Hello all! Today has been a long day. We are pleased to tell you that Andrew smiled at us today. He also sat up in his bed, stood (with assistance)made it to the bathroom. He briefly laughed with us and has been awake for brief periods. We are seeing some "jerky" movements that we will ask the doctor about tomorrow. Additionally, the nurse seemed to think that he may have had an absence seizure just after getting up earlier today. PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR SEIZURE HEALING. His swelling is quite severe tonight. He is hardly able to open his eyes (because of the extreme swelling), but this was expected and easier to deal with since he has smiled at us.
All evening long the scripture "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight" has continuously been on my mind. I looked the verse up and found it to be Isaiah 45:2. So many of us have been praying about this day. We have prayed for Andrew. We have prayed for his doctors. We have prayed for his nurses. We have prayed for every aspect that our minds could consider surrounding March 24th. I must tell all of you that God has been so evident in the events of today and what has lead up to today. God has placed people and occurances in our lives that have made this day so much easier to bear. In searching for a hotel for Monday night, I believe that God allowed a lady named Evelyn to answer the phone at the downtown Marriot hotel. Her kindness and compassion for our family was overwhelming. We were quoted a room rate that is by and far less than other hotels in the area and greated with welcoming smiles upon arrival. We were given a special gift from the hotel and granted a peaceful rest. After a long trip and days of preparing for the surgery, this comfort met our need for rest and strength. Additionally, as I had hoped it would, the time for surgery passed quickly after we arrived at the hospital. The chaplain at the hospital came by to pray with our family and prayed the exact needs of our hearts without even knowing us or our history. Additionally, our surgeon gathered with our family to pray before the surgery. As she (the surgeon) held my hand, she squeezed it in comfort and granted me peace in releasing our little boy into her hands. When it was time for the surgery, Andrew so confidently and peacefully left our arms and walked into the operating room. He was calm and did not seem scared or fearful at all. His maturity and eagerness to smile never failes to amaze me. This too was another prayer answered. It took 45 minutes to get Andrew ready for surgery. The nurse called at 9:00 and told us that Andrew went to sleep easily and the doctor was ready to begin. It took one hour, not three hours, another answered prayer, for the doctor to complete the callosotomy. A third hour was consumed with concluding the surgery and preparing Andrew for the ICU. Although Andrew was quite sick and at times having difficulty breathing, our nurse Leah provided excellent care for Andrew and remained by his bedside constantly. She too seemed to be part of God's plan for us. By the end of the day, Brian and I were emotionally exhausted and physically drained. Karen Butler, epilepsy coordinator, and a dear friend to me, saw our exhaustion and need for rest. She found us a room with beds to sleep. Parents are typically expected to get a hotel or sleep in the waiting room outside of the ICU. We were afraid to leave Andrew and had planned on alternating between sitting up with him and sleeping. Karen's help allowed us both to sleep just minutes away from Andrew's bedside. Another prayer answered because the strength gained from the sleep has given us endurance for today. Also, God provided Linda James at the Marriot (We returned to shower) who very quickly reminded us that God was in control of all things and that Andrew was being cared for by great and mighty God. I believe that Linda was there at that time for the purpose and reason of encouraging us and meeting our needs. Our nurses have been wonderful all day today and very dilligent in their care. As posted before, Andrew's achievements today have been monumental and hopefully a sign that the surgery will help. As many of you know, we have been working on this surgery with our doctors and care providers for several months. In this day, I believe that God did go before us to align so many things to make this path easier for us and for Andrew. He has answered our prayers in so many ways. Please continue to lift up our family, the doctors, nurses, and Andrew's recovery as we continue the healing process.
All evening long the scripture "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight" has continuously been on my mind. I looked the verse up and found it to be Isaiah 45:2. So many of us have been praying about this day. We have prayed for Andrew. We have prayed for his doctors. We have prayed for his nurses. We have prayed for every aspect that our minds could consider surrounding March 24th. I must tell all of you that God has been so evident in the events of today and what has lead up to today. God has placed people and occurances in our lives that have made this day so much easier to bear. In searching for a hotel for Monday night, I believe that God allowed a lady named Evelyn to answer the phone at the downtown Marriot hotel. Her kindness and compassion for our family was overwhelming. We were quoted a room rate that is by and far less than other hotels in the area and greated with welcoming smiles upon arrival. We were given a special gift from the hotel and granted a peaceful rest. After a long trip and days of preparing for the surgery, this comfort met our need for rest and strength. Additionally, as I had hoped it would, the time for surgery passed quickly after we arrived at the hospital. The chaplain at the hospital came by to pray with our family and prayed the exact needs of our hearts without even knowing us or our history. Additionally, our surgeon gathered with our family to pray before the surgery. As she (the surgeon) held my hand, she squeezed it in comfort and granted me peace in releasing our little boy into her hands. When it was time for the surgery, Andrew so confidently and peacefully left our arms and walked into the operating room. He was calm and did not seem scared or fearful at all. His maturity and eagerness to smile never failes to amaze me. This too was another prayer answered. It took 45 minutes to get Andrew ready for surgery. The nurse called at 9:00 and told us that Andrew went to sleep easily and the doctor was ready to begin. It took one hour, not three hours, another answered prayer, for the doctor to complete the callosotomy. A third hour was consumed with concluding the surgery and preparing Andrew for the ICU. Although Andrew was quite sick and at times having difficulty breathing, our nurse Leah provided excellent care for Andrew and remained by his bedside constantly. She too seemed to be part of God's plan for us. By the end of the day, Brian and I were emotionally exhausted and physically drained. Karen Butler, epilepsy coordinator, and a dear friend to me, saw our exhaustion and need for rest. She found us a room with beds to sleep. Parents are typically expected to get a hotel or sleep in the waiting room outside of the ICU. We were afraid to leave Andrew and had planned on alternating between sitting up with him and sleeping. Karen's help allowed us both to sleep just minutes away from Andrew's bedside. Another prayer answered because the strength gained from the sleep has given us endurance for today. Also, God provided Linda James at the Marriot (We returned to shower) who very quickly reminded us that God was in control of all things and that Andrew was being cared for by great and mighty God. I believe that Linda was there at that time for the purpose and reason of encouraging us and meeting our needs. Our nurses have been wonderful all day today and very dilligent in their care. As posted before, Andrew's achievements today have been monumental and hopefully a sign that the surgery will help. As many of you know, we have been working on this surgery with our doctors and care providers for several months. In this day, I believe that God did go before us to align so many things to make this path easier for us and for Andrew. He has answered our prayers in so many ways. Please continue to lift up our family, the doctors, nurses, and Andrew's recovery as we continue the healing process.
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