Selah's cold/pheumonia/viral thingy is much better thank God. She did great in therapy today and is only having some labored breathing at times. She keeps her oxygen levels up but it seems she has to work on breathing. She did everything her therapist wanted her to do today and did it good. Her doctor asked if she could share Selah's story and the fish oil study with a group of PH.Ds from Cornell University tomorrow! We are so excited for others to hear about how Fish Oil is helping our daughter to recover from a coma.
I do want to explain to you that Selah is taking a very high pharmaceutical brand of fish oil. It is not something you can just buy off the shelf. She is also taking 4 oz a day of it! Soon I will have a link on my blog to Dr Barry Sear's website. You can buy the fish oil (and some in pills thank God ~cuz that is some strong stuff) along with other products he endorses. Dr Sears works with different sports groups and has done several studies of the benefits of fish oil for various issues. He has also done some books on diets/how to live healthy. At some point, it became clear that fish oil could help brain injuries. There are several studies supporting that fact but more studies will probably be made in order to get a wider group.
I will tell you a funny story.....when my friend from college emailed me the article that was on CNN, I called Selah's nurse that night. She told me that sometimes the hospital allowed families to give their children vitamins that didn't come through the hospital and maybe they'd allow us to give that to her..... Well that was all Jon & I needed! The next morning, he dropped me off at the hospital and went straight to CVS and bought TWO HUGE bottles of fish oil! We were ready to start popping them and putting them in her g-tube! The morning nurse thought we had lost our minds LOLOLOL!
Thankfully someone soon contacted me from Dr Sears' office and let me know the difference between fish oil you might buy in the store and pharmaceutical fish oil that is very refined. We still have those bottles..... We laugh about it now but we were DESPERATE~~~
Well it looks like next Tuesday Dec 11th will be our day to leave here! It also happens to be Jon's 49th birthday! If we really go on that date, we will be one day shy of her being in the hospital for 17 weeks! It will be 112 days! Then who knows how long she will be in rehab!
So keep praying for our Selah! I stand in awe of all that God has done! Some may say "you guys just gave her some medicine...it wasn't God" But I can tell you first and foremost ALL good gifts come down from above and that include the fish that God created!!!! She was starting to improve on her own but now that process has just sped up! We are grateful, first to God, then to a doctor who discovered this and brought it to the world's attention and to our doctor and hospital here that was willing to try it! And to my college friend David who emailed this to me in the first place!!!! We have grateful hearts and a little girl who is waking up and doing things no one thought she would ever do again!
"Our life maybe a crazy life but it's our life" I'm married to a pastor of a small rural church, who is also the prison chaplain. We have 5 kids, each with their unique story. I love gardening & we all love the outdoors. Our life is not the way we planned it to be, but we are learning to trust God in every area. Come and read about our life as we live it to the fullest!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Day 28 Fish OIl Study
Selah is doing better today although she is having regular breathing treatments, No fevers since Friday morning so that is good. It looks like she is recovering from this whatever it was....thank God!
One thing I have noticed today, and our doctor remarked on it also, is that Selah is keeping her tongue in her mouth more. Most people who have neurological injuries and/or have had breathing tubes tend to let their tongues hang out some. It is because it is easier and gravity actually plays a part in it. Selah has shown tongue control but today has been great, she is amazing!!!
We have some great news.....
A dear friend that we went to college with, really got burdened for our family's housing situation for when we go to Jax for rehab. He contacted a friend of his, who listened to Bryan and read our blog and then his friend, Bill, went to his church Mandarin United Methodist about it.... Several Sunday School classes and groups of the church wanted to get involved in helping us.... So a special family offered us the use of a home rent free for up to 3 months! The house is beautiful and in a great area of town:) The different groups in the church are committing to various things such as the utilities, bringing in dinners etc.... We are beyond blown away by all of this. What is so wonderful is we have been concerned about how long she would have in rehab. The average stay in patient is around 3 weeks, that's not to say she wouldn't stay longer but we were worried because we feel she needs much more than that. We have some great therapists set up for her in Zephyrhills but no one that has worked anyone off a trach. The speech therapist we have set up, has never done that and doesn't feel comfortable with trying to do that. BUT now even if she has to leave in patient quicker than we'd hoped for (due to insurance! ) we could probably still stay there a few more weeks and do intensive out patient therapy I think! So it looks like God has once again provided for this little girl....(we are just along for the ride)
This past year (since November '11) when we committed to adopting Sarah, has been a complete adventure. We have never experienced anything like it. God has led us throughout this year, through the different paths, He has remained faithful to us & we commit to stay faithful to Him. This year has filled me with more joy than I ever thought was possible and certainly more sorrow than I thought my heart could bear. But the one thing that has remained consistent has been the faithfulness of God.
