Our dear friends and module mates, the Hufty's, had some big news on their own blog today. Jack, born with a tracheoesophageal fistula, Jack will get surgery to connect his esophagus and stomach on December 21st. The family has been waiting for news that Jack was ready for this next step for some time now, so this is exciting news. It will be difficult, I am sure, to be back in the hospital over the holidays, but good to get it done and behind them. Mike (Jack's Dad) will also be off for Christmas, so that will help with logistics and big brother Logan - Justin and Kendrick's buddy. Their site is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackhufty

Here is an excerpt from their blog with their prayer request:
Thank you for all of the prayers you have said up to this point. We would like to ask for your prayers again during the next several weeks for our own Christmas miracle. We specifically ask that you pray for Jack to remain healthy leading up to the surgery, for Jack's lungs to be strong enough to handle the surgery, that the surgery goes well, and that his recovery goes well. Please also pray for the doctors, nurses, RT's, anesthiesiologists(sp?), and others who will be working with Jack. We have seen how powerful prayer can be and appreciate even the smallest prayers.

This week a teacher that use to work in my building found out that her 7 year old son Gunner has brain tumor that can not be operated on. This little guy is amazing. He was born premature (at 26 weeks) and he only weighed a pound. He survived that obstacle and has grown into a sweet little boy with little health problems but a few learning problems. He was a miracle and now he faces another huge mountain. I am asking that you keep Gunner and his family in your prayers. His family has set up a care page that you can view and see what a neat boy he is! www.caringbridge.org The page name is gunnergillespie

This posting is from Jessie (Beltz) Engledow, a friend from college and my sorority days.

Please add the following to your prayer lists.

Cooper family as they cope with the death of their daughter Naomi.

Gabe's Godmother, Jennifer, and her family as they face her father's cancer and his upcoming surgery. She also has an uncle with a fast growing brain tumor - the whole family desperately needs prayers and support.

Another friend who is facing appendix surgery and a dilemma about the holidays in the face of medical issues and job issues.

Everyone else listed in other postings as they continue their struggles.

Thanks.

Jarrett Kiesel

Today I ask that we pray for my baby, Jarrett. Jarrett has a severe and challenging diagnosis... the unknown. Jarrett was born 6/20/07. He had seizures inutero for months before his birth. Ten hours after he was born, he experienced a life threatening seizure, and continued to have seizures for months after he was born. Thanks to modern medicine the seizures are now controlled. He however does not have a diagnosis. It seems that the blood tests, urine tests, genetic screens, spinal fluids, MRI's, EEG's,EKG's and a whole slew of other testing should be able to come up with a"cause" for the "effect." However in our case, it does not. All of the pain that our little boy goes through on a daily basis is gutrenching, but he only shows us that with a smile. He is the happiest, most loving littleboy that any family can ask for. He has touched our lives in a way that no other person can even come close to. Today I ask for prayers for Jarrett, not for his diagnosis. A diagnosis is a word usually with a negative perspective, and that doesn't accurately describe Jarrett. Pray that his happiness and fun loving personality will continue, and pray that he will continue to help strengthen our family and our faith.

I love to keep up on the Riley families that I met. I think they are all extraordinary stories. I really think parents could learn a lot by just being involved with a sick child. One of the babies that I met at Riley passed away Sun. He was in my same module, and I talked with his mother occasionally. This little boy, Evan, is in the best place possible, Heaven. He was a true fighter, but after so long he lost the fight. Pray for his mother and family. They have had a tremendous loss. Darla Kiesel

Jarrett and his family were at Riley at the same time we were, and I remember vividly the day I met them. We were veterans by that point and my heart went out to them. It is never easy needing to be there, but as time passes it does get easier as you fall into a new routine - or maybe you fall into a blessed numbness of acceptance in the new day-to-day. The numbness is frequently shocked back to reality either through your own setbacks and changes in routine - or by experiencing it through another family you have become close to. I mentioned that in a previous blog that we all seem to go through a period of "aloneness" during the coping process, well at least it was true for me and for other families I have talked to. Sometimes you cling to others and sometimes you cling to yourself - if you are really fortunate you realize that even during those times you have to draw into yourself, you are still not alone but carried in His embrace. It is important to remember we are never truly alone and that our friends and family are there for us to reach out to, but I also think it is ok to accept those times when you just can't. As you pray for these Riley Families, take a moment to thank God for Riley, but more importantly for the nurses, doctors, social workers, maintenance/cleaning staff, RTs, PTs, OTs, SLPs, Audiologists and more people than I can list who make the care of these babies possible. The building is a structure, but it is the people who make the difference to those who need to be there.

Just thinking...

I have been thinking about the families of those who have lost their babies recently. Those mentioned here on this sight and those at Riley, those we did get to know and those we didn't. I don't know why they have been on my mind so much lately, except they continue to serve as a reminder of how close we came to that sort of unimagineable grief. We are so grateful for Gabe and still so heartsick for those who didn't receive the miracle they were praying for. Their courage and strength in the face of such a trial amazes me and reminds me to cherish those I love and strive not to take them for granted. My ipod helped me so many times when I felt overwhelmed. There were so many songs I listened to over and over, but there was one from Allison Krauss that keeps coming to mind. When we are scared or grieving, we feel alone at times, no matter how much support we have in place. This song carried me through those times when I felt isolated in my fear and worry. I never had to experience the grief.

