feet
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Stop it RIGHT NOW, friend!- Sawyer Update
...so that's sawyer's fave statement at the moment, and he uses it to express any and all displeasure regarding needle sticks, , temp checks, suture checks, and general discombobulation. the good news is, his sass is well in tact! according to the docs, his feistiness is a good sign...they say they'd be more concerned if he were laying there ambivalent to the pain and irritation, soooo, we'll call this one a victory. know that you have all been wanting an update, and i must apologize that we've been remiss in the past few days. our computer has access has been somewhat more limited in the regular children's wing, as there are only 2 for several floors of patients and families. so, there is lots of great news, and some other more sobering news, but we'll start with the good....the dude is really hanging in there, and is showing improvements every day. he's sitting up in bed, talking, and laughing, watching movies, drawing on his doodlepro, and taking rides in the wagon. this has been the most encouraging thing for stephen and i because the medical specifics are so far beyond our grasp and control, and the only thing we can really measure is his "spark". well, folks, his SPARK is on the mend! he's eating like a maniac, which is FANTASTIC news, and means we won't to go the route of a feeding tube, which is just another procedure for him to endure, as well as more sedation. YES! his leg wound is healing nicely according to the surgeons, but just slays us to see...basically the outer leg looks like frankenstein, and the inner leg has 3 large incisions that are stapled together. looks like the staples will have to stay in for a while, and we'll go home with them, but the amazing part of that last sentence is that we'll get to go HOME! sawyer regularly says, " i want to go back." and has said that since the first day in the ER...just yesterday, i asked him, "go back where", and he said, "home, mommy". just kill me now. looks like we'll be back in the OR on monday to have the wound closed more tightly because it's basically been open this whole time with a loose "shoestring" stitch to keep it together. it was basically too swollen to close at the time of surgery, but the swelling is now coming down slowly, which tells the docs that the antibiotics are working! on the antibiotic front, infectious disease draws blood daily (sometimes at 4:30 a.m. by the way...psychos!) and examines it to see where we stand with the infection. he certainly still has the strep infection, but it looks like his platelet count is up (it was dangerously low before), and his white blood cell count is down, meaning the infection is diminishing. this is AMAZING news, which we have been waiting for. in the beginning, they can only guess what the infection is, and use the broadest antibiotics they have to try to kick it, but now we know exactly what he has, and to what degree. they had to put all his junk (blood, mucus, spinal fluid) in a petri dish and watch it grow, which takes time. not sure where we stand on his course of antibiotics heading forward, but waiting to see how much progress is made to know whether or not he can take the meds by mouth (we are hoping for this), or if he'll have to go home with a picc line, which is basically a semi-permanent IV that threads all the way through the arm, and into the body, and which we can load ourselves at home...again, another procedure/sedation we'd like to avoid. physical therapy is daily and makes me want to stab somebody. basically, he still cannot (or maybe will not) stand or walk, so that is, of course, excruciating for us to watch. the therapists basically assist him in walking, standing, stretching, kicking, and he screams, "help me mommy! make is stop! Come hold me!", or "stop it, friend", which, i'm not gonna lie, makes us laugh. at least his manners are in tact. we're hoping he'll be up and walking when we go home, but either way, we're looking at lengthy out-patient PT for a while to come, and we're just not sure how sturdy he's gonna be when we head home. hoping he doesn't mind it when the others boys saddle and ride him later. all that to say, our big boy has been miraculously healed from what could have been a life-ending, limb-threatening infection. honestly, the more i find out about severe blood infections, and spinal meningitis, and how fatal they can be, my stomach turns. we were pulled out of the depths by our GOD, and i will boldly proclaim that to ANYBODY! i have been previously more reserverd about shouting the name of jesus, particulary because many of my friends do not believe, and i haven't wanted to offend them, but that is no longer my chief concern. i feel like i've found the cure for cancer, and i have to tell somebody! HOW COULD I NOT TELL SOMEBODY?! EVERYBODY?! we have been utterly cared for and prayed over in ways that i don't even fully know yet, and i am so completely thankful for all of you who literally got on your face and cried out to God for our baby boy. i'm weeping into the rivets on the keyboard as we speak....i pray that you will all know the comfort, peace, assurance, and joy we have found in these last days, even in the midst of utter turmoil and terror. I know that it can only be found in the name of JESUS!!!! i love you all too much to not tell you that! more info to come as we have it. you've all been amazing. thank you for the meals, matchbox cars, warm socks, hairdryers, sweatpants, magazines, blueberry muffins, and movies. you've all loved us in such specific, unique ways. we adore you*
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sawyer Update
From Stephen last night
"Rough day of physical therapy today with boughts of high fever thrown in for extra fun. Infectious Disease folks insisted we all get tested and as it turns out Jackson, Campbell, Houston, and me all have Strep Group A. Sawdog is slotted for more surgery on the leg on Monday. Computer access limited now- I will try to post a note soon."