We said YES to God last November when we saw Sarah's picture. We knew we wanted to rescue two children and God sent us Selah! We had no idea what was ahead for us but God did and He has walked with us through this past year in such a real way!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg
This song has spoken to me alot lately.... "Whom Shall I Fear?" by Chris Tomlin
"I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of Angel Armies is always by side, the One who reigns forever is a friend of mine" That last line...."the one who reigns forever is a friend of mine" just gets me every time I hear it....
My mind goes back countless times to the ONE prophecy I've ever gotten that I really believe was from God, that day in the mall bathroom..... "your family is going to go through something big in the next few months, do NOT fear, many will see" Only God knows how many times I have clung to that word...espicially the "do NOT fear" The worst days when I could barely control my body to keep it from shaking or the times when the tears flowed like rain to the point my vision was affected, I clung to that word. There wasn't a promise of healing but rather an admonition to me, to not fear. It was NOT given to me in some angry judgemental way....but in a calm peaceful way. I felt it was said "like a hug". A promise that there was no need to fear because God was going to walk throught things with us, no matter what that was.... Many times I've said to God " I will not fear ......" Sometimes it was "I will not fear the doctor's words" or many times it was "I will not fear the future" The future was sooooooo scary at times. Even now, there are unknowns but I know the ONE who goes before me...
So tonight as I write it, sitting once again by my little girls' bedside, I KNOW that the God of this Universe is a faithful God! Tonight I sit here with thankfulness in my heart for the progress she has made and with hope for the future. But even in the worst days, I still knew that the God of this Universe was faithful.... that truth carried me days when I thought my daughter would die, it carried me when I thought she would never even know I was beside her, days when she was so far away....
I can promise you that there is nothing in this world worth hanging on to compared to living for God! For many years, even as a Christian I tried to "make things happen" and be in control of my life. If you can't tell, I'm pretty much "living in the moment" at this point...some might call it "living by the seat of my pants" LOL I don't know what lies ahead, good or bad...but I KNOW that God is with us and I know we want to live surrendered lives, now and in the future.
Please keep praying for Selah! Thank you!!!!
One thing I have noticed today, and our doctor remarked on it also, is that Selah is keeping her tongue in her mouth more. Most people who have neurological injuries and/or have had breathing tubes tend to let their tongues hang out some. It is because it is easier and gravity actually plays a part in it. Selah has shown tongue control but today has been great, she is amazing!!!
We have some great news.....
A dear friend that we went to college with, really got burdened for our family's housing situation for when we go to Jax for rehab. He contacted a friend of his, who listened to Bryan and read our blog and then his friend, Bill, went to his church Mandarin United Methodist about it.... Several Sunday School classes and groups of the church wanted to get involved in helping us.... So a special family offered us the use of a home rent free for up to 3 months! The house is beautiful and in a great area of town:) The different groups in the church are committing to various things such as the utilities, bringing in dinners etc.... We are beyond blown away by all of this. What is so wonderful is we have been concerned about how long she would have in rehab. The average stay in patient is around 3 weeks, that's not to say she wouldn't stay longer but we were worried because we feel she needs much more than that. We have some great therapists set up for her in Zephyrhills but no one that has worked anyone off a trach. The speech therapist we have set up, has never done that and doesn't feel comfortable with trying to do that. BUT now even if she has to leave in patient quicker than we'd hoped for (due to insurance! ) we could probably still stay there a few more weeks and do intensive out patient therapy I think! So it looks like God has once again provided for this little girl....(we are just along for the ride)
This past year (since November '11) when we committed to adopting Sarah, has been a complete adventure. We have never experienced anything like it. God has led us throughout this year, through the different paths, He has remained faithful to us & we commit to stay faithful to Him. This year has filled me with more joy than I ever thought was possible and certainly more sorrow than I thought my heart could bear. But the one thing that has remained consistent has been the faithfulness of God.
