Of course, as soon as Maria told us about Daniel, we said: "Yes, we would love to have him!" I remember checking email every 10 or 15 minutes that day as Maria had promised us a picture of Daniel. Everybody wanted to meet their new little brother! When the coveted email arrived, we all gathered around the computer. These are the first pictures that we saw of Daniel just a little over a year ago.
We immediately began preparing a room for Daniel, moving Fidel upstairs with Josiah and Caleb downstairs to share a bedroom with Daniel. The crib was moved in and the small clothing hung in the closet. By that weekend, Victor and I were ready for the trip to Veracruz to pick up our Daniel. Then...the phone call! There was a couple interested in adopting Daniel and we needed to wait to see what would develop with that situation. Our family gathered on our driveway, in a circle, in tears, and prayed that God's perfect will for Daniel's life would be done.
Then we waited...and waited...and waited. Then, about a month later we received another email from Maria. The couple had backed out, were we still interested? Of course! I didn't even finish reading the whole email before I ran down the stairs yelling: "Daniel is ours! Daniel is ours!" Within a few days Victor and I were on our way to pick up Daniel in the state of Veracruz.
Daniel and I had spent a total of about an hour together when this picture was taken.We knew that Daniel had a heart condition. Maria had taken him to a local government doctor who tipped her off that he had a serious heart condition. The doctor even questioned Maria's intelligence at taking Daniel in: "You should really check these kids out before you take one in and just take in a bunch of problems." That same doctor also declared that Daniel would never walk. By the time we went to pick him up in Veracruz he was walking and, if any of you have met Daniel in person, you know he has no problem walking or running now.
Soon after Daniel arrived we made an appointment with a military pediatric cardiologist here in Mexico City. (Military care is some of the best medical care here in Mexico.) We met the cardiologist at his office. All he did was look at Daniel's chest x-rays and listen to his heart with the stethoscope and immediately said: "We need to go straight to the hospital and get some more tests done." At the military hospital, two pediatric cardiologists did an ecosonogram on Daniel's heart (like an ultrasound). Through that test, it was discovered that Daniel was born missing his right heart ventricle. This prevents proper oxygen flow as his blood is not being oxygenated correctly. That would explain several of Daniels symptoms: blue fingernails, toenails and lips and his getting tired while doing simple tasks like eating and walking.
The doctors also discovered a second defect, one that has actually saved Daniel's life. He has a hole in the wall of his heart. This hole is what is allowing the slight circulation of oxygenated blood through his system. If it were not for this hole in the wall of his heart, Daniel would have died shortly after birth. To me, that hole is a testament to God's greatness, His infinite goodness and the huge and special plans He has for Daniel's life. I can imagine the scene in heaven as the Lord supervised Daniel's development in-utero. I am convinced that Daniel's first defect, the lack of his right ventricle, is a result of living in a fallen world, full of sin and imperfection. But, God, in His sovereign power, saw that defect and took his index finger, poked a hole in the wall of Daniel's heart and said: "OK, that should do until Daniel can get the medical care he needs. Through this I will be glorified and through Daniel's suffering many more will be able to spend eternity with me here in their real home."
The doctors ordered a heart cath to be done in order to measure the pressure in Daniel's neck veins and see if he is a candidate for something called the Glenn Procedure in which a neck vein is connected directly to Daniel's lungs in order to provide for the proper oxygenation. Without surgery, the doctors told us that Daniel has 3-5 years of life left. At that point, he would basically suffocate because his heart would not be able to provide sufficient oxygen for his body to function.
We did not have the heart cath done because we felt we needed more signatures from Daniel's birth mother that would legally protect us in the case of Daniel's death during any of these medical interventions. We also began to contemplate the possibility of Daniel being attended to in the United States due to the superiority of medical care as in comparison to Mexico, as well as the level of compassion given during care, which also greatly lacks in Mexico, especially for abandoned Indian children like Daniel. However, traveling to the U.S. would require Daniel having a Mexican passport in order to apply for a U.S. medical visa. Only Daniel's mother, who lives in a small indigenous village in the foothills of Veracruz, can apply for his passport. The last time that we had tried to have contact with her, her new husband's family had her in their hut, lying down, surrounded by local witches trying to heal her because her contact with Christians (us) had prevented their previous spells from working! So, the possibility of Daniel's birth mother applying for his passport seemed like a near impossibility.