"Rough day of physical therapy today with boughts of high fever thrown in for extra fun. Infectious Disease folks insisted we all get tested and as it turns out Jackson, Campbell, Houston, and me all have Strep Group A. Sawdog is slotted for more surgery on the leg on Monday. Computer access limited now- I will try to post a note soon."
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Laughter of a Child- Sawyer Update
This was written at about 11 last night.
It has been said that there is nothing so pure as the laughter of a child. I am here to tell you that I agree. Today we saw a spark. For around ten minutes this afternoon, Sawyer perked up for the first time in what seems like an eternity. It didn't last long, maybe fifteen minutes but those were the fifteen minutes Cher and I needed most. He ate a couple animal cookies. He drank some apple juice. He was responsive to questions. He showed interest in a toy tool set that had been brought into the room. But most of all he laughed. Not a hearty guffau, not a full-fledged belly laugh varietal but a laugh nonetheless. That was as sweet a sound as I believe either of us has heard to date. We needed that. We know now that his body will heal. Every step has been taken to address all of the different infections raging through his body. What we needed to know was that the cheery, happy little man that we have fallen in love with over the last two years was still there underneath all the wires, swollen, tissue and bandages. Once again the God we serve knew exactly what both of us needed and he delivered in a way that only a father who knows his children could. At this point the medical team feels that we are heading out of the woods. His temperature remains a source of concern and ranged from 99-103.7. The white blood cells found in the spinal fluid are indicators of menangitis but all evidence points toward the viral and not the far more dangerous bacterial. This is an interesting "coincidence" as everyone other part of his body is fighting of a bacterial infection. We got our first look at the wounds on his leg and that was sobering. The three small incisions were not the small that I was expecting; ech measuring around three inches in length and held together by four or five metal staples. The large incision runs the entire length of the outside of his calf and is held by a loose stitch which resembles a shoelace. The closure is designed to allow them to tighten the closure as the inflammation subsides. Seeing these for the first time today as they changed the bandage gave us a more realistic picture of what kind of recovery we are going to be looking at over the weeks to come. The plan for now is that we will leave the PICU tomorrow and go to a regular room. This will be a welcome change as these rooms are situated more for comfort than the ICU. As far as Sawdog's condition goes it is still pretty pitiful. He gets morphine every three hours to manage the pain which is understandably intense after seeing the leg today. This steady stream of narcotics keeps him half sedated for the majority of the day and when he wakes it is usually because he is in pain and the next dose of drugs knocks him back out immediately. Tomorrow, that schedule will have to be adjusted as we begin physical therapy. He will not enjoy this ( and by he I mean his mother and me) but it is a necessary evil in order to make sure that the muscles in the leg heal properly. Prayers have been lifted up literally all around the world for our son over the last few days. From LA to Texas to Florida to Georgia to North Carolina to New York to Boston to Central Asia to South Africa to Japan our brothers and sisters in Christ have gotten on their knees on behalf of Sawyer. I am moved to tears by this demonstration of love. But this is not the love of people for a child. Most of you don't know my son. You have never met him. You don't know the name of his stuffed animal ( Rex, by the way). But yet you prayed. You cried. You took our need before the Creator and asked for his healing. What we saw was not a demonstration of a huge number of people's love for a boy most of them had never