Brave Ben is cured !!!

This tweet says it all! It was posted yesterday on Twitter by Dr. Thomas Oxley, neurologist and neurointervention fellow working with Ben’s doctor, Dr. Alejandro Berenstein, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. As Ben’s mom said, “What a journey for a really little boy and a really Big God!”

Grandson Ben’s journey began in 2014 when he was rushed first to Erlanger Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga, TN and then to Scottish Rite (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) in Atlanta, GA where he was diagnosed with dural AV fistula, a vascular malformation in his brain. He was only three years old. Although doctors at Scottish Rite diagnosed the condition, they honestly admitted they could not treat it. At Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, doctors told the family that without treatment Ben would die and that they could do neurosurgery, but the odds were not good. We were told that Ben had a 50% chance of suffering a stroke during surgery or that he could die on the table.

My readers who have been following Ben’s story know that Ben’s dad contacted Dr. Berenstein, the New York physician who pioneered the procedure that would save Ben’s life. Dr. B. said Ben would not die, and the chance of his having a stroke was only 5%, not 50%. Just after Ben’s fourth birthday, Dr. B. performed two endovascular surgeries, the first to place tiny platinum coils in the fistula, and the second to further close it off with medical grade “super glue.”

The annual check up a year later showed that the original fistula had reopened, and a new fistula had formed. Dr. B. again performed surgery in what was described as a life-threatening situation.

Yesterday Ben (now six years old) underwent a cerebral angiogram as part of this year’s check up. His mom reported that he was in good spirits before the procedure…

Ben and his dad before yesterday’s angiogram

The procedure lasted about two hours, and our little trooper was required to lie still for six hours afterwards…

While Ben was in recovery, his parents received the good news. The original fistula is completely gone. The blood flow has been re-routed. The new fistula that was developing last year is gone as a result of decreased pressure in the brain…

BEN HAS BEEN GIVEN A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH !!! There is no need for anymore annual trips to New York unless additional problems arise. There is nothing more except for an MRI in five years!

From left: Dr. Thomas Oxley, Ben’s mom (our daughter), Brave Ben, Dr. Alejandro Berenstein, and Ben’s dad.

Ben wants to go back to New York for a visit sometime in the future, and he already has expressed sadness that he will not be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, which has been his home away from home and has provided his family with so much love and support…

There is no way to express the gratitude we all feel, gratitude to Dr. Berenstein and his team for healing our little guy, gratitude to everyone who has kept Ben in their thoughts and prayers, and most of all gratitude to God for all He has done. One of Ben’s favorite Scripture verses sums up what God has done for this little guy:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 )

Soon after arriving at the Ronald McDonald House this week Ben went into the music room, picked up a guitar, and began to sing one of his favorite songs, “In the Eye of the Storm.” Here is the YouTube video of the original recording of that song. May it’s message comfort others as much as it has comforted our Brave Ben…