Posted by Dennis D Broadbooks on 1/18/05 7:48am
Msg #17167

Off Topic - For Those Inclined...

...I'd like to ask for prayers for our 7 year old son who's having surgery this morning to correct the positioning of a prosthesis placed in his middle ear in a previous procedure. This'll be his 4th surgery on that ear in the last 3 1/2 years. It's out-patient & he shouldn't be under anasthesia for much more than 30 minutes.

All intercessory prayers on Jerod's behalf are coveted & appreciated. TIA!

Reply by Allison Maxwell on 1/18/05 8:05am
Msg #17169

I will keep your son in my prayers.

Be strong...
allison

Reply by Ronald Philbrick on 1/18/05 8:14am
Msg #17170

Lord, I pray for this little bohy who has been through so much. Guide the medical team that they might work a miracle in your name, Amen

Reply by CharlotteTX on 1/18/05 9:17am
Msg #17175

Excellent prayer, so I'll just reiterate:
Lord, I pray for this little boy who has been through so much. Guide the medical team that they might work a miracle in your name, Amen & God Bless all of you.

Reply by kmnotary_CA on 1/18/05 10:03am
Msg #17180

Dennis,
It is tough when one of our children are hurt, or in this case needs medical care. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. Please let us know when all is completed and your son is fine.

Reply by Charm_AL on 1/18/05 10:11am
Msg #17184

My thoughts and prayers with you and your family.

Reply by closingrpo on 1/18/05 2:33pm
Msg #17226

My prayers and best wishes are for you and your family.

Reply by KarenK/CA on 1/18/05 10:20am
Msg #17186

My thoughts and prayers are with your son for God to guide the hands of the doctors and the surgery to be successful. Please let us know that all is well.

Reply by Pauline/NY on 1/18/05 11:05am
Msg #17192

As a mom i feel your pain and i know what you are going through. I have just prayed for your son and i will continue to keep praying for him until i hear that all is well. Keep the faith and be strong.

Reply by Happy in Fl on 1/18/05 1:01pm
Msg #17214

Dennis- My wife and I just joined hands in prayer immediately upon seeing your Post- We ageed together with everyone else, and now in Faith Believing we leave it in The Great Physicians Hands-- Our Wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please be sure to give Him thanks when all is done.

Reply by Dennis D Broadbooks on 1/18/05 2:32pm
Msg #17225

Prayers Answered!

Jerod underwent a successful 50 minute procedure this morning & is already home with us. Our family's sincere thanks go to each of you who took the time to intercede in prayer on our son's behalf. They were felt & needed.

I'd like to tell a little story (as short as I can make one!) & it dovetails into our surgery today. Jerod was first diagnosed with a condition called cholesteatoma in his left ear four years ago. In the first surgery to repair this condition the surgeon (Dr James Benecke & I'll relate more about him later) was forced to remove all 3 bones in his middle ear, rendering Jerod essentially deaf in his left ear. In the second procedure six months later they went in to make sure they removed all the cholesteatoma (there was some residual tumor left) & then they inserted a prosthesis to hopefully recover some of his hearing back. The doctor waited 18 long months for the ear to heal itself before conducting the first hearing test & the results were astounding. Dr Benecke said in 85% of the cases he treats the hearing returns to "normal" levels (not "perfect", but not requiring a hearing aid), in 14% of the cases a hearing aid is required, & in 1% the hearing is returned to a "perfect" level. We were blessed at that time with a "perfect 1%" result. Praise the Lord! What's transpired since then has been a steady decline in Jerod's hearing. In March of this year he had to undergo a 3rd surgery to remove an ear wax build up that once again rendered him to a state of near deafness. A follow up visit later this summer revealed his prosthesis had shifted & there was an additional problem with the reconstructed ear drum from the 2nd procedure. The bottom line is that the surgery today involved replacing the original prosthesis with an updated model (Dr Benecke called it the "'05 version)" & also doing a complete reconstruction again of the ear drum with cartilage borrowed from within his middle ear.

What I haven't told you up to this point is the relationship we've formed with Dr Benecke & his family. We discovered before the first surgery that Dr Benecke & his family share a faith in Christ that our famly holds just as dear. In October of 2002 Dr Benecke told us during one of our follow up visits with Jerod that their only son, Andrew, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer & had just undergone surgery to remove six inches of bone in his femur. Andrew (who was 15 at the time) was a star athlete on the track team & needless to say, his athletic days were over at that point. In fact his struggles only began. In April of this year the doctors discovered another tumor in his upper left arm & they were forced to remove another 3 inches of bone from his body. Since then they've also uncovered 25-30 lesions on his lungs which have been reduced to 3 after chemotherapy. Andrew is scheduled to undergo surgery on Feb 8th to remove those tumors.

What I also haven't revealed to this point is our insurance situation as it relates to Jerod. The original 2 surgeries were performed with a different insurance company than we have now. We've been with our current carrier for over 2 years & they paid for Jerod's surgery in March of this year with no questions asked. However we ran into difficulty when we advised them of the need for Jerod's latest surgery. Originally we were supposed to have Jerod's surgery on 12/07/2004, but the insurance company balked at paying because they said it was a pre-existing condition. We appealed this decision to the medical review board of this insurance company three times & were denied on all three occasions, with the latest "final" decision being handed down yesterday. Dr Benecke went to extraordinary lengths to see if he could change the insurance company's mind, but to no avail.