We said YES to God last November when we saw Sarah's picture. We knew we wanted to rescue two children and God sent us Selah! We had no idea what was ahead for us but God did and He has walked with us through this past year in such a real way!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg
This song has spoken to me alot lately.... "Whom Shall I Fear?" by Chris Tomlin
"I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of Angel Armies is always by side, the One who reigns forever is a friend of mine" That last line...."the one who reigns forever is a friend of mine" just gets me every time I hear it....
My mind goes back countless times to the ONE prophecy I've ever gotten that I really believe was from God, that day in the mall bathroom..... "your family is going to go through something big in the next few months, do NOT fear, many will see" Only God knows how many times I have clung to that word...espicially the "do NOT fear" The worst days when I could barely control my body to keep it from shaking or the times when the tears flowed like rain to the point my vision was affected, I clung to that word. There wasn't a promise of healing but rather an admonition to me, to not fear. It was NOT given to me in some angry judgemental way....but in a calm peaceful way. I felt it was said "like a hug". A promise that there was no need to fear because God was going to walk throught things with us, no matter what that was.... Many times I've said to God " I will not fear ......" Sometimes it was "I will not fear the doctor's words" or many times it was "I will not fear the future" The future was sooooooo scary at times. Even now, there are unknowns but I know the ONE who goes before me...
So tonight as I write it, sitting once again by my little girls' bedside, I KNOW that the God of this Universe is a faithful God! Tonight I sit here with thankfulness in my heart for the progress she has made and with hope for the future. But even in the worst days, I still knew that the God of this Universe was faithful.... that truth carried me days when I thought my daughter would die, it carried me when I thought she would never even know I was beside her, days when she was so far away....
I can promise you that there is nothing in this world worth hanging on to compared to living for God! For many years, even as a Christian I tried to "make things happen" and be in control of my life. If you can't tell, I'm pretty much "living in the moment" at this point...some might call it "living by the seat of my pants" LOL I don't know what lies ahead, good or bad...but I KNOW that God is with us and I know we want to live surrendered lives, now and in the future.
Please keep praying for Selah! Thank you!!!!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Day 27 Fish Oil study
The doctors were concerned about Selah and reran some tests. Her chest x rays were the same, no worse, no better. She hasn't had a fever since Friday morning but has not seemed to feel good. She has had alot of secretions and I've been doing the suctioning. Her blood work was all good and her white blood cell count is normal which just points to a simple viral thingy going on. We can't help but worry some but her oxygen levels are normal and she has not needed any extra oxygen. I got her up in her chair for about 2.5 hours today and she did fine.
Below is a video I took last night. I had put the toy in her hand and she started moving it around, waving it. I was watching her for about 5 minutes and then thought I should video it for Jon. By the time I found my phone and figured it out, she had slowed down some. It's so wonderful to see her do new things and it just lifts our hearts:) When I think back just a few weeks, it is unbelievable how far she has come! We can't wait to see what she will be doing in a month! Hope you enjoy it!
Below is a video I took last night. I had put the toy in her hand and she started moving it around, waving it. I was watching her for about 5 minutes and then thought I should video it for Jon. By the time I found my phone and figured it out, she had slowed down some. It's so wonderful to see her do new things and it just lifts our hearts:) When I think back just a few weeks, it is unbelievable how far she has come! We can't wait to see what she will be doing in a month! Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you all so much for your prayers for Selah! We are so blessed to have such support!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Day 26 Fish Oil study
I can finally say with assurance in my heart that Selah is waking up....
I hesitant at times to say things because I am such a realist but the last two days I have seen so much emotion from her. Whenever I come in her room she lifts her head and shoulders off the bed and leans toward me. This afternoon when I came in, she did that and I sat on the side of the bed and held her. Then I put her down and she made a "cry face" and lifted her head and shoulders towards me, so I picked her up and sat in the rocker with her!!! She frowns at the nurses. she listens to Jon on the phone and turns her head whichever way I put the phone. Tonight she has been moving her left arm/hand while holding on to a toy I put in her hand. I've never seen her do that. She is doing a movement similar to what a baby might do with a toy for the first time!