A Living Prayer
Allison Krauss

In this world I walk alone.
With no place to call my home
But there's one who holds my hand
The rugged road through barren lands

The way is dark, the road is steep
But He's become my eyes to see
The strength to climb, my griefs to bear
The Savior lives inside me there

In Your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God to Thee

In these trials of life I find
Another voice inside my mind
He comforts me and bids me live
Inside the love the Father gives

In Your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God to Thee
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God to Thee

Sorry for the lack of posting, I have been praying for everyone on this sight, and others as well, just haven't made the time to post anything. If any of you are following the Farland Family blog page, then you may have seen that another Trisomy 18 family delivered, and lost, their third child Sunday. I visited the Farland and Edwards' family pages today and read the sad news. I don't know any of them personally, but continue to pray for them. I hope you will as well.

I have another prayer request to add. My parents are helping friends of theirs sail their boat from North Carolina to the Bahamas. I pray that they have good weather and safe seas for their travels.

Kim has provided the website for Baby Hayden Shane. Keep the baby and his family in prayer - it's working!

Marcus and Alicia - Baby Hayden Shane was born on October 25 - he has a tumor on his tailbone and will require surgery after delivery in Cincinnati, OH possibly on October 26th.
www.carepages.com CarePage name: babymontooth2007
extra picture page - iniai.org/hayden

Baby Hayden

This is Kim Early (Drew's mom and Ben's wife). I have been meaning to send you this prayer request about a baby that is to be born today (I work with his father).

This baby's name is Hayden Shane. He is scheduled to be born by C-section at 8:30 am today (9:30 Cinci time) in Cincinnatti (8/25). He has a Sacrococcygeal Teratoma which is a large tumor on his tailbone. He will most likely have surgery tomorrow morning if all goes as planned and is expected to be in the hospital for up to two weeks. His parents names are Marcus and Alicia. They are very strong but need all the extra prayers that they can get.

Thanks so much,
Kim

We will keep baby Hayden and his family in our prayers - keep us posted!
Peggy

California Fires

A very close friend of mine (we've been friends since jr high school) who lives out in California took this picture and emailed it to me. I will post his email too. Please pray for him and his family as well as the firefighters who are working so diligently and selflessly to help residents protect their families and property. I know you all will come through.

Peggy

"This is an absolutely insane photograph from tonight, our firefighters are doing an unbelievable job! Foothill Ranch/Lake Forest is the city north of us.We are okay...staying indoors as much as possible, ready to bolt if we need to. The Santiago fire is about ten miles away, hopefully the Santa Anas will tone down and keep it at bay...The Westcoast HOs"

"

Angela Huntman told me about a courageous family going through a tremendously difficult time. Their blog says it all. When you get time, check it out and I think you will be touched and amazed at their strength and faith - we know the two go hand in hand. When we had our early ultrasounds and ultimately the amnio, this was the diagnosis doctors feared they would be handing over to us, and we feared we would have to hear. We were so fortunate Gabe's defect was fixable - you can't fix chromosomes. We may have been on quite a roller coaster ride, but it could always be worse. If you know anyone who has lost a child, for whatever reason, this site could offer some comfort - or at least hope for surviving it, eventually. Keep the family in your prayers, and as I have said before, if your children are healthy hug them tighter and be grateful.

http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com

Update on the Anonymous prayers

Thanks for praying, even without the details. Two of the three have had dramatic improvements in the past week, so thanks so much for pitching in. One was a very likely cancer by preliminary tests that turned out to be clear, much to everyone's happy surprise! Praises!

The other has made some small improvements but still appears to have a long way to go, so keep praying!

There are 3 families I have been praying for that also need your prayers - but they wish to keep their stories private. Just pray for them as best you can without the specifics, obviously God will know.

Updates: last I heard, little Amanda is home and doing well. My Grandmother has gone into a nursing home, please continue to pray for her and her daughters.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

This is one of my favorite prayers, I thought of it often when we were at Riley. Everyone there seemed to me to be living all that this prayer embodies. To truly live like this, to think of others in this way is beautiful and I hope this prayer offers comfort to someone else. I listen to it put to music often, when I need recharging or a reminder to reach outside of myself. When life is difficult, it can be easy to retreat within and try to block out the rest of the world - I admit I am guilty of trying to cope by doing just that. This prayer/song helps me resist this temptation - to remember that no matter how difficult life can be, someone else is enduring greater trials, greater pain. When I shut down, everything negative seems to be amplified and to rise up. If I focus on channeling without instead of within - on faith and hope, somehow everything works out as it should. If you have never heard it set to music, it is beautiful - I love the rendition by Robert Kochis. I know you can get it on itunes, and other places as well.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love with all my soul.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Joe Marks

As written by Cory Wenrick, Josh's cousin.