During this past year, a generous donor gave us $1000 to pay for the trip back to Veracruz to get the signatures we needed from Daniel's birth mother, as well as to apply for his passport. However, there was always something else going on. Then, a few weeks ago, the local missionary, Maria, called us and said that she had recently seen Daniel's mother. She had a newborn baby with her new husband and was doing very well. They conversed about Daniel and Maria shared the need for Daniel to get a passport in order to get the medical care that he needs. His birth mother was very willing to sign any documents needed, so we immediately made plans to travel to Veracruz.
Daniel's birth mother, her new husband and new baby.
As I try and recall the next few days, everything is kind of a blur - not due to the speediness of everything, it was actually quite the contrary. We were either sitting still waiting for some secretary, some government official, some kind of transportation, some office to open, somebody to return from lunch or we were literally running to get a copy made before the office closed, to find the person to sign a certain document before they went out to the field to work or some other "urgent" situation. In the meantime, the sweat rolled down our arms, legs and foreheads due to the heat and humidity and the mosquitoes feasted on us. Exhaustion, as well as homesickness for our other children, set in as one day stretched into two, that stretched into three, that stretched into four. During the whole adventure, I found it very challenging to see God at work. Of course, looking back, I can see many times when the Lord was obviously opening doors and moving hearts in order to get all the multiple documents that we needed. Daniel's birth mother and her husband were incredible as they came down from their village three days in a row in order to be able to sign, sign and sign more paperwork.
Finally, on Wednesday afternoon we filed the application for Daniel's passport. The documents were pre-approved and we set out for home. We drove part way and as we pulled into the hotel parking lot that night, Victor turned off the Ford Focus and it refused to start again. (It had been acting up during the entire trip.) So, the next day we contacted a pastor friend in that city who helped us find a mechanic and then lent us his own vehicle so that we could get home. We HAD to get home that night (Thursday) because the next day was my last day to renew my visa or I would have been in Mexico illegally and would have had to pay a fine. (I couldn't renew my visa before going to Veracruz because I needed my original documents in order to travel and take care of Daniel's paperwork and when you renew your visa immigration keeps the originals while they approve your new set of documents!)
So, after four days and an unexpected additional $1000.00 in expenses, we got back home, renewed my visa and waited to hear if Daniel's passport had been officially approved! On Wednesday, August 15th we got the news that the passport was approved and it finally arrived at our home on Friday, August 24th!
Daniel and I about a month ago during an outing with a work team.
Daniel has been doing incredibly well this past year. He walks, runs, talks a ton and is a real jokester! However, several symptoms that had greatly reduced or disappeared seem to be reappearing. When Daniel arrived, he had a lot of sleepers in his eyes. An exaggerated amount of mucus in the corner of his eyes all day long. Each time I changed his diaper I would have to clean out his eyes. He had no other cold or sinus-like symptoms. Although this has not been confirmed by a doctor, I assumed that this is somehow related to his heart condition. The sleepers had completely disappeared for several months and are now coming back again. Daniel also had never complained about being tired. When he first arrived, he would have to rest as he ate or played in order to catch his breath. He quickly gained strength and no longer needed to rest. Since we have returned from Veracruz, on several occasions, while playing, he has actually stopped and said: "Mommy, I'm tired.", even touching his chest on one occasion. I am confident that the Lord has sustained Daniel while He knew that getting him the necessary medical care was impossible. Now, it is our turn to move forward in seeking out medical care for Daniel.
There are many instances in the Bible when God asked individuals to perform certain acts. He expected them to do what they were able to do and He did what they could not do. For example, Jesus told Peter to come to Him as He walked on the water. Peter had to get out of the boat himself and then Jesus did what Peter could not do: make him walk on water. Jesus asked his disciples to feed the multitude. He asked them to bring to Him what food they could find. They brought Him the food and then Jesus did what the disciples could not: He multiplied those loaves and fish enough to feed well over 5,000 people! God commanded Moses to raise up the staff and then He did the impossible: He parted the Red Sea for His people to be saved. So, we know that God will do the impossible in Daniel's life, but He is asking us to look for the doctors and nurses through whom we trust He is going to work
We covet your prayers through this entire process. We know that the Lord is All-Powerful and can heal Daniel with one word. We also know He may heal Daniel through the wisdom, ability and expertise that He gives to doctors and nurses. Finally, we also know that He is sovereign and that His ways are not our ways and that He could choose to heal Daniel by taking him home to heaven. Obviously, that is not our desire, but we must pray "Your will be done."
As we pray for Daniel's healing, in accordance with God's perfect will and whatever will bring Him the glory, we are looking for the hospital and doctor that the Lord has prepared for Daniel. So, if you have a personal contact with a pediatric cardiologist or hospital, or know somebody who does, we appreciate any leads that you can share with us. Feel free to write us at: fishersofmenmexico@gmail.com
Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us and we pray that your relationship with Jesus Christ will be deepened and strengthened as you pray, watch and participate in Daniel's miracle!
