Sam's Update and a New Perceptive

 

Sam before surgrey

 

After surgery....our little fighter!

 

Once Dr A got in, he went ahead and removed the Kpro implant and replaced it with tissue.  H had to cover the eye with something because the cornea is like the windsheild of the eye and it has to keep dirt and debries out of the eye.  He should be out of pain now.  Dr A said the same thing I'd thought, that since the eye was basically dead, it had started to shrink.  Obviously an implant is going to stay the same size so that is why it looked like it was falling out.  There was no infection, so no need to take the eye out.  Dr A doesn't expect any more problems from this eye:) 

 

His good eye is GREAT!  Everything is perfect, his glaucoma is fine, perfect numbers,  His right eye is a poster child for the Kpro corneal implant!  It has behaved and responded just as it should over the years.   So this trip will count for our yearly trip up here:)   We see Dr A in the morning so he can take a look at the left eye and then we will leave Thursday morning EARLY!  The plane leaves at 6am and I have to take the rental back and be checked in by 5am!  YIKES!  That should be fun....I apologize in advance to all the passengers!

 

If you have followed my blog for awhile, you may remember Steve and Shad helping to plant this garden for "Make a Wish" last fall...well the flowers are up.  they have mulch to put down but haven't yet, too bad the boys aren't with me, we could get that done in no time!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the rental..LOL  it is so tiny, being used to a van!  We had flights at such odd times, as well as I knew we'd have to be over here at the hospital really early that I thought it would be easier to just rent a car than to try and coordinate all our comings and goings!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have enjoyed being here in Rochester.  Despite everything that has happened, Rochester holds a specail place in my heart,  some of the memoreis are now bittersweet to me...but the love we have been shown, is just amazing!  The Rochester Ronald McDonald House is, as always, a haven for my family and for so many others.  Last night I met some of the families who are staying here and they all have their amazing stories and challenges.  The love and concern at RMH is awesome.  As always I encourage any of my readers from this area, to get invovled with RMH, give, do fund raisers, volunteer....whatever you can do...it means so much to ALL the families..  RMH is like a haven in the midist of storms! 

 

Tonight I get to see one of my BFFs from college:)  I LOVE that she lives up here!  We're going to do something, depending on how Sam feels, he is almost always up for some FOOD:)

 

thanks for the prayers for him and please continue to pray that he stays comfortable, with no issues from this surgery.  As I write I'm still in recovery with him and he is sleeping.  My plan if just to let him sleep, he has had a rough few days!

 

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It feels so good to be caught up on my blog!  I like everything in chronological order....there are so many details, I've left out of our Ukraine trip, but it was just amazing! 

There are a couple of things I want to address about our trip...

I was DREADING the LOOOOOONG time in country....it was the best thing for us and for the girls.  It gave us time to bond as a family, they grew to know and trust us.  It had its challenges but it was worth it.  When we first saw Sarah's picture we had no idea what country she was in or what the requirements were...when we learned:(  I was stressed!!!!!!  BUT it turned into the best blessing ever!  I truly believe that is one reason we had no issues with the girls like we did with Shad.  Please his heart, he was handed over to a strange white woman who didn't speak Chinese and he was a handful.  With the girls, they wanted us, they wanted to be held, they had trust because they had seen us for almost  6 solid weeks as much as we could get to them.  So if you are ever thinking about adoption but think you couldn't do what the country required as far as travel, don't let it stand in your way! 

Another thing was the whole MONEY thing.  when I first heard about the girls money, that the Ukraine government gave them, I felt entitled to it for their future medical needs.  I was angry about their condition and treatment over the years.....BUT when I got there and saw how ALL of Torez lived and how very poor it was, I realized alot more about the whole situation.  The girls lived in rough conditions, but everyone around them did too.  They lacked some basic medical care, so did the rest of the community.  Even the director was unable to get the care and help he needed.  Once we were there, I was HAPPY to give all their money to the institution,  My whole mentality CHANGED!  We never were asked about the money or asked to give it or anything...we WANTED to give it!  We found out that the institution's electric system malfunctioned and their freezers were affected just days after we gave it.  The way things are, the director would have had to request money to pay for the repairs, taking weeks to do so.  All the food would have spoiled, he was able to call someone in, save the food and fix the freezer with our money.  Evidently the institution would be reimbursed for that leaving the money to go to the next need.  We were so happy to be a part of a solution to the need there!!!!!