met. What we saw was a glimpse of just how much God loves each and every one of us. People all around the world have been following our story not because of their love for a little boy. People have been united by the love of God which has driven them to their knees, overtaken them emotionally at times, awoken them in the middle of the night and been poured out on behalf of a two year old boy and into the life of a family who desperately needed it. Some people look at this and don't really see anything spectacular. They see an illness brilliantly diagnosed by knowledgable physicians, nothing more. This two year old boy is not more special than anyone else and the circumstances surrounding his healing are ordinary at best. They miss the more amazing occurence. God's people all around the planet have put aside their busy lives and lifted up our family. As a result of our prayers, literally hundreds of God's people all over the planet began praying for us and sending us words of kindness and encouragement. He mobilized an army of volunteers through our local church to help with the logistics of our other kids during this ordeal, bring us meals in the hospital, even clean our house while we were away in hopes of rooting out the cause of this infection. These are not natural occurences. This doesn't happen every day. We praise God that it happened to us. We thank him for each and every one of your that are a part of this movement. Please thank him with us tonight. The credit is his.
It has been said that there is nothing so pure as the laughter of a child. I am here to tell you that I agree. Today we saw a spark. For around ten minutes this afternoon, Sawyer perked up for the first time in what seems like an eternity. It didn't last long, maybe fifteen minutes but those were the fifteen minutes Cher and I needed most. He ate a couple animal cookies. He drank some apple juice. He was responsive to questions. He showed interest in a toy tool set that had been brought into the room. But most of all he laughed. Not a hearty guffau, not a full-fledged belly laugh varietal but a laugh nonetheless. That was as sweet a sound as I believe either of us has heard to date. We needed that. We know now that his body will heal. Every step has been taken to address all of the different infections raging through his body. What we needed to know was that the cheery, happy little man that we have fallen in love with over the last two years was still there underneath all the wires, swollen, tissue and bandages. Once again the God we serve knew exactly what both of us needed and he delivered in a way that only a father who knows his children could. At this point the medical team feels that we are heading out of the woods. His temperature remains a source of concern and ranged from 99-103.7. The white blood cells found in the spinal fluid are indicators of menangitis but all evidence points toward the viral and not the far more dangerous bacterial. This is an interesting "coincidence" as everyone other part of his body is fighting of a bacterial infection. We got our first look at the wounds on his leg and that was sobering. The three small incisions were not the small that I was expecting; ech measuring around three inches in length and held together by four or five metal staples. The large incision runs the entire length of the outside of his calf and is held by a loose stitch which resembles a shoelace. The closure is designed to allow them to tighten the closure as the inflammation subsides. Seeing these for the first time today as they changed the bandage gave us a more realistic picture of what kind of recovery we are going to be looking at over the weeks to come. The plan for now is that we will leave the PICU tomorrow and go to a regular room. This will be a welcome change as these rooms are situated more for comfort than the ICU. As far as Sawdog's condition goes it is still pretty pitiful. He gets morphine every three hours to manage the pain which is understandably intense after seeing the leg today. This steady stream of narcotics keeps him half sedated for the majority of the day and when he wakes it is usually