It is amazing to us!
Her therapist says she feels daily a difference in her body and how she holds herself up....
ENT came and saw her as there was concern about her vocal cords. Our ST felt maybe they had been damaged but they looked fine. Ortho came in and did xrays on her feet to give us a better idea about the surgery and care she will need. Her ankles have remained tight no matter what was tried. So she will probably have to have her tendons cut and some botox to give her full range of motion.
She still keeps spiking fevers so it looks like we won't be going to Florida on Tuesday. It will probably be put off a week, so now we are looking at Dec 10 or 11th for her to leave. What she has now is considered viral pneumonia, if it is even pneumonia. She only gets a fever once or twice a day usually early morning. She has lots of gunk that I have actually enjoyed suctioning out:) She manages to get alot out of her trach on her own and we have to clean that too. It is good she is bringing it up on her own at times.
So no "storming" for 26 days:)
We are so thankful and happy:)
Tonight we had snow, about 1 inch and the boys played on their sleds! Finally! The LOVE the snow and now want more! It had snowed so much that we changed our plans. We had planned to go to MT Morris to eat supper with our good friends but were a bit concerned about driving in the snow so we stayed here. After we ate and played in the snow, I was able to come and spend time with Selah:)
Watching the snow tonight, walking in it, remembering the crunch of the snow under my feet, and feeling the brisk air was just wonderful and magical....then thinking about my little girl who is starting to want her mommy to hold her, it just was almost more than my heart could bear!
I just thank God for these wonderful changes. And I thank all of you who have carried Selah's name to throne of God on a daily or even more frequent basis..... We have trusted God through these past almost 16 weeks and He has been more than faithful to us! But even if these changes had never come, God was still faithful to us. He is a faithful God, through the good times and bad times. I've never felt God under girding like I have during this time, from the very second I saw the ambulances and started running, He has been with me!
I just want to encourage you, no matter what you are going through, to give it to God and lean on Him. He will be your strength. If you read through my blog, you will see how God was with me and He can be with you just like that! He is no respecter of persons, He doesn't love me anymore than He loves you! I'm no special spiritual christian....I can promise you that.... I'm a mess and a half and will be the first of many to say that! I don't think my prayers were so perfect and full of faith that God just decided to do something for us. I think if anything we've been like the widow woman in Jesus' parable in Luke 18
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
So that was the bible verse I clung to in the darkest nights... And please don't think that this is some sort of doctrine to get something from God, I am also not saying that! But when we prayed we prayed and left it with God. We did not demand anything from His hands, we didn't claim her healing, we did not speak life to her body. We simply asked God to have mercy on us and on Selah. I for one, do not believe God owes me anything as a Christian. To believe that is to say He owes me more than He owed all the saints of God of the past 2,000 years who went through torture and heartaches.... In life we will all have trouble and heartache. It amazes me how we take for granted God when everything is going good but let something bad happen, then all of a sudden we are mad at God and blame Him for every bad thing in the world. Recently several people have said things like that to me....they are so mad at God. When God didn't move like they wanted Him to do, then they go from ignoring Him completely to blaming Him.....
Folks, God is not a genie in the bottle. Now you might say I can sit here and say this because my daughter is getting better.....let me tell you I've been in plenty of situations where the outcome, was not the outcome I wanted but yet I knew God was still a good God. Through this whole time, God has given me the strength to put one foot in front of the other....there were days I actually thought my heart would break and I would go blind from crying. I did not want to talk to anyone on the phone, I couldn't eat, I grieved....and I wan not convinced that she would get any better. Oh I hoped so but I am a realist to the tenth degree....and I've seen alot of things medically, so I had no false hopes.
What if she would have died or never ever responded to us? I still knew the God of this Universe was with us and I had the eternal Hope of Heaven and I knew one day she would be whole. That is what I have clung to.....and that alone and the fact I do know the God of this Universe and I walk with Him. I don't mean that pridefully but humbly.
