Rachel and I sat together in her doctor’s office, hand in hand, as the OBGYN slowly delivered the worst news.

Two weeks earlier, a routine ultrasound had raised an unexpected concern with our new baby’s development. The doctor ordered genetic testing, a recommendation which required our family to travel to Guatemala City. With Rachel’s bloodwork drawn, the sample was sent to the United States for processing, and we were sent back home to Xela, to wait.

Wyatt, I’m sorry your baby announcement has to go this way. While your sisters were each celebrated with shiny ultrasound pictures and cheerful congratulations, your announcement comes alongside your parents’ plea for prayer and peace.

So, as the doctor slowly delivered the news of our fourth child’s diagnosis, Rachel’s hand gripped tighter to mine. The genetic testing had come back, and the results, along with early signs of physical abnormalities on the ultrasound, confirmed a rare genetic disorder.

Edwards Syndrome, Trisomy 18.

It’s been two weeks since we received the news. We still have a lot to learn about what this diagnosis means for our family, but we’re taking each day, each moment, at a time. From what the doctor has told us, the chances of meeting our son alive are very low, and if we are blessed with the opportunity to hold him, the odds of him living past his first week are even lower.

But here’s the simple truth: none of this is a surprise to God. We’ve cried ourselves to sleep, begging for some answer to the unanswerable, and He has heard every word. And in His Word, we’ve found comfort. Wyatt’s life is precious to Him, and we are trusting in a plan infinitely greater than anything we can see or understand. No matter the answer, no matter how long we have with Wyatt here on earth, his diagnosis is not a surprise to our God.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:13-16

Please pray for Wyatt, by name, that he will fulfill every purpose God has for his life, no matter how long or short it may be.

Please pray for our family, especially our girls, as we walk through this with heavy hearts and open hands. Pray for Rachel to remain healthy, and for her body to stay strong and her heart stronger.

And please pray that, in all of this, the gospel would be made known. May our grief, our hope, and even our waiting point others to the goodness of Jesus.

With Love,
Tyler, Rachel, Asher, Graycen, Wrenley, and Wyatt