because he is in pain and the next dose of drugs knocks him back out immediately. Tomorrow, that schedule will have to be adjusted as we begin physical therapy. He will not enjoy this ( and by he I mean his mother and me) but it is a necessary evil in order to make sure that the muscles in the leg heal properly. Prayers have been lifted up literally all around the world for our son over the last few days. From LA to Texas to Florida to Georgia to North Carolina to New York to Boston to Central Asia to South Africa to Japan our brothers and sisters in Christ have gotten on their knees on behalf of Sawyer. I am moved to tears by this demonstration of love. But this is not the love of people for a child. Most of you don't know my son. You have never met him. You don't know the name of his stuffed animal ( Rex, by the way). But yet you prayed. You cried. You took our need before the Creator and asked for his healing. What we saw was not a demonstration of a huge number of people's love for a boy most of them had never met. What we saw was a glimpse of just how much God loves each and every one of us. People all around the world have been following our story not because of their love for a little boy. People have been united by the love of God which has driven them to their knees, overtaken them emotionally at times, awoken them in the middle of the night and been poured out on behalf of a two year old boy and into the life of a family who desperately needed it. Some people look at this and don't really see anything spectacular. They see an illness brilliantly diagnosed by knowledgable physicians, nothing more. This two year old boy is not more special than anyone else and the circumstances surrounding his healing are ordinary at best. They miss the more amazing occurence. God's people all around the planet have put aside their busy lives and lifted up our family. As a result of our prayers, literally hundreds of God's people all over the planet began praying for us and sending us words of kindness and encouragement. He mobilized an army of volunteers through our local church to help with the logistics of our other kids during this ordeal, bring us meals in the hospital, even clean our house while we were away in hopes of rooting out the cause of this infection. These are not natural occurences. This doesn't happen every day. We praise God that it happened to us. We thank him for each and every one of your that are a part of this movement. Please thank him with us tonight. The credit is his.
Update: Fever is back up to 104.5 this am. Lift Sawyer, his family and doctors up. Cover them in prayer!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sawyer Update
5 hours ago from Stephen:
Our old nemesis, Fever Monster, has returned. He has trudged into our ICU suite wearing lymphocyte boots and tainted our spinal tap. The fear now is spinal menangitis. We are awaiting further testing. For now 103 degrees and rising. Saddle up prayer warriors. The battle wages.
1 hour ago from Cher:
fever is down to 100! still concerned about spinal meningitis, and treating preventively. also concerned the infection has settled in his little lungs. i alternate between total freak-out and alarming calm...calmness comes when i remember that Sawyer Thornton Lair was NO ACCIDENT, that his days were ordered long before this day ever came along, and that God is not surprised by these events. His provision is PERFECT!
Our old nemesis, Fever Monster, has returned. He has trudged into our ICU suite wearing lymphocyte boots and tainted our spinal tap. The fear now is spinal menangitis. We are awaiting further testing. For now 103 degrees and rising. Saddle up prayer warriors. The battle wages.
1 hour ago from Cher:
fever is down to 100! still concerned about spinal meningitis, and treating preventively. also concerned the infection has settled in his little lungs. i alternate between total freak-out and alarming calm...calmness comes when i remember that Sawyer Thornton Lair was NO ACCIDENT, that his days were ordered long before this day ever came along, and that God is not surprised by these events. His provision is PERFECT!