Let me tell you, the peace of God is worth putting down any sin for! There is NOTHING that compares to it. I don't have the words to describe it, but I am so thankful for it! To be able to know that there is an eternal hope beyond this life and that I can depend on God no matter what comes....what a blessing. It's not worth hanging on to bitterness, it's not worth anything on this earth!
There is still a long road ahead for us but we will have God with us..... thank you for your prayers for our girl and for us also to stay strong in our faith!
I will post the ABC interview as soon as it comes on line, it was great and our doctor was so positive:)
I hesitant at times to say things because I am such a realist but the last two days I have seen so much emotion from her. Whenever I come in her room she lifts her head and shoulders off the bed and leans toward me. This afternoon when I came in, she did that and I sat on the side of the bed and held her. Then I put her down and she made a "cry face" and lifted her head and shoulders towards me, so I picked her up and sat in the rocker with her!!! She frowns at the nurses. she listens to Jon on the phone and turns her head whichever way I put the phone. Tonight she has been moving her left arm/hand while holding on to a toy I put in her hand. I've never seen her do that. She is doing a movement similar to what a baby might do with a toy for the first time!
It is amazing to us!
Her therapist says she feels daily a difference in her body and how she holds herself up....
ENT came and saw her as there was concern about her vocal cords. Our ST felt maybe they had been damaged but they looked fine. Ortho came in and did xrays on her feet to give us a better idea about the surgery and care she will need. Her ankles have remained tight no matter what was tried. So she will probably have to have her tendons cut and some botox to give her full range of motion.
She still keeps spiking fevers so it looks like we won't be going to Florida on Tuesday. It will probably be put off a week, so now we are looking at Dec 10 or 11th for her to leave. What she has now is considered viral pneumonia, if it is even pneumonia. She only gets a fever once or twice a day usually early morning. She has lots of gunk that I have actually enjoyed suctioning out:) She manages to get alot out of her trach on her own and we have to clean that too. It is good she is bringing it up on her own at times.
So no "storming" for 26 days:)
We are so thankful and happy:)
Tonight we had snow, about 1 inch and the boys played on their sleds! Finally! The LOVE the snow and now want more! It had snowed so much that we changed our plans. We had planned to go to MT Morris to eat supper with our good friends but were a bit concerned about driving in the snow so we stayed here. After we ate and played in the snow, I was able to come and spend time with Selah:)
Watching the snow tonight, walking in it, remembering the crunch of the snow under my feet, and feeling the brisk air was just wonderful and magical....then thinking about my little girl who is starting to want her mommy to hold her, it just was almost more than my heart could bear!
I just thank God for these wonderful changes. And I thank all of you who have carried Selah's name to throne of God on a daily or even more frequent basis..... We have trusted God through these past almost 16 weeks and He has been more than faithful to us! But even if these changes had never come, God was still faithful to us. He is a faithful God, through the good times and bad times. I've never felt God under girding like I have during this time, from the very second I saw the ambulances and started running, He has been with me!
I just want to encourage you, no matter what you are going through, to give it to God and lean on Him. He will be your strength. If you read through my blog, you will see how God was with me and He can be with you just like that! He is no respecter of persons, He doesn't love me anymore than He loves you! I'm no special spiritual christian....I can promise you that.... I'm a mess and a half and will be the first of many to say that! I don't think my prayers were so perfect and full of faith that God just decided to do something for us. I think if anything we've been like the widow woman in Jesus' parable in Luke 18
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
So that was the bible verse I clung to in the darkest nights... And please don't think that this is some sort of doctrine to get something from God, I am also not saying that! But when we prayed we prayed and left it with God. We did not demand anything from His hands, we didn't claim her healing, we did not speak life to her body. We simply asked God to have mercy on us and on Selah. I for one, do not believe God owes me anything as a Christian. To believe that is to say He owes me more than He owed all the saints of God of the past 2,000 years who went through torture and heartaches.... In life we will all have trouble and heartache. It amazes me how we take for granted God when everything is going good but let something bad happen, then all of a sudden we are mad at God and blame Him for every bad thing in the world. Recently several people have said things like that to me....they are so mad at God. When God didn't move like they wanted Him to do, then they go from ignoring Him completely to blaming Him.....
