All in time...

Gage getting ready to eat his very special (and very yummy, too, I promise) wheat free, dairy free, soy free, nut free John Deere green cupcakes!

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the cliche, All in Time, and it hasn't failed me yet when I turn my worries and stress over to patience and perseverance.  Gage just celebrated his 6th birthday, happy, healthy, fit and wonderful.  We haven't always had such adjectives to describe Gage.  Since starting a special elemental formula in November, Gage has gained almost 10 pounds and is, at this time, nowhere close to needing a feeding tube or any other sort of 'aid' for him to get his nutritional intake.  Thanks to those food allergies only sticking around and even getting a bit trickier to deal with, he had really taken a near stop in growth for about a  year and it got a little worrisome for us for a little while.  However,  medical advances and abilities in this country are amazing!  

To put the icing on the cake, pun intended, right after his birthday, I received the official word from the state that Gage is officially part of the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps.  I've been working on this since February or so after we got into a medical debacle with Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.  Answered prayers, no doubt.  This means as long as Gage goes to doctors who are part of the Bureau, the Bureau will pay for anything (regarding the Eosinophilic Esophagitis) outstanding not covered by our insurance until he is 19!  Co-pays, prescriptions, lab work, etc!  I could cry in happiness just typing it.  We've moved all of his doctors to Cleveland Clinic, we've had three visits so far, with one more around the corner-- and they cannot believe what courage and knowledge Gage has.  Again, that's all been my mission and it's a compliment to us both when the professionals say 'you can't do anything more than you're already doing.'  I'm so glad we've made the switch and I'm so glad that we're lucky to have advanced medical care so close to home.

Any parent who has a child who has any sort of special medical condition knows what kind of work goes into learning about the problems, dealing with the problems, educating others on the problems, fighting all the people in the world who think they shouldn't have to worry about your kid's problems, and then... the medical paperwork and bills.  It's a full-time job in itself.   I wish I would have kept a log of just the hours I spend on the phone between the insurance company and the hospitals.  It's made us stronger.  But, it's also made me very, very protective because I've truly learned that ignorance is too abundant.

It won't be our excuse, though!  The Cables never, ever give up!  Happy 6th Birthday, Gage Brant Cable!