First, please forgive me for not responding to the many prayer requests here as had been my custom. My attention has been focused on our grandson, Thomas, for the past 9 1/2 months.

Thomas now has his tenth double ear infection. He does not sleep more than an hour or two at a time and often not more than 20 minutes at a time since birth. As soon as he is down he is up screaming. He's on his tenth antibiotic with a steroid. Friday the 16th he will have tubes put into his ears. The specialist says he "is doomed" because of family history and the fact that he is in daycare. The pediatrician wanted to wait until he was 18 months to recommend this surgical course, but our daughter and son-in-law are exhausted for not having had a night's sleep since he was born last October.

We're making a last minute trip to their home three hours away today to walk the floor with him tonight and tomorrow night so our daughter and her husband can get some sleep.

Please pray for him, his parents and his physicians that this will make his young life easier and provide him some relief.

Thank God for each of you and thank you.

Bob

Bob,

I hope all goes well for Thomas. Due to many ear infections, Nicholas had tubes in his ears (we were able to wait until he was 18 months old), and in the two years since he had the tubes, he has had only one ear infection. Prior to the tubes, he was having an infection every four to six weeks. I hope that the tubes work as well for Thomas as they have for Nicholas.

May our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the Great Physician, grant healing to Thomas and grant rest and relief to your daughter and son-in-law.

Ryan

Dear Bob,

I am so sorry to hear this. I was so hoping that you had better news.

I guess that you all have looked into allergies?

In any case, I will give little Thomas's name for each and every Paraclisis service to Our all holy Theotokos every time I go until the feast day of August 15. I will pray fervently for him too.

This is a great trial for all of you. The exhaustion must be daunting.

Please annoint little Thomas with holy oil if you still have some. Annoint his little ears and have faith. He will get better.

Your sister in Christ,
Alice

Oh Sweet Jesus, you say suffer not the little ones to come unto me. Jesus envelop this little one, his parents, and grandparents in your healing graces and love. Restore his ears completely, along with any hearing loss he may have suffered. May the night fresh, and full, that all may receive rest. Most Holy Theotokos and St Joseph pray for this precious family!

Bob,

Just this morning, I was wondering how things have been going for little Thomas and his parents, and if there had been any improvement in his condition. I'm so sorry to hear things are still so difficult. He and his parents continue to be in my prayers, and I also am remembering him at the Paraclesis services during these 2 weeks.

May our most Holy Lady Panagia look especially tenderly upon him and his parents during this precious time of the Fast, and may Our Lord, in His great mercy and compassion, grant him healing.

Thank God for all of you and thank you.

We just returned from the weekend with our daughter and grandson. He is in such pain. He keeps grabbing his ears and just screaming--not non-stop, but for long periods. We had him in bed with us for the past two nights so Rachel could sleep. Loretta slept sitting up just holding him and that's the only way he would sleep. This is his 10th double ear infection in 9 1/2 months. The antibiotic and steroid arent' working so they will take him back to the pediatrician tomorrow. When he isn't crying he does have a few minutes when he is happy, but then he also just stares into space and pulls on his ears.

We go back in two weeks for the surgery and it can't come too quickly.

Thanks for the prayers. We annointed Thomas with the Oil of the Sick that a Russian Orthodox priest had given Loretta when her mother was in a nursing home and I know the power of that Mystery.

Bob

Mercy Sweet Jesus, mercy and grace!

Please pray with me for little Thomas's ear tube operation today.

Kyrie Eleison!

With all my heart I pray to God, through His saints and most Holy Mother whose great feast day we celebrated yesterday, for a complete recovery for this little baby boy who has had pain for most of his short life.

Prayer also to St. Nektarios the Wonder worker:

The offspring of Selyvria and the guardian of Aegina,
the true friend of virtue who appeared in the last days,
we faithful honour thee as a Godly servant of Christ
for thou pourest forth healings of all kinds on those who piously cry out:

Glory to Christ who glorified thee
Glory to Him who made thee wondrous
Glory to Him who worketh healings for all through thee. AMEN

Thank you for your charity in praying to help Bob and his family carry this cross.

Humbly,
Alice

Glory be to Jesus Christ!!

We just returned from our daughter's place. Thomas had his surgery on Friday and came through very well. However, he still is not sleeping any better than he did and he's still pulling at his ears and crying a lot. The surgeon is to call back on Monday and check with them so we keep praying to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Nektarios. People have said that their children were almost instantly changed by the insertion of tubes but that does not seem to be the case. We're hoping that he may gradually improve with the help of the Divine Physician and his physician's help.

Thank God for each of you and thank you for the prayers.


St. Nektarios, holy physician of souls and bodies, icon of the Divine Physician, pray to the Lord for Thomas William Baldini, that, if it be His Holy Will, Thomas might be relieved of the pain he has endured since his birth and have a healthful sleeping pattern established soon.

Bob

Dear Bob,

Thank you for giving us this update. I had been wondering how the surgery went. I'm sorry (and concerned) to hear that there has not been any improvement as of yet. Thomas will remain in my personal prayers, and I will continue to give his name at liturgy.

Jaya

Is Thomas feeling better?

Alice:

Thanks be to God, Thomas is doing much, much better since August. He still is an erratic sleeper, but he does sleep for much longer periods and now he's getting teeth. We were at his first birthday party at the end of October and he did very well. We also head there this Friday for a visit.

Thank God for each of you on this forum and for your prayers, and thank you.

Bob

Bob--that is such GREAT news! Glory to God!

With a sigh and tear of thanksgiving and happiness,
Alice

P.S. Enjoy your visit with your adorable little (grand) boy!

Wonderful news! Continued prayers for your little grandson and to our forum members tiny tots! Mine's a little over 6 months now!

Great news! I'm so happy to hear that his health has improved!

And all in my prayers--

Lord, grant to all my brothers and sisters here whatever You may know is necessary for health of soul, mind, and body in this life and in the life to come, life everlasting.

Bob

Bob,

I didn't see this until just now. I had also missed a couple months of posts here, though my computer issues pale before the ones you've faced with Thomas. He's been in my prayers since the first time you mentioned the problem, many months ago, and continues to be.

My youngest had tubes at a very young age (and still does at 10) - from the beginning, they have been a wonderful relief to her. We didn't hesitate at all about her age at the time, in large part because my eldest is the practice administrator for a wonderful group of Ear, Nose, & Throat physicians whom we knew well and trusted explicitly. We've never regretted our decision. It has made Cae's life so much better.

Continued prayers for Thomas, his Mom and Dad, and his grandparents!

Many years,

Neil