Folks, God is not a genie in the bottle. Now you might say I can sit here and say this because my daughter is getting better.....let me tell you I've been in plenty of situations where the outcome, was not the outcome I wanted but yet I knew God was still a good God. Through this whole time, God has given me the strength to put one foot in front of the other....there were days I actually thought my heart would break and I would go blind from crying. I did not want to talk to anyone on the phone, I couldn't eat, I grieved....and I wan not convinced that she would get any better. Oh I hoped so but I am a realist to the tenth degree....and I've seen alot of things medically, so I had no false hopes.
What if she would have died or never ever responded to us? I still knew the God of this Universe was with us and I had the eternal Hope of Heaven and I knew one day she would be whole. That is what I have clung to.....and that alone and the fact I do know the God of this Universe and I walk with Him. I don't mean that pridefully but humbly.
Let me tell you, the peace of God is worth putting down any sin for! There is NOTHING that compares to it. I don't have the words to describe it, but I am so thankful for it! To be able to know that there is an eternal hope beyond this life and that I can depend on God no matter what comes....what a blessing. It's not worth hanging on to bitterness, it's not worth anything on this earth!
There is still a long road ahead for us but we will have God with us..... thank you for your prayers for our girl and for us also to stay strong in our faith!
I will post the ABC interview as soon as it comes on line, it was great and our doctor was so positive:)
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Day 25 Fish Oil Study
This was an eventful day!
First Selah....although she still has a slight fever, she did great in therapy. she is handling her secretions good which is important. Her therapist shared with me that she sees daily improvement with Selah. Today she needed just minimal support to sit on the side of the bed. She can tell that Selah is doing most of the work. Selah is also clearly showing when she does not like something. She will push back, away from the therapist.
When I walked in today Selah lifted her head and both shoulders off the bed and leaned in towards me! I love it, that is usually reserved for Daddy:)
We had a telephone conference with Brooks Rehab today. We just had some concerns and wanted some answers about how things will go. I clearly shared WHO Selah was BEFORE the accident so that they all understood she was NOT a typical eight year old. She has gone through alot in her life. She has the language barrier, the institutional issues, and the developmental delays against her. I must say I feel they put alot of effort into the conversation. All their main staff were there, head of nursing, head of therapy, the doctor and several others. The way Rehab works is you only stay as long as you meet goals. It is totally dictated by Insurance....all the rehabs we have talked to have told us that. Their average length of stay is 19 days....to me that is not even time to get to know a child much less help them! Of course every case is different and we will be advocating for her the whole time. I think I was able to clearly tell them who Selah was and what we want. They were very responsive and positive. Our doctors were in with us on the conversation and really encouraged us.
The Rehab asked that ENT see Selah. The speech pathologist who has been seeing Selah feels in her gut that there is an issue with her vocal cords. They may have been damaged when she had her breathing tube put in or it could be a result of the accident, that that area of the brain that controls the vocal cords was damaged. So ENT is going to scope her and get a good idea of what is going on. Having an answer will let us know how to proceed in her speech therapy.
So the plan is still to go next Tuesday unless she still is having fevers then it will be put off until December 10 or 11th. We will see what she does. We want her to be as healthy as possible for the trip and so she will be ready to participate fully in therapy. Right now she is still a little off....
We did an interview with the ABC station here, it will be shown at 10 pm on Ch 16 on the local cable or at 11 pm on Ch 13 (ABC) on FRIDAY night He is also going to contact the national ABC and send them info for us for Extreme Home Makeover:) It was a positive interview, they have all been. Sometimes talking about the accident and the aftermath is a little hard. Sometimes it blows my mind at how far we've come...it just stirs up emotions in me. We still have a long way to go! Please keep praying for our girl!
Many things happening in the adoption world....