My Dad has something called prostadynia, or another name for it is chronic pelvic pain. It is linked to his prostate, but it is not cancer. It is something that medication can not get rid of, but it is something that will always have to be managed. He has been battling this for about a year now, just right after Kristin's wedding. At first he was being treated for a UTI and then another kind of bacterial infection. It was only until this last spring that we were put on the right track, by a friend of mine who has vulvadynia, the female version of prostadynia. She told me that she goes to a physiotherapist to control the pain. So my friend's doctor referred my parents to a doctor in Evansville. My Dad went to see her for the first time in June and left not feeling any pain for about 1/2 hour. This gave my Mom and Dad some hope that they were on the right track. But the down side to it was the 1:15 minute drive to Evansville. Sitting for long periods of time makes the pain worse. So by the time my Dad would make it to Evansville, his pelvic floor muscles were so tight that the physcial therapy wasn't working. Just recently, he has been seeing a physiotherapist in Jasper that works on female patients with vulvadynia and has agreed to try the same techniques on my Dad. I believe his good days are getting better, but the bad days are still pretty bad. He did go to a chiropractor a couple of times, but no relief. He also has been to an accupuncturist, but no help there eithe. Sandra has been dealing with chronic pain too, I believe she thinks it is Fibroid myalga (sp?). Anyway Sandra suggested to my Dad to see this chiropractor. Apparently he works with people with chronic pelvic pain and something about pelvic floor nerves...which is the problem. So we are hoping that he will continue to get some relief. I believe we are heading out to California on Oct. 17th. The doctor who runs the clinic suffered from prostadynia for 22 years. He is a psychatrist that understands the mental side of this issue. Meaning you can't relax when you are in pain, and relaxing is the way for physcial therapy to work. So, prayer requests...the clinic is expensive and I know my parents worry about if it is the right thing to do. The clinic doesn't guarantee relief, but does state that 70% of the patients do experience some level of relief. Of course, no amount of money can be placed on good health, but I know they feel like if this doesn't work than they wasted a lot of money. It looks like the insurance company is battling with my parents paying for the physical therapy done in Jasper, so they most likely won't be paying for any medical treatment done in California. Pray that if we do make the trip out to California, my Dad has comfort traveling up to Indy to catch the flight, that he can endure the long flight and then the 2 hour drive to the clinic...remember the pain worsens the longer he sits. David and I will be going out with them, pray that my Dad feels well enough to want to see some of California. This is the first time my parents will be in California, and David and I would like to do some sightseeing with them. David and I have been there before, but I would like for my parents to see some things they have always wanted to see.

Amanda Vollmer - 6 weeks old

Peggy, I asked Susan Vollmer if it was okay to send this to you. Amanda is only six weeks old. Can you please add this to the prayer blog? We have all seen with Gabe what the power of pray can do! Thanks. Michelle Drury (Rachel's mom from Justin's Pre-K class)

Amanda has been making funny "squeaking" noises since birth. She started having a few other symptoms, so we took her to the doctor this afternoon. The doctor was very concerned about what he heard. He believed that it was either a lung problem or an upper airway problem. He sent us directly to have chest x-rays, which ruled out a lung problem. He set us up for Amanda to have a Barium test first thing tomorrow morning. After they get the results from that we will either see a specialist tomorrow afternoon or first thing next week, or we will be referred to Rileys Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. There are basically 4 things it may be. The best case scenario is soft cartilage that will correct itself in time. With that she will eventually outgrow the problem. The other three will require surgery and a stay at Rileys Hospital. Keep us in your prayers and I will keep you posted.Susan

Maureen

Dave and Maria Schoeppner said...
The prayer blog is a great idea. Thank you for organizing it. I work with a teacher whose husband is out of work and they are struggling to make ends meet as she is a Catholic school teacher, so if anyone could send some prayers her way it would be greatly appreciated. Her name is Maureen.

Grandma

I'll start this new blog of prayers with a request to pray for my grandmother, Evelyn Dougherty Peek. While my Mom was here, helping us care for Gabriel and the rest of the family, my grandmother fell and broke her arm. It was set surgically and things seemed ok at first, but her condition began going down hill rapidly. My flew out to Denver the next week to help my Aunt care for her. To make a long story short, she wound up in the emergency room after several days of severe nausea and not eating. She was diagnosed with pancreatitis and admitted for a week. She was released from the hospital yesterday, but to a rehab hospital to help her hopefully go home soon. She is doing better, but because she has been in so much pain and unable to care for herself, it had been understandably difficult for her and she has not quite been herself. Please pray for her and for her daughters (my mom and her two sisters) as they cope with this stage of life where the caretaker roles are reversed. It isn't easy for any of them and it is hard to be so far away and helpless to do anything but pray, and listen. You should know my grandmother is a proud and stubborn woman (hmmm...sounds a little bit familiar, but I'm not sure why...) who has helped so many in her 86 years. We love her very much. Thanks.