And that brings me to my next point....The director of Torez Institution..Alexander.  We had been told some horrible things about him and how he would oppose our adoption etc...  ALL  of that was a LIE!  He was kind, helpful and seemed to truly care about the residents.  The country does not have the wherewith all to have an institution like we would have in America.  Many doctors would refuse these kids as patients even if there was the money for surgeries etc....   We felt the director did the best he could under the circumstances.  He was kind and loving to the older residents and to the children, no one seemed afraid of him.  The staff treated him with respect.  And he seemed to have a good relationship with others.  We didn't understand their language, but you can easily pick up on attitudes!   He was absolutely as helpful as was legally possible for us.  He did not put up any roadblocks, or make anything difficult.  He was agreeable to us seeing the girls on the weekends and holidays.  We were allowed full access to the institution.  After we passed court, we were allowed to walk around unescorted from building to building.  We could have taken pictures or videos  of whatever, we had no restrictions but we also respected boundaries!   There has been so much discussion of the director and the Torez Institution in the adoption world but I wanted to clear the air!   Were things like I wanted them?  NO!  Was it understandable when you took in the WHOLE picture???  YES!!!!!!    The staff had poor or non existent health care, many did not have water in their homes but a few hours a week, there were no luxuries for anyone.  No dentists....so the children lived as so many of the staff did as well.  Do I wish the staff spent more time with them? YES!  But many of the ladies were untrained and overwhelmed by the needs.  It was a hard situation, and sometimes things still bother me, please don't get me wrong but being there like we were, for so long, gave me an understanding that someone who just ran in and out with a camera would not have! 

So this man who I had hated, became someone I love and think of with fondness....I understood the bureaucracy of what he had to do just to get something simple like milk for the residents.  Nothing was simple, nothing made sense and as director, he could only do so much on what was allocated to him.  I think , after being there, he did quite well with what he had.  He buildt a water tank so the institution has water 24 hours a day, what a luxury there!  They were warm, he made sure the coal was in for the winter, he kept up the basic repairs.  (as a pastor's wife and us having the respondsibiblties for our church's upkeep, I totally understand that whole concept!!!!!)   I really learned a lesson from our relationship about not judging before you know all the facts! 

So I've waited to say alot publicly about that whole situation, as it is quite the story in the adoption world....but I felt it needed to be said.  Last December I heard that all of the children were moved out to other places.  The girls went to one orphange and the boys to another....Then Torez took in new older residents.  Maybe that is for the better, since it is farther out and so hard for them to get the services they need to get for the children. 

We were able to interact with some of the older residents over the time we were there and we saw they seemed happy and content.  We were able to see some of the bead and art work they did which was beautiful.  We saw them working some on the grounds, which I think is a very good thing for them to do. 

So I just have a couple of more days to blog about our trip to Ukraine last year.....
Thursday is a milestone day as that was the day we got home last year...May 9th,  this year, Sam and I will be coming home that day!

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I just have to give a SHOUT OUT to Duck Dynsaty....Wille, the dad was on GMA this morning promoting hsi new book and he gave such an amazing christian witness!  He said he used to be into "drugs, sex and rock & roll" but Jesus saved him and changed him when he asked for Him to forgive him of all his sins....He got it ALL in:)  Good for him, in this day and age when people BLUSH to say the name of Jesus (in a good way) but have no problem blushing when they  tell you who they had sex with and how they did it....  It's a crazy world we live in today....So glad for the crazy Duck Dynasty gang and how they keep up their witness, living a real life, in a real world, but yet being bold enough to preach the gospel!   There are not ashamed of the gospel!!!!!