Soon after Daniel arrived we made an appointment with a military pediatric cardiologist here in Mexico City. (Military care is some of the best medical care here in Mexico.) We met the cardiologist at his office. All he did was look at Daniel's chest x-rays and listen to his heart with the stethoscope and immediately said: "We need to go straight to the hospital and get some more tests done." At the military hospital, two pediatric cardiologists did an ecosonogram on Daniel's heart (like an ultrasound). Through that test, it was discovered that Daniel was born missing his right heart ventricle. This prevents proper oxygen flow as his blood is not being oxygenated correctly. That would explain several of Daniels symptoms: blue fingernails, toenails and lips and his getting tired while doing simple tasks like eating and walking.
The doctors also discovered a second defect, one that has actually saved Daniel's life. He has a hole in the wall of his heart. This hole is what is allowing the slight circulation of oxygenated blood through his system. If it were not for this hole in the wall of his heart, Daniel would have died shortly after birth. To me, that hole is a testament to God's greatness, His infinite goodness and the huge and special plans He has for Daniel's life. I can imagine the scene in heaven as the Lord supervised Daniel's development in-utero. I am convinced that Daniel's first defect, the lack of his right ventricle, is a result of living in a fallen world, full of sin and imperfection. But, God, in His sovereign power, saw that defect and took his index finger, poked a hole in the wall of Daniel's heart and said: "OK, that should do until Daniel can get the medical care he needs. Through this I will be glorified and through Daniel's suffering many more will be able to spend eternity with me here in their real home."
Daniel's First Visit to a Pediatric Cardiologist
The doctors ordered a heart cath to be done in order to measure the pressure in Daniel's neck veins and see if he is a candidate for something called the Glenn Procedure in which a neck vein is connected directly to Daniel's lungs in order to provide for the proper oxygenation. Without surgery, the doctors told us that Daniel has 3-5 years of life left. At that point, he would basically suffocate because his heart would not be able to provide sufficient oxygen for his body to function.
We did not have the heart cath done because we felt we needed more signatures from Daniel's birth mother that would legally protect us in the case of Daniel's death during any of these medical interventions. We also began to contemplate the possibility of Daniel being attended to in the United States due to the superiority of medical care as in comparison to Mexico, as well as the level of compassion given during care, which also greatly lacks in Mexico, especially for abandoned Indian children like Daniel. However, traveling to the U.S. would require Daniel having a Mexican passport in order to apply for a U.S. medical visa. Only Daniel's mother, who lives in a small indigenous village in the foothills of Veracruz, can apply for his passport. The last time that we had tried to have contact with her, her new husband's family had her in their hut, lying down, surrounded by local witches trying to heal her because her contact with Christians (us) had prevented their previous spells from working! So, the possibility of Daniel's birth mother applying for his passport seemed like a near impossibility.
During this past year, a generous donor gave us $1000 to pay for the trip back to Veracruz to get the signatures we needed from Daniel's birth mother, as well as to apply for his passport. However, there was always something else going on. Then, a few weeks ago, the local missionary, Maria, called us and said that she had recently seen Daniel's mother. She had a newborn baby with her new husband and was doing very well. They conversed about Daniel and Maria shared the need for Daniel to get a passport in order to get the medical care that he needs. His birth mother was very willing to sign any documents needed, so we immediately made plans to travel to Veracruz.
Victor, Daniel and I left on Sunday evening, August 8th to drive partway to Veracruz. We arrived at the missionary's home around noon on Monday. Daniel's birth mother, her new husband and baby arrived shortly after - praise God!
Local missionaries, Maria and John, who first took Daniel in over a year ago,
with their two daughters.
Local missionaries, Maria and John, who first took Daniel in over a year ago, 
Daniel's birth mother, her new husband and new baby.As I try and recall the next few days, everything is kind of a blur - not due to the speediness of everything, it was actually quite the contrary. We were either sitting still waiting for some secretary, some government official, some kind of transportation, some office to open, somebody to return from lunch or we were literally running to get a copy made before the office closed, to find the person to sign a certain document before they went out to the field to work or some other "urgent" situation. In the meantime, the sweat rolled down our arms, legs and foreheads due to the heat and humidity and the mosquitoes feasted on us. Exhaustion, as well as homesickness for our other children, set in as one day stretched into two, that stretched into three, that stretched into four. During the whole adventure, I found it very challenging to see God at work. Of course, looking back, I can see many times when the Lord was obviously opening doors and moving hearts in order to get all the multiple documents that we needed. Daniel's birth mother and her husband were incredible as they came down from their village three days in a row in order to be able to sign, sign and sign more paperwork.
