Contact lenses

I guess you could say that today was the first day of the rest of Cameron's life. His first pair of contact lenses arrived and we managed - only just - to insert them. Putting in lenses will be as much a part of Cam's daily routine as brushing his teeth, for the rest of his earthly life.

It took us an hour and twenty minutes to get the contacts into his eyes. There was much screaming... Eventually, after trying various (unsuccessful) techniqes we figured out a way to pin him down, retract his eye lids, and insert the lenses. Taking them out again before he went to sleep took almost as long...! It was all quite traumatic and I really pray that the three of us will quickly get used to doing this.

The disappointing thing is that these lenses are not quite the right design. They are floating around on his cornea a bit, not staying in place - which means that they won't work effectively. Another pair of lenses - made from a better material - are arriving from the UK on Monday, so here's hoping...

The thought came to me again today that the first thing that Cam will ever see clearly will be the face of Christ. Sometimes it's all just too overwhelming and I feel numb and desperate. But that thought keeps me going.

Lola and the joys of spring

It's so amazing for us to see Cam reaching for objects (big, bright objects, but objects nonetheless!), which he hasn't been able to see up to now. We are excited that his contact lenses should be arriving from the UK on Monday or Tuesday next week - though still daunted by the prospect of having to get them into his eyes. Here are some pics of Cam's first Heritage Day, at this very interesting time in our nation's history...

My news

This is me with an alpaca, which is an animal that really smells quite bad… And Mom of course, who doesn’t smell bad. She smells like Mom.

On Saturday Mom and Dad took me to the Spring Day at the Baby Therapy Centre – I just love that place – and there were loads of animals and activities and interesting talks for Mom and Dad (I snoozed through those). The people at the BTC are amazing. We visited their new preschool which is especially for kids like me, so I’m quite excited about maybe going there one day when I’m big (three).

If you think of me this week, it would be great if you could pray about my contact lenses, which might be arriving this week. Mom and Dad are really stressed about how exactly they are going to get them into my eyes…

I’ve got just one more week of eye drops every two hours. I don’t really mind, but I think Mom and Dad will be really glad when they don’t have to get up every two hours at night.

Second operation

So, I don’t have cataracts anymore! Mom just wants to stare into my eyes because now my pupils are black! Before they were kind of milky.

My operation today went ok. While I was under anaesthetic Dad and Uncle Peter Brauer figured out what contact lens I’ll need for my right eye. My right is looking good – no infection from last week’s surgery so that's an answer to prayer! Then Dr Pauw removed the cataract on my left eye. My left eye is in better shape than my right eye, but again, he couldn’t put a lens into it, so we’ll just have to use a contact lens on that eye as well to help me to see a bit. I’ll need what’s called a ‘plus 35’, so if you wear glasses or contact lenses you’ll know what that means. If I were to wear glasses they would be really, really, really thick…! As long as I don’t get glaucoma or a retinal detachment I’ll be able to see shapes and stuff, and walk around on my own. So please keep on praying that those things don’t happen to me.

My new sunglasses arrived today so now I’m almost as cool as my Dad! But not quite.

I’m so glad my operations are over, at least for a while. Thank you for praying so much for me!

Love Cameron

One more sleep 'til my next operation

Tomorrow they are going to operate on my left eye. Dr Pauw is going to remove the cataract and try to put a lens into my eye. Hopefully it will work! But I know God's plans for me are perfect and He's in control, so whatever happens is ok with me.

Please really pray for my Dad, 'cause Dr Pauw has asked him to be there for my operation. He wants Dad to fit a contact lens on my right eye while I'm fast asleep for the operation. Dad's friend Uncle Peter Brauer is going to be there, too, to help Dad. It might be quite hard for Dad to see them doing hectic stuff to my eyes, but he's the bravest.

Thanks for praying for me!

Love Cameron

Of eye drops and arm straps and the future

Hi everyone, it’s me, Cameron…

Mom and Dad got a good night’s sleep last night, ‘cause Dr Pauw said we could slow down on the eye drops. They only have to put drops in my eyes every two hours, and only during the day. I’m getting used to the drops now and they don’t even sting me anymore.

Granny made me these cool orange straps for my arms, so that I can’t pull off my eye patch. It’s not too bad; I can still squirm around with my legs! And they can’t strap down my sense of humour. I still find lots of things funny, like when Nanna kisses my cheeks.

