But Samuel's lesion is at his fifth lumbar vertebra, which is low enough on his back to make him one of the lucky ones. Generally, the higher the lesion, the more severe the nerve damage. Tulipan closes the dura, the sac that protects the spinal cord, then closes the skin on Samuel's back. The procedure is so routine for this team that the two surgeons talk about the weather on recent trips and studies they'd like to perform. But others in the room are not as comfortable until the uterus is pushed back into Julie's belly about an hour after the operation began.
Relief sweeps the room.
Within days, the couple are home, waiting and hoping for labor to begin as close to the Dec. 28 due date as possible. We've never had an opportunity to exercise our faith in the past. It's like the Lord said, 'Here this is. You get beyond the initial problem, beyond the spina bifida.