Hand Of Hope


 




A picture began circulating in November. In many people's opinions, it should be proclaimed as

"The Picture of the Year,"

or perhaps,

"The Picture of the Decade."

It won't be. In fact,unless you obtained a copy
of the paper you probably will never see it.The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being
operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from the mother's womb.Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta.She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb. In the procedure, a C-section removes the uterus and the doctor makes a small incision to operate on the baby.During the surgery on little Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny,but fully developed, hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity.The editors titled the picture,

"Hand of Hope."

The text explaining the picture begins,

"The tiny hand of 21-week-ol fetus Samuel
Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift life...."

You can see the actual picture, and it is awesome...incredible! Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person." "The Hand" of the fetus. Hey, pass it on. The world needs to see this one.

Hand Of Hope



Here is an optimised close-up that has been color enhanced.







UpDate!


Some research was done and what was found was this postscript to the story. Samuel Armas arrived on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 6:25 p.m. at Northside Hospital, weighing 5 lbs, 11 ounces and [measuring] 20 1/2 inches long. He was born at 36 weeks but came into the world screaming his head off! He did not have to spend any time in a neonatal unit and came home with us on Monday, Dec. 6. After viewing an ultrasound of his brain, Samuel's neurosurgeon was very optimistic, as he does not have any hydrocephalus [excess fluid on the brain] and the brain malformation has resolved. He is moving his legs very well from the hips and some from the knees. He was frank breech (folded in half) in the womb, and the orthopedist feels that he has a good chance for walking. He will begin physical therapy next week in order to work out some of the stiffness in his legs that was a result of his being folded in half in the womb. He is also nursing very well. Thank you for all your prayers and support. We are happier than we ever dreamed possible!


All our love,


Julie, Alex and Samuel Armas1


Thanks go to †~Dawn~† for sending this to me by Email. Thanks also go to Judith for sending the update on Samuel's birth.




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