R.D. Glenn’s son Matthew was diagnosed last night with a genetic heart disorder, affecting the electrical system of his heart. You can read an update from R.D. below.
Dear Church Family,
I write to you after spending the night in the Emergency Room in Oakville with our son, Matthew.
As many of you know, Matthew is an elite Mountain Biker, racing in local, Provincial and National races for the past few years. On December 23rd, 2019, after a training session, he became aware of problems breathing. He simply could not catch his breath and could not get a full breath. The problem persisted and we went to the Emergency Room on December 24th. Their concern at that time was a partially collapsed lung. That was ruled out by X-Ray and nothing conclusive was determined. But the breathing difficulty persisted.
By early January the symptoms had not improved so we took Matthew to our family doctor. He ruled out any apparent problems with Matthew’s lungs and gave him the ‘green light’ to return to full training. So Matthew has been training vigorously for the past month, while pushing through the same, worsening problems. His breathing has not only been a problem while exercising, but all the time. He struggles to breath while sitting for dinner, or watching TV.
He has insisted that, despite the ‘all clears’ he has received, he knows his body and something was wrong. Over the past week we have noticed the symptoms getting worse. In the past two days he has developed chest pain. Last night, over supper, he was clearly struggling to simply breath and his chest was sore. So we took him to the hospital.
The Triage nurse fast tracked him in for tests, including EKG, blood and X-Rays. Then we waited for results and to see the doctor.
The doctor came back with serious news.
Matthew has Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. It is a genetic heart disorder, affecting the electrical system of his heart.
We have an appointment with the specialist later today and will know more details then. But for now, here is what we know.
While hearing news like this is never good, we are thankful we persisted and have a diagnosis. The doctor last night told us that this syndrome most often goes undiagnosed. People with it will exercise, go for a nap and simply never wake up. We thank God for guiding us to a clear diagnosis. We are thankful to God for sparing Matthew’s life and protecting him, especially over the past month and a half.
We are also thankful to hear that this syndrome is ‘curable’ with a surgical procedure. Again, we will know more later today. We do know that Matthew is going to see a cardiologist at Sick Kids in Toronto. He will map out a timeline for the procedure. Based on the Emergency Doctor’s advice, we anticipate that will happen within the next day or few days. We are thankful for good health care and for the doctors and nurses at Oakville Hospital.
As you can imagine, this has been a very trying 12 hours for our family. Matthew is in good spirits and, ten minutes after the initial shock, told me, “Dad, this is going to be ok. We will get through this.”
I write to you for a few reasons.
First, to seek your prayers for our son. I know we are a praying church family that rallies around our members in need. Your love for us is Christ’s love to us.
Second, to let you know that I will be away caring for my son and family. I do not yet know what this means in terms of timelines, but I will keep you all posted as things become more certain.
Finally, to bear witness to the goodness of God. Dear church family, God is good. He is merciful. He is strong. On the cross Jesus bore our hopelessness and has given us His peace. Our hope is built on nothing less …
With love,
R. D.
I just found out about this Ray David and Monica. I am praying specifically for Matthew but for all of you.