I got the call yesterday; the extended genetics panel came back CLEAR. Alex doesn’t have Usher’s or any other scary genetic syndrome. It’s a somewhat bittersweet victory because Shannon and I both feel like it was the antibiotic (gentamicin) that took Alex’s hearing from him, but  for me, the sweet outweighs the bitter. I’ve been terrified that Alex’s deafness was just a symptom of something bigger and worse, and now that’s basically gone.  Thank god.

The positive spin I’m putting on the antibiotic factor is this; if medicine took his hearing, it’s going to have to give it back to him as time goes on. I feel like because it appears that all Alex has to deal with is deafness and because of all of the developments happening on that front, he’s going to have the opportunity to take back what was taken from him.

Alex was supposed to be activated today if his surgery had gone through last month. To say that it’s a bummer that it didn’t happen is an understatement, but I’m very, very grateful for the clear genetics panel, so that helps to offset the frustration just a little.

That’s about all that’s going on, but I’m very, very happy to be writing this sort of update instead of what could have been the alternative.