Circumstances part 1
This post isn't going to be one of those "cute babies" post. This post isn't going to be one of those "wow, they do fun things over at the Shelton crib". This is going to be a "bare all, naked, ugly truth/man that girl has issues/no one will ever mistake Courtney for being perfect and having it all together" kind of post. This post has been a long time coming... as in probably since January, to be exact since Zeke was in the hospital over night with pneumonia. It hasn't been written yet because God was working on me... He is still working on me, but I am at a point where I feel like I can verbalize what is going on. So, if you aren't interested in that and all you want is cute chubby babies, come back another day
I feel like I need to give a little background here. Not much, but just a little. I was rescued from an eternity in hell when I was 17. I had been searching for something to fulfill me for a while. When approval from friends, a boyfriend, and competitive dancing did not make me feel whole, I didn't know where to turn. I wasn't brought up in a home where I wasn't shown love and affection. I was told probably too many times a day (according to my older brother once a day was plenty, thank you very much) how much I was loved by my parents. I wasn't brought up in a home that lacked discipline. My parents taught me boundaries and how to make choices that I wouldn't regret (and also how to fear the parent + a spanking). This wasn't something that my parents had lacked in providing for me. What was missing is something that everyone needs. When I discovered what I was missing it was as if Jesus had been running after me and all I had to do was turn around and run to Him. I had to acknowledge that I am in need of a Savior (not an easy task for an independent girl). I had to acknowledge that I can't do things on my own. I had to ask for Him to forgive me for my sins. I have to daily die myself and my selfish desires. This isn't something that I do easily or well a lot of days. I need God to give me strength. I need God to give me a desire to please Him and seek after the things that will bring Him glory. And that is the reason why we are here, why we were created... to bring God glory.
This post is getting to be quite long so to be continued at a later date...
I feel like I need to give a little background here. Not much, but just a little. I was rescued from an eternity in hell when I was 17. I had been searching for something to fulfill me for a while. When approval from friends, a boyfriend, and competitive dancing did not make me feel whole, I didn't know where to turn. I wasn't brought up in a home where I wasn't shown love and affection. I was told probably too many times a day (according to my older brother once a day was plenty, thank you very much) how much I was loved by my parents. I wasn't brought up in a home that lacked discipline. My parents taught me boundaries and how to make choices that I wouldn't regret (and also how to fear the parent + a spanking). This wasn't something that my parents had lacked in providing for me. What was missing is something that everyone needs. When I discovered what I was missing it was as if Jesus had been running after me and all I had to do was turn around and run to Him. I had to acknowledge that I am in need of a Savior (not an easy task for an independent girl). I had to acknowledge that I can't do things on my own. I had to ask for Him to forgive me for my sins. I have to daily die myself and my selfish desires. This isn't something that I do easily or well a lot of days. I need God to give me strength. I need God to give me a desire to please Him and seek after the things that will bring Him glory. And that is the reason why we are here, why we were created... to bring God glory.
This post is getting to be quite long so to be continued at a later date...
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sawyer Update
From Stephen and Cher:
"Well sports fans it has been a day. That is the only way to describe it. Sawyer is coming out of surgery right now and there are tears of joy running down our faces. The team of surgeons made three small incisions to check the pressure levels that had built up in little man's leg. The ankle and thigh were relatively normal and not at a point to cause concern. The calf was extremely high. They then made an incision the length of his calf to alleviate the pressure. The lead surgeon said that with pressure of that level within 24 hrs the entire muscle would have died. There was a bacterial infection that was causing the swelling. They believe the bacteria was a member of the Strep family. Remind us not to invite them over for Thanksgiving dinner next year! They left the wound open and laced it up like a shoe with the intent of tightening it over the next week as the infection abates. Bottom line- Doc says that the worst thing that will come of out of this little shindig looks like it will be an awesome scar to impress girls with in high school. The only remaining source of concern is the abnormalities that showed in some of his tests. They are performing a spinal tap as we speak to insure that the bacteria has not managed to get into his spinal fluid and therefore traveled to his brain. That is, at the moment, a distant possibility but one we are monitoring nonetheless. The prognosis is that we will be in the hospital with him for at least another week so we are not out of the woods yet. However, things are looking up. Way up. When nerves are not frayed and computer time not at such a premium I am looking forward to sharing how much we have been blessed by God through this experience. For now, know that we love you, are thankful for you, have been blessed by you, and that it looks like our little man will be ok."
They still need our prayers, but things are definitely looking better!!!
