After weeks of prayer and searching, Sherry and Chris Kelley have found a surgeon who is able to operate on their son Michael, with hopes of a better future.
TEMPLE, Texas — 6 News shared 5-year-old Michael Kelley’s story around six weeks ago, and ever since — miracles have been sent his way.
Kelley will be having brain surgery in the coming weeks. It won’t cure his condition, but it’s the one thing that might alleviate the challenges ahead.
Michael was diagnosed with Chiari malformation, a painful condition that makes his brain go lower on his spine, leaving a cyst of fluid. It creates lots of challenges for the young boy, who also has epilepsy.
“When we first found out about all this, we didn’t know if our future meant our five-year-old in a wheelchair, or worse,” said Sherry Kelley, Michael’s mom.
After much consideration, research and the power of prayer – Sherry and Chris Kelley, Michael’s parents, were able to find an Austin-based surgeon. It wasn’t an easy decision and an even harder find. The surgeon is only one of five in the country who does this type of operation, according to the Kelleys.
“The deciding factor for us was the difference in surgery plans,” Sherry Kelley said. “Going into surgery, we’re obviously terrified, there are many unknown possible outcomes. But the surgeon we found is one of the very few in the country who can do the less invasive decompression surgery. Recovery is better, it was just an overall better surgery plan than what we were given initially, and a better prognosis for his future.”
“He can play contact sports, he could do whatever he wanted,” Chris Kelley said. “[The] surgeon said by the time [Michael] gets older, it will probably be like this never happened.”
“I think the biggest thing for us is [the surgeon] looked at us and told us, your baby’s not going to hurt anymore,” Sherry added.
Sherry said Michael understands that he isn’t going to get better. He even asked the surgeon if he was going to be able to fix his legs and head. The surgeon told Michael he would do his best, then Michael proceeded to “hire” him.”
Miracles haven’t come just medically, but also from the Central Texas community.
With the power of prayer, fundraisers and even a benefit in a couple weeks, the Kelleys are able to focus on getting Michael healthy. Chris said he has run into people across Central Texas who have heard Michael’s story on the news and offered prayers.
“It’s been incredible because this is not something that we were expecting,” Chris said as he teared up.
The Kelley family’s church, New Hope Baptist Church in Riesel, is having a benefit for them on Feb. 18 to help with medical bills and the financial stress of being away from work while Michael will have to recover for at least three months.
Billy Bloom, a deacon at the church, said the goal of the benefit is to make the Kelleys comfortable so they can focus on Michael.
“There’s going to be some financial straps towards the parents and that to me is what this benefit is about,” Bloom said. “Let’s step up and help them out, let them not worry about these other essentials to get through this world and to care for their son.”
“I think that was one of the biggest worries when we found out about all this is ‘How are we going to do this?'” Sherry said. “I mean, we’re a two-income household and having to take off for three months for his recovery, it just wasn’t going to be possible.”
The Kelleys said the first two weeks after surgery are expected to be miserable, but then Michael will get better and is expected to be fully recovered in three months.
