The True Meaning of
‘Thanksgiving’, in a Mother’s Words
Written By : Beth Stevens
Photos By: Laura Bennett
In January 2013, when I was 7 months pregnant with my first child, my husband and I learned that he would
be born with a brain cyst. A 3D ultrasound detected this cyst, but it was unknown at the time of diagnosis what
the future would hold for our baby boy. After much close monitoring and many extra ultrasounds, Lucas David
Stevens was born on March 15, 2013. Seemingly happy and healthy, we were overjoyed that our baby was finally
in our arms. An MRI of Lucas’s head revealed that he had two Arachnoid Cysts; one the size of an orange and the
other the size of a golf ball. These types of cysts are between the brain and the arachnoid membrane, one of the
three membranes that cover the brain. They are rare and our Doctor had only seen a few brain cysts in his many
years of practice. The cysts were compressing Lucas’ brain at the time of surgery and if we had chosen not to
have the surgery then he was guaranteed to have learning disabilities/delays. So at 3 months old, our bundle of
joy had brain surgery and endured an 8 day hospital stay.
Today, Lucas is now a thriving 19 month old and we are so grateful that he is ours. His cyst has stabilized and he
shows no signs of any adverse effects from the cyst. It’s still there but the Doctor suspects that as his brain continues to grow, it will compress the cyst completely. Lucas will have another MRI in 2-3 years and if it is stable, he
won’t have to go back anymore.
My son is the happiest baby, always smiling and laughing. He loves coloring, painting, books, matchbox cars, and
Mickey Mouse. He has a vast vocabulary for a 19 month old (per his Doctor) and loves to learn. You would never
know he had a potentially debilitating birth defect if you didn’t know our story. He is a blessing in our lives and
as Thanksgiving approaches we will give extra thanks to God for choosing us to be his parents and for watching
over him.
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