Samuel and Zachary, victims of spina bifida, answers to prayer
By J. Gerald Harris, Editor
Published January 19, 2006
Armas Family
Samuel Armas holds baby brother Zachary last summer. Both struggle with spina bifida, but have made gains in health since doctors’ early prognosis.
DOUGLASVILLE — Some folks have bedrock convictions that are unalterable and unshakeable. Alex and Julie Armas, members of Ephesus Baptist Church, are just those kinds of people, the kind that the Apostle Paul would call “steadfast and unmovable.”
Hilys Jasper once said, “It is not what happens to you, but the way you take it that counts.” This Georgia Baptist couple has had some formidable challenges hurled at them, but in spite of the heartache and pain, they have taken the challenges with faith and grace.
In an article that appeared in The Christian Index Oct. 23, 2003, the Armas couple was hailed for their decision to proceed with a pregnancy when the child Julie was carrying had been diagnosed with spina bifida. The doctors indicated that fetal surgery did not seem to be a viable option and that such surgery would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Julie remembers that he stopped just short of suggesting abortion.
Nevertheless, Julie and little Samuel underwent in utero surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital on Aug. 19, 1999. She was 21 weeks pregnant. Samuel weighed less than one pound.
Free-lance photographer Michael Clancy was in the operating room to take pictures for USA Today and took the photo of Samuel’s hand as he grasped the finger of the surgeon. After taking that much-publicized photo, Clancy, who had been a pro-choice advocate, has become a champion of pro-life causes.
Nationwide impact
Samuel was born by C-section 15 weeks after the surgery and although he has had multiple surgeries since, he has avoided many of the more serious problems of spina bifida. Billy Godwin, the Ephesus pastor, reports, “Samuel is bright, extremely active and very gregarious.”
During the United States Senate debate on partial birth abortion, Alex and Julie were invited to Washington to testify before Kansas Senator Sam Brownbeck’s subcommittee; and once the bill was passed President George W. Bush invited them to attend the actual signing ceremony at the White House.
In November of 2003 the Armas’ were blessed with a second son, Ethan, who is as healthy and happy as you might ever want a child to be. Then in late 2004 the Armas’ found that they were expecting a third child. It was somewhat of a surprise, but they were excited about the prospect of another child to love and welcome into the family.
In February of 2005 Julie had an ultrasound which seemed to indicate that this child also had spina bifida. An emergency visit to Vanderbilt to see the doctor who performed Samuel’s surgery confirmed the diagnosis. The news was devastating, but once again Alex and Julie began to draw from the peace and strength of the Lord as they faced the reality of having another spina bifida child.
Armas Family
Julie and Alex Armas pose with sons Ethan and Samuel last fall. The Armas’ third son, Zachary, was born in February of 2005.
The Douglasville couple decided on Zachary as the name for the child Julie was carrying in her womb. The physicians determined that Zachary’s lesion level was at L4, the 4th lumbar vertebrae, which was very similar to the lesion level at the time of Samuel’s in utero surgery five years earlier.
Since Alex and Julie had experienced positive results with Samuel’s pre-natal surgery they hoped that the same kind of surgery would be available to Zachary, but discovered that the National Institute of Health is conducting a clinical trial (MOMS: Management of Myelomeningocele Study) on fetal surgery; and that they control all fetal surgeries and none can be performed outside of the study.
Alex stated, “To ensure a fair and unbiased population and process is used, the study randomizes eligible candidates into either an experimental group (pre-natal) or a control group (post-natal). For the pre-natal random selection, fetal surgery is performed at one of three designated hospitals. For the post-natal random selections, surgery is performed immediately after birth by the same doctors and at the same hospital.”
Fight for surgical candidacy
“Initially,” Alex continued, “the NIH denied us entry into the study due to the fact that we had a prior fetal surgery. We felt the choice was taken away from us and we fought to have the chance for the same surgery that Samuel had prior to the clinical trial. After six weeks of letters and phone calls to multiple congressmen and senators in Washington, the NIH reviewed our case and decided on medical grounds to allow us entry into the study.”
Alex explained, “We enrolled as eligible candidates. However, we were ultimately randomized to the post-natal group, which means we could not have fetal surgery. Instead, we traveled back to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in July 2005 to have the same team deliver Zachary and perform the necessary surgeries soon after.
“Since we are enrolled in the study,” Alex observed, “Zachary will be followed closely by the Vanderbilt team for a couple of years. Once the study is completed, the findings will be published in medical journals for objective review and consideration of the risks versus the benefits.”
“This will likely determine the future of fetal surgery for spina bifida.”
Armas Family
Left to right, Ethan, Samuel and Zachary Armas take time out earlier this month on a Disney cruise for a photo. The brothers attend Ephesus Baptist Church in Douglasville with their parents, Alex and Julie.
Zachary had surgery to close his back 24 hours after he was born. He had subsequent surgery to insert a shunt eight days after birth. One week after returning from Vanderbilt, Zachary showed signs of hydrocephalus and had to undergo a shunt revision at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. His health condition has been uneventful since that time.
Only one option
The future of Zachary’s health is unknown, but comparative lesion levels and early upper leg function would indicate that he should be able to walk short distances with leg bracing. The added use of crutches, walkers or intermittent wheelchair use is unknown, but likely.
While some parents may chose to abort a spina bifida child, abortion was never an option for the Armas’. Alex affirms, “Our convictions are grounded in beliefs established through our upbringing and through what the Bible clearly says is wrong or right. Abortion is wrong. Life in the womb is God-created, even if with birth defects. God doesn’t make mistakes, whether creating a child with spina bifida, down syndrome or even more severe issues. It is still a life that has just as much a right to live as any ‘normal’ unborn child.”
Alex concluded, “Children are a true blessing from the Lord and have been an answer to prayer for us.”
The Armas couple contend that what was said about the blind man in John 9 is true of their situation – that Samuel and Zachary were given to them that “the works of God should be manifest in (them).”