Finally, on Wednesday afternoon we filed the application for Daniel's passport. The documents were pre-approved and we set out for home. We drove part way and as we pulled into the hotel parking lot that night, Victor turned off the Ford Focus and it refused to start again. (It had been acting up during the entire trip.) So, the next day we contacted a pastor friend in that city who helped us find a mechanic and then lent us his own vehicle so that we could get home. We HAD to get home that night (Thursday) because the next day was my last day to renew my visa or I would have been in Mexico illegally and would have had to pay a fine. (I couldn't renew my visa before going to Veracruz because I needed my original documents in order to travel and take care of Daniel's paperwork and when you renew your visa immigration keeps the originals while they approve your new set of documents!)
So, after four days and an unexpected additional $1000.00 in expenses, we got back home, renewed my visa and waited to hear if Daniel's passport had been officially approved! On Wednesday, August 15th we got the news that the passport was approved and it finally arrived at our home on Friday, August 24th!
I titled this blog "Just the Beginning" because we had been looking forward to/working towards Daniel's passport for an entire year. It almost felt like the passport was the goal and I had nearly forgotten that the passport is really "just the beginning". When we finally had the passport in hand, this feeling came over me like: "Duh, Julie, this was just the beginning! Now the real adventure begins of trying to get Daniel medical care in the U.S.!" I realized that I have NO idea what the future holds or what "getting Daniel medical care" really even means for him and for our family. Good thing God is already there!Daniel needs open heart surgery, so we are now in the process of contacting every pediatric cardiologist/hospital/children's hospital with whom we can find a personal contact in order to send them a packet of information about Daniel and his medical issues, asking them to consider providing Daniel's care free of charge.
Daniel and I about a month ago during an outing with a work team.Daniel has been doing incredibly well this past year. He walks, runs, talks a ton and is a real jokester! However, several symptoms that had greatly reduced or disappeared seem to be reappearing. When Daniel arrived, he had a lot of sleepers in his eyes. An exaggerated amount of mucus in the corner of his eyes all day long. Each time I changed his diaper I would have to clean out his eyes. He had no other cold or sinus-like symptoms. Although this has not been confirmed by a doctor, I assumed that this is somehow related to his heart condition. The sleepers had completely disappeared for several months and are now coming back again. Daniel also had never complained about being tired. When he first arrived, he would have to rest as he ate or played in order to catch his breath. He quickly gained strength and no longer needed to rest. Since we have returned from Veracruz, on several occasions, while playing, he has actually stopped and said: "Mommy, I'm tired.", even touching his chest on one occasion. I am confident that the Lord has sustained Daniel while He knew that getting him the necessary medical care was impossible. Now, it is our turn to move forward in seeking out medical care for Daniel.
There are many instances in the Bible when God asked individuals to perform certain acts. He expected them to do what they were able to do and He did what they could not do. For example, Jesus told Peter to come to Him as He walked on the water. Peter had to get out of the boat himself and then Jesus did what Peter could not do: make him walk on water. Jesus asked his disciples to feed the multitude. He asked them to bring to Him what food they could find. They brought Him the food and then Jesus did what the disciples could not: He multiplied those loaves and fish enough to feed well over 5,000 people! God commanded Moses to raise up the staff and then He did the impossible: He parted the Red Sea for His people to be saved. So, we know that God will do the impossible in Daniel's life, but He is asking us to look for the doctors and nurses through whom we trust He is going to work
We covet your prayers through this entire process. We know that the Lord is All-Powerful and can heal Daniel with one word. We also know He may heal Daniel through the wisdom, ability and expertise that He gives to doctors and nurses. Finally, we also know that He is sovereign and that His ways are not our ways and that He could choose to heal Daniel by taking him home to heaven. Obviously, that is not our desire, but we must pray "Your will be done."
As we pray for Daniel's healing, in accordance with God's perfect will and whatever will bring Him the glory, we are looking for the hospital and doctor that the Lord has prepared for Daniel. So, if you have a personal contact with a pediatric cardiologist or hospital, or know somebody who does, we appreciate any leads that you can share with us. Feel free to write us at: fishersofmenmexico@gmail.com
Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us and we pray that your relationship with Jesus Christ will be deepened and strengthened as you pray, watch and participate in Daniel's miracle!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
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