We're now to the final part of this story (I promise!). One of the things we attempted to do when we found out the surgery would not be covered by insurance is to pre-negotiate the fees so we'd know what we're facing financially. Dr Benecke originally said his normal fee for this type of operation would be $6,000, but he immediately reduced it to $1,200. He also negotiated for us reduced fees with the anesthesiologist & with the hospital. It's still a hefty bill, but we are grateful for any generosity at this point. What we weren't prepared for is what happened today prior to the surgery starting. Dr Benecke was prepping Jerod for what to expect & was talking to me about how long it was going to take. I told him how much our family was in debt to him for the effort he'd made to assist us with our insurance company situation & he turned to me saying: "Jerod's surgery today is on me." Dr Benecke said if we receive any kind of bill from his office it's a mistake & don't pay it.

We serve an awesome God & Dr Benecke is living proof of a Godly man. Here he's in a situation with his own son that dwarfs the gravity of our son's & HE'S the one giving to us. There's a readily apparent lesson we can all learn here & I'll leave it to each of you to decipher that on your own. I have another request and that's for those who are "inclined" to pray for Andrew Benecke, Dr James Benecke, & his wife Barbara during this very difficult time. Thank you again for the prayers you raised for our family today.

Reply by jlynn on 1/18/05 3:11pm
Msg #17228

Re: Prayers Answered!

Wow , amazing story. God Bless. I will keep your son and the Dr's Son in our prayers .

Reply by KarenJ/CA on 1/18/05 3:14pm
Msg #17229

Re: Prayers Answered!

That is such wonderful news, Dennis!! I read this forum daily, but respond very infrequently. Your request for prayer this morning touched my heart. I will continue to pray for your son and family, and the doctor's also. God Bless!!!

Reply by Dennis D Broadbooks on 1/18/05 4:30pm
Msg #17239

One More Quick Note...

...and I'm done...I PROMISE! Andrew is a junior in high school & Dr Benecke told me this morning he took his ACT test last week. Andrew obtained a PERFECT score. I wish all of you could've seen the look on that proud father's face!

Reply by BarbaraL_CA on 1/18/05 5:43pm
Msg #17246

Re: Prayers Answered!

Praise the Lord! What a testimony of faith and how God works in our lives. My heart is touched by your story, and I will continue to hold Jerod, your family, Andrew, and the Benecke's up in prayer.

Reply by CarolynCO on 1/18/05 7:38pm
Msg #17256

Re: Prayers Answered!

Dennis, I'm glad the surgery was a success and hopefully this will be the last ear surgery he will have to be put through!

Reply by Robin_IN on 1/18/05 9:25pm
Msg #17264

Re: Prayers Answered!

Dennis - I am so happy for you and your family. I will continue to remember your family and the Doctor's family in prayer. Thank you for sharing such a touching story - it is so neat to once again hear how awesome our God really is! God Bless!

Reply by Ceci, CA on 1/18/05 9:36pm
Msg #17267

Re: Prayers Answered!

What an inspiring life story. We have an awesome and compassionate God and it's always good and encouraging to see God's people living out Christ's love. Thank you for sharing your story. May God bring complete healing to both your son and the doctor's son physically and spiritually.

Reply by Ali-Il on 1/18/05 11:12pm
Msg #17282

Re: Prayers Answered!

Praise the Lord!!!

Lord I lift this young man to your heavenly throne. Heal him Lord give him comfort and a long life.

In the name of Jesus.

Amen

Reply by CharlotteTX on 1/18/05 11:49pm
Msg #17286

Re: Prayers Answered!

God is Good!!

Reply by Donna_CA on 1/19/05 1:27am
Msg #17289

Re: Prayers Answered!

Our God is an awsome God. May He continue to bless your family and your doctor's.

Reply by Happy in Fl on 1/19/05 7:38am
Msg #17297

Re: Prayers Answered!

Faith in God CAN move a mighty mountain!

My wife and I joined hands again, now as we read your beautiful testimony of Answered Prayer! We gave Him a Heartfelt Praise and Thanksgiving for all that transpired--

Please tell the Wonderful Doctor, we are Praying for his son as well! Many times Dennis, when you have a specific need, (like the Doctor has for his boy); and you go and do something for another persons boy (like he did for your son)--it comes back many times over.

God deals in the Supernatural--He is our Creator- "With Him nothing is impossible"

Yes, We Serve an Awesome God--A Holy-a Living God--who Loves us so much "He Gave His only Son,that we may have ,thru Him-Forgivenss of Sin and Eternal Life!".

Reply by SL notary on 1/19/05 11:37am
Msg #17325

Re: Prayers Answered!

Amen!! There are so many people that do not believe in the power of prayer, but for those of us who have seen firsthand the power that unity in prayer brings, we have seen many miracles placed before us!! Thank the Lord for people such as your Dr. Benecke and the many other fine people that let the lord know that they were standing behind their faith in him! It looks as though your son has come through everything and is hopefully, going to make a full recovery. I will keep the good Dr's son and family in my prayers. Faith and hope is what carries us through so many tragedys, and without it we would truly be lost, I believe. Many people believe that riches and money is the answer to everything, but if you do not have faith and hope to carry you through, monetary riches mean absolutaly nothing!! Faith in family, friends, and in God, creates the wealth and riches that everyone needs to get through in this lifetime! God Bless you, and the your Dr. that is actually in his profession to help people, and not for the money, which many Drs unfortunately are. God Bless you all in your faith!! The hand of God is there with both your family and Dr. Benecke's family!