"Well sports fans it has been a day. That is the only way to describe it. Sawyer is coming out of surgery right now and there are tears of joy running down our faces. The team of surgeons made three small incisions to check the pressure levels that had built up in little man's leg. The ankle and thigh were relatively normal and not at a point to cause concern. The calf was extremely high. They then made an incision the length of his calf to alleviate the pressure. The lead surgeon said that with pressure of that level within 24 hrs the entire muscle would have died. There was a bacterial infection that was causing the swelling. They believe the bacteria was a member of the Strep family. Remind us not to invite them over for Thanksgiving dinner next year! They left the wound open and laced it up like a shoe with the intent of tightening it over the next week as the infection abates. Bottom line- Doc says that the worst thing that will come of out of this little shindig looks like it will be an awesome scar to impress girls with in high school. The only remaining source of concern is the abnormalities that showed in some of his tests. They are performing a spinal tap as we speak to insure that the bacteria has not managed to get into his spinal fluid and therefore traveled to his brain. That is, at the moment, a distant possibility but one we are monitoring nonetheless. The prognosis is that we will be in the hospital with him for at least another week so we are not out of the woods yet. However, things are looking up. Way up. When nerves are not frayed and computer time not at such a premium I am looking forward to sharing how much we have been blessed by God through this experience. For now, know that we love you, are thankful for you, have been blessed by you, and that it looks like our little man will be ok."
They still need our prayers, but things are definitely looking better!!!
Pray for Sawyer
Our dear friends the Lair family is in desperate need of prayer. Please join me.
Below is the most recent update from Stephen (aka the dad). Prior to this update, Sawyer has been in the hospital for 2 days complete with a transfer via ambulance. His first symptoms were a bug similar to hand, foot, and mouth, but has turned into much more as you will read below. Please lift up this family with me.
"Well I would love to report that everything was hunky-dory in Sawyerland but alas that is not the case. Previously on 24(month old)- The MRI took twice as long as we initially thought which was a delightful experience for a waiting mother not allowed in the room. WakeMed will undoubtedly spend thousands re-wallpapering the waiting room from the mother claw marks on every vertical surface. The big concern at the moment was that his temperature would not regulate itself and that the infection was in his bones. The good news is that the MRI showed that the infection is not in his bones. The bad news is that the MRI showed inflamation of the tissue surrounding the muscles in the left leg. This looked to the team of pediatric specialists most like fasciitis. Before you google it they do not at this point believe it is the popular flesh-eating form of the bacteria. Just your garden variety severe bacterial infection of the tissue of the left leg. Good times. This diagnosis would fit nicely with their previous declaration of the interovirus. They think that perhaps the bacteria got into his body through one of the sores around his mouth and headed south to the land of the rising bum. They started a third antibiotic cocktail with the hope that this would reverse the swelling in his leg before any serious nerve damage had been done. Our other concern is that he hasn't eaten anything in around a week. There was talk about a possible feeding tube if his appetite didn't pick up. So last night we went to bed, Cher in the hospital and me on the couch, with a prayer in our hearts and hope on the horizon for a dramatic change of course for our two year old son. Unfortunately, morning brought very little solace. The antibiotics were not effective in reducing the swelling in his leg and the temperature continues to dip down to 97 and slowly climb back up. With the swelling, more pain which brought morphine to help make him comfortable. The situation had rapidly turned from bad morning to horrible nightmare. The pediatric surgeon was consulted last night just in case and today we opened that case. Sawyer was treated to another ride in an ambulance from WakeMed in Raleigh to the Pediatric ICU at UNC in Chapel Hill. I have until this point felt it was important to maintain some semblance of normalcy for the boys at home. Today our priorities changed. My wife needs me. I am here at the hospital now with her at Sawyer's side. We are awaiting the surgical consult to determine our next course of action. As always, our church community has amazed us with their physical support on the ground. The body of believers has certainly embraced us in every conceivable way. The future is a complete enigma at this point. I will continue to keep everyone as up to date as possible. While this is the most terrified that either of us has ever been, we rest in our God who is larger than any situation that could possibly befall us. There is no diagnosis that evades him. There is no bacteria he cannot eliminate, no infection he cannot treat. We love our child more than we could possibly express. Our God loves him more. We cry because he suffers. Our God knows what it means to watch a son suffer. We are comforted by the knowledge that the God who has ordered every aspect of our lives is not a distant force or theory but a present savior who knows and cares for his children and grants us all that we need to endure the course laid before us. Your prayers have sustained us in ways that I am excited to tell you about once these days are past. However, we continue to be in desperate need of his Spirit and pray that he is glorified in us. Thank you for all you are doing. Stephen and Cher"
Sawyer has been taken in for surgery. Please pray for his doctors, family, and of course healing for him.
