Thomas' Story

Tiny Light Thomas was born with a severe case of spina bifida. At 34 weeks, Mom (Lisbet) found out there were issues with her otherwise normal pregnancy. Daddy (Benoit) was deployed overseas with the military. Sitting in the doctor’s office alone, Lisbet was told that the baby had an L1-L2 myelomeningocele on his back. The odds were one in 20 that the baby would survive birth and one in four that he would survive the massive surgery to put the spinal cord back in place.

It took almost a week to contact Benoit and then another week to get him home. Lisbet and Benoit were then sent to BC Children's Hospital to have further testing and await the arrival of the baby. Thank goodness for Grandma, who flew in from Ontario to help take care of the girls, Sophia, five, and Violette, almost two.

Thomas was born by emergency Caesarean section and had a four- to five-inch opening in his back. The first time Lisbeth saw her beautiful “Superman,” he was being taken to the OR for his first set of two major surgeries. The uncertainty of so many things was challenging. Lisbeth was once told by someone, “You grieve for the perfect little baby that you thought you would have, and then you look at your baby and are amazed and overjoyed at the beautiful baby you have."

Thomas is a survivor. An amazing, handsome blue-eyed, red-haired Tiny Light. He’s a quiet, cuddly, gentle little guy who takes everything in stride. The most amazing thing for the parents is seeing the love that his sisters give him. They are so excited to have a little brother and excited at the things they’ll be able to do with him. Thomas inspires them to be calm and grounded, and that makes them stronger as a family. All you have to do is look at him, and he makes you smile. Don't worry about what these children can't do and just celebrate what they can. This disability is not a disability at all, but an ability to adapt, amaze and define their tiny world. "The future for Thomas is bright."

Story written by Lori Meers

Images Captured by The Light Within Photography