Yesterday a friend of mine son passed away. You can read his story here http://bringinghenryhome.blogspot.com/2012/11/henry-is-finally-home.html
We are all heartbroken for this wonderful family who loved this little guy so very much. His mom Carla has been an encouragement to me over the last few months and she is passionate about adoption. She is the one who told me about the need the Basas family had.... so please say a prayer for this family. We know Henry is with our Lord but the pain is unbearable to them!!! If you'd like to give towards his funeral expenses, here is how you can give http://networkedblogs.com/FkBQQ
My sweet friend Vera is home with their new daughter!!! Joey & Vera "lost" two children they were interested in adopting and then God brought them across this sweet girl's path....she just got home yesterday http://specialingredientlove.blogspot.com/
At the girls' institution there was a little girl that stayed with us as much as possible. Her family to be got all their paperwork in yesterday....so happy for them! So happy for her!!!! She has waited for so long! Thank God she has a mama and papa coming for her.... The last time I saw her she was sitting on her bed crying because we were leaving with the girls...now she has family coming for her!!!!!! http://reecesrainbow.org/48954/sponsorsayer
First Selah....although she still has a slight fever, she did great in therapy. she is handling her secretions good which is important. Her therapist shared with me that she sees daily improvement with Selah. Today she needed just minimal support to sit on the side of the bed. She can tell that Selah is doing most of the work. Selah is also clearly showing when she does not like something. She will push back, away from the therapist.
When I walked in today Selah lifted her head and both shoulders off the bed and leaned in towards me! I love it, that is usually reserved for Daddy:)
We had a telephone conference with Brooks Rehab today. We just had some concerns and wanted some answers about how things will go. I clearly shared WHO Selah was BEFORE the accident so that they all understood she was NOT a typical eight year old. She has gone through alot in her life. She has the language barrier, the institutional issues, and the developmental delays against her. I must say I feel they put alot of effort into the conversation. All their main staff were there, head of nursing, head of therapy, the doctor and several others. The way Rehab works is you only stay as long as you meet goals. It is totally dictated by Insurance....all the rehabs we have talked to have told us that. Their average length of stay is 19 days....to me that is not even time to get to know a child much less help them! Of course every case is different and we will be advocating for her the whole time. I think I was able to clearly tell them who Selah was and what we want. They were very responsive and positive. Our doctors were in with us on the conversation and really encouraged us.
The Rehab asked that ENT see Selah. The speech pathologist who has been seeing Selah feels in her gut that there is an issue with her vocal cords. They may have been damaged when she had her breathing tube put in or it could be a result of the accident, that that area of the brain that controls the vocal cords was damaged. So ENT is going to scope her and get a good idea of what is going on. Having an answer will let us know how to proceed in her speech therapy.
So the plan is still to go next Tuesday unless she still is having fevers then it will be put off until December 10 or 11th. We will see what she does. We want her to be as healthy as possible for the trip and so she will be ready to participate fully in therapy. Right now she is still a little off....
We did an interview with the ABC station here, it will be shown at 10 pm on Ch 16 on the local cable or at 11 pm on Ch 13 (ABC) on FRIDAY night He is also going to contact the national ABC and send them info for us for Extreme Home Makeover:) It was a positive interview, they have all been. Sometimes talking about the accident and the aftermath is a little hard. Sometimes it blows my mind at how far we've come...it just stirs up emotions in me. We still have a long way to go! Please keep praying for our girl!
Many things happening in the adoption world....
Yesterday a friend of mine son passed away. You can read his story here http://bringinghenryhome.blogspot.com/2012/11/henry-is-finally-home.html
We are all heartbroken for this wonderful family who loved this little guy so very much. His mom Carla has been an encouragement to me over the last few months and she is passionate about adoption. She is the one who told me about the need the Basas family had.... so please say a prayer for this family. We know Henry is with our Lord but the pain is unbearable to them!!! If you'd like to give towards his funeral expenses, here is how you can give http://networkedblogs.com/FkBQQ
My sweet friend Vera is home with their new daughter!!! Joey & Vera "lost" two children they were interested in adopting and then God brought them across this sweet girl's path....she just got home yesterday http://specialingredientlove.blogspot.com/
At the girls' institution there was a little girl that stayed with us as much as possible. Her family to be got all their paperwork in yesterday....so happy for them! So happy for her!!!! She has waited for so long! Thank God she has a mama and papa coming for her.... The last time I saw her she was sitting on her bed crying because we were leaving with the girls...now she has family coming for her!!!!!! http://reecesrainbow.org/48954/sponsorsayer
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