Below is the most recent update from Stephen (aka the dad). Prior to this update, Sawyer has been in the hospital for 2 days complete with a transfer via ambulance. His first symptoms were a bug similar to hand, foot, and mouth, but has turned into much more as you will read below. Please lift up this family with me.
"Well I would love to report that everything was hunky-dory in Sawyerland but alas that is not the case. Previously on 24(month old)- The MRI took twice as long as we initially thought which was a delightful experience for a waiting mother not allowed in the room. WakeMed will undoubtedly spend thousands re-wallpapering the waiting room from the mother claw marks on every vertical surface. The big concern at the moment was that his temperature would not regulate itself and that the infection was in his bones. The good news is that the MRI showed that the infection is not in his bones. The bad news is that the MRI showed inflamation of the tissue surrounding the muscles in the left leg. This looked to the team of pediatric specialists most like fasciitis. Before you google it they do not at this point believe it is the popular flesh-eating form of the bacteria. Just your garden variety severe bacterial infection of the tissue of the left leg. Good times. This diagnosis would fit nicely with their previous declaration of the interovirus. They think that perhaps the bacteria got into his body through one of the sores around his mouth and headed south to the land of the rising bum. They started a third antibiotic cocktail with the hope that this would reverse the swelling in his leg before any serious nerve damage had been done. Our other concern is that he hasn't eaten anything in around a week. There was talk about a possible feeding tube if his appetite didn't pick up. So last night we went to bed, Cher in the hospital and me on the couch, with a prayer in our hearts and hope on the horizon for a dramatic change of course for our two year old son. Unfortunately, morning brought very little solace. The antibiotics were not effective in reducing the swelling in his leg and the temperature continues to dip down to 97 and slowly climb back up. With the swelling, more pain which brought morphine to help make him comfortable. The situation had rapidly turned from bad morning to horrible nightmare. The pediatric surgeon was consulted last night just in case and today we opened that case. Sawyer was treated to another ride in an ambulance from WakeMed in Raleigh to the Pediatric ICU at UNC in Chapel Hill. I have until this point felt it was important to maintain some semblance of normalcy for the boys at home. Today our priorities changed. My wife needs me. I am here at the hospital now with her at Sawyer's side. We are awaiting the surgical consult to determine our next course of action. As always, our church community has amazed us with their physical support on the ground. The body of believers has certainly embraced us in every conceivable way. The future is a complete enigma at this point. I will continue to keep everyone as up to date as possible. While this is the most terrified that either of us has ever been, we rest in our God who is larger than any situation that could possibly befall us. There is no diagnosis that evades him. There is no bacteria he cannot eliminate, no infection he cannot treat. We love our child more than we could possibly express. Our God loves him more. We cry because he suffers. Our God knows what it means to watch a son suffer. We are comforted by the knowledge that the God who has ordered every aspect of our lives is not a distant force or theory but a present savior who knows and cares for his children and grants us all that we need to endure the course laid before us. Your prayers have sustained us in ways that I am excited to tell you about once these days are past. However, we continue to be in desperate need of his Spirit and pray that he is glorified in us. Thank you for all you are doing. Stephen and Cher"
Sawyer has been taken in for surgery. Please pray for his doctors, family, and of course healing for him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)