A Change of Family Plans
Written by Zach
It should be noted that while we were navigating the insanity of Linus’ complicated medical needs, I had spent about the last year applying to medical school. By the time we had found out back in November about the omphalocele, I had interviewed at a handful of schools. By Christmas I clinched my first acceptance. And by the time Linus was born, I had secured acceptances to three very different programs: one was in Washington, near my parents and siblings; one was in Denver, arguably #1 on my list since submitting primary applications the previous May; and one was in Montana, about three minutes’ drive from Anna’s parent’s house.
Attending school in Montana had a considerable upside for the sake of having family so close. So that’s what our plan was for a while, to move to Montana as soon as we figured out Linus’ immediate needs in the NICU from his omphalocele repair and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Even his vocal cord paralysis didn’t deter us from this plan, even though we knew that he would need extensive occupational and speech therapy while he figured out how to eat and function well.
Then came the day of the cancer diagnosis. Anna and I were devastated that our precious son, only two months old, was diagnosed with such an aggressive cancer. I’ll always vividly remember receiving the news on that Wednesday afternoon. Our team talked us through the need for a 42-week course of chemotherapy and the precautions we’d need to take having an immunocompromised child. We quickly collected our thoughts and talked at length that afternoon about all we needed to consider - would it really be wise to move to Montana, where there is no children’s hospital to accommodate for his chemo?
One day, we envisioned being discharged from the hospital with our “fixed up” son and going on our merry way; the next day, we’re grieving over an aggressive cancer diagnosis and pivoting my entire professional career. I shifted my commitment from the medical school in Montana to the school in Colorado, where there was an incredible children’s hospital waiting to provide our son with the great medical care he needed. God works in incredible ways and altered the trajectory of our lives in an instant. Though we wouldn’t have any family in the area, I knew that Linus would be well taken care of and that I would be receiving a world-class education.