Adam to complain about means he must really be hurting. Turns out he had an infection in one of his back teeth. We originally were not scheduled to get it taken care of until towards the end of April, but thankfully a slot opened up and we were able to get it done quickly. With all that had to be done we had to go to Dayton Children's Hospital so he could be put to sleep while it was taken care of. He feels much better now. Adam was also tested recently to see how much air is still escaping when he speaks. This impacts his ability to say certain sounds. Turn's out, a lot of air is escaping and that means another surgery for him. He will have to undergo Pharyngeal flap (or P-flap) surgery which will restrict the air flow that escapes when he speaks. We've been told that this is a much more painful surgery than the palette surgery so please keep him in your prayers. We hope to get it scheduled soon - but are unsure when exactly it will occur.

Aiden continues to improve his English everyday. People are amazed when they hear him speak and realize he has only been here since last June. His school work is improving. We pay a visit to Cincinnati Children's hospital next month to see if we can learn more about his Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome. The boys are excitedly waiting for soccer season to begin.

Mackenzie celebrates her 7th birthday this month. She has become an excellent reader and loves to show off her reading skills. She has also been cheerleading with our Church's Upward Cheerleading and Basketball program. Makayla also continues to excel in school and in gymnastics.

Aiden

Aiden has been with us now since June 17, 2008. When we first brought him into our family we had 2 fairly good size concerns. The first was his special need – we didn’t exactly know what it is and how it may affect him throughout his life. He had physical symptoms – a fairly good size mass on his elbow and several mole-like objects all over his body. We had a range of opinions on what they could be symptomatic of – but nothing concrete. The other concern was his age. He is seven. He did not speak English. He spoke a local dialect of Mandarin. We knew communication would be a challenge. But we also knew that God had called him into our family and that these challenges could be overcome by His grace.

To address the first concern Aiden has had a series of appointments at the Dayton Children’s Medical Center. He has met with orthopedics, dermatology and genetics. He has had a couple of MRIs. Based on these appointments we are fairly confident that what he has is called Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome. We’ll let you Google that to find out more – but it does not appear to be too serious. We’ve learned that surgery is probably not a good option to remove the growth on his elbow, however there may be some laser procedures that could reduce it, but for now he may just have to live with it. He is being referred to the Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to learn more about what could be done. One exciting moment occurred when he had a large cyst removed from the top of his head that has probably bugged him for years. It had a propensity for bleeding. The excitement he felt when it was finally gone is hard to put into words – but we could tell that he was glad to see it gone.

The second concern, the language barrier, has been a joy to watch him and us overcome. We had to learn a few Chinese words at first to help him through some spots – like to be quiet (he can be very loud), to use the bathroom, to eat, and so on. He got along great with his new siblings for the most part. He didn’t take too well to discipline. But we all survived.

Aiden was within a few weeks of completing first grade in China when we adopted him. Because we knew he would have challenges with English and reading we decided to put him into first grade at the beginning of the school year here. He was only less than 2 months home when school started so his English was not that great. We felt a bit sorry for his teacher knowing that she would have to deal with the language issue as well. Well Aiden is still struggling a bit with his reading, although greatly improved. But now his English is very passable and most people cannot believe he has only been speaking English for 7 months. We have been amazed on how much communication has become a non-issue.

Aiden is an excitable, outgoing kid. He makes friends easily. He loves to play and watch TV. He’s smart. We are blessed to have him in our family.

Welcome to the Tkach Adoption Journey

Welcome to our new blog. We have had several requests to provide updates on Adam and Aiden's blogs. Instead, we decided to create 1 new blog and provide updates on the whole Tkach clan. Because you can't talk about one with out mentioning the others. They have been inseparable. we are amazed at how God has taken four children, born from 4 different sets of birth parents (including us), and merged us all into a family. Add a fifth sibling, Jeremy, and our family is complete (at least we think so).

So here's the introductions (or a refresher):

Jeremy: Our birth son, now 20 years old. Jeremy is serving in the US Navy and is stationed in Bahrain. While he is there he is greatly missed by his family.

Aiden: The newest member to our family. Aiden was adopted in June 2008. His adoption story can be found at www.aidensjourneyhome.blogspot.com. Aiden and Jeremy have yet to meet. He is 7 years old and in First Grade.

Mackenzie: The reason why Karyn and Jeff are not working part time retirement jobs in Florida. She came along 14 years after Jeremy. Truly a surprise, and better than that, an amazing blessing from God. Without her, this adoption story would not be told. She is 6 years old and in First Grade.

Makayla: She brought our adoption story to life. She was 18 months old when we adopted her. We just wanted a sister for Mackenzie - little did we know then we would be adopting 2 boys. Makayla is an amazing pint-sized 5 year old kindergartner and practically joined at the hip to her sister.

Adam: Also 5 and in kindergarten, Adam was adopted into the family 2 years after Makayla at the age of 3. His adoption story can be found at www.adamsjourneyhome.blogspot.com. Adam is a happy go lucky kid and a real trooper. He's been through 2 surgeries related to his cleft palate with more to come.