Mom has been really blessed to hear that so many of her St Alban’s boys have been praying for me. Loads and loads of them went to the Chapel early on Wednesday morning to pray for my operation. Mom and Dad would really love to send me to a school like St Alban’s one day. I know it’s ages away in the future, but it would be great if you could pray that I would be able to go to a mainstream school, even though I probably won’t be able to see. There’s lots of amazing technology, and smart dogs like Lola, that might be able to help me to go to school with other kids who can see. Granny put a picture of me in amongst these St Alban’s boys, because she likes to be able to look at what she’s dreaming for me! :)

Day after first surgery - update

Murray took Cam back to see Dr Pauw this morning, who is such a wonderful man. He and Murray and have become quite good friends and he spoke openly to Murray this morning about his prayers for Cameron and the questions he has asked God about why this has happened to us... He has been so kind, and so encouraging. He says that the surgery went as well as it could have gone. He has never seen cataracts and micropthalmos as bad as Cam's in all his experience and again said that the best we can hope for is navigational vision. Also, he'll need drops in his eyes every hour, not every two hours... so do please pray that Murray and I will keep our sense of humour in the wee hours of the morning...

Feeling very bleak today, and just so very, very sad for my little man.

First surgery - right eye

Hi everyone

Thank you so, so much for praying for me today! And for all the SMSs and emails you sent to my Mom and Dad. You made us feel treasured!

An answer to prayer was that I slept really well last night – Mom had to wake me up this morning to leave for the hospital. I didn’t drink anything for nearly ten hours – until after my operation – and I didn’t even cry!

Dad put all the fancy eye drops into my eyes at the hospital, and Pastor Mike came to pray for me before they took me into the theatre. I wasn’t scared at all, but I think Mom and Dad were scared. It really helped them, though, to know that so many people were praying. Dr Pauw and the theatre sisters all hugged me and told me I was gorgeous. After that I don’t remember anything until way later when I came round and had a patch on my eye and Mom was holding me.

Things didn’t go quite as well as we’d hoped. The little bag that holds my lens – and the cataract – is too small and so they can’t fit an intraocular lens into my eye. The little ligaments that hold that bag are also a bit dodgy so Dr Pauw says they will probably never be able to put in an intraocular lens, unless the technology in the next few years really improves. That means that they have left me ‘aphakic’ – without any lens in my eye. Now Dad and his mates are just going to have to fit really strong contact lenses onto my eyes to help me to see. But Dr Pauw did remove the cataract from my right eye and that surgery went very well. So now maybe I’ll be able to see some colours, which I believe is really cool. I still won’t be able to see any detail, but maybe with the contact lenses that will get better. Dr Pauw said there’s still a good red reflex from my retina, and my cornea is fine too.

So next week, Lord willing, they do my left eye, and hopefully it’s in better shape than my right eye and they will be able to put a lens into it.

Please pray that my eye doesn’t get inflamed or infected, and that I don’t get a retinal detachment or glaucoma. Pray that I don’t pull the patch off my eye until it has healed nicely. And please also pray for Mom and Dad ‘cause they have to put drops into my eye every two hours so they won’t be getting much sleep over the next two weeks…

Lots of love from
Cameron

Dedication

We've had such a blessed day. Cam's dedication at church this morning was an incredibly special time for us. Pastor Mike led the service, and the whole church prayed for Cameron and specifically for his op on Wednesday. We've really been blown away by people's goodness to us, their love and concern and faithful prayers for us as a family...

Cam was quite the celebrity amongst the family today and was thoroughly spoiled by all his grandparents, aunts and uncles. Besides kicking off his shoes and 'talking' all the way through his dedication, he seemed to take it all in his stride...!

Kirsty took this pic in the cry room at church this morning - Tyla Payne, Cameron Reyburn and Benjamin Stokker, the three best looking boys in town! :)

Some dates to put in your prayer journal...

Cameron's dedication at Waterkloof Baptist Church - 8h30 on Sunday 7 September.

First operation (right eye) - 7h30 on Wednesday 10 September.

Second operation (left eye) - Wednesday 17 September (not yet sure of the time of the op).

Please pray specifically for Dr Jacobus Pauw and his team of anaesthetists and theatre sisters at the Pretoria Eye Institute.

So, I'm back at school and it's really been great, though I miss my little man terribly, and I'm still adjusting to the pace of being a working mom. An answer to prayer is that Cam is happily drinking from his bottle while I'm away in the mornings! The boys at school have been fantastic, giving me hugs and welcoming me back and asking all about how Cam is doing. And my mom, Maria and Lola have been doing a sterling job of making sure Cam is well looked after while his Mommy is teaching!

The pics are of Cam enjoying some different textures... :)