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Give a gift in honor of this child.
Sarah Rose
Sarah Rose Stirling Benefit Fund
Account # 1868030064
TCF Bank
200 25th Ave
St. Cloud, MN 56301
The bank manager is Cory at: 320-253-5693 (if you would prefer to do a direct deposit into her account from a different bank - I know this can be done as well, but I don't know the specific details as to how). I was told that any TCF Bank should be able to pull up the account, and the monetary gift can be deposited at any TCF Bank.
Otherwise, if you would prefer to send your gift of love to our home, our address is:
Rik and Diane Stirling
15525 Grover Ave NW
Clearwater, MN 55320-2142
UPDATE: 4-7-06
3:53PM
Hello,
I just got a call from the Infectious Disease Doctor - the blood cultures from
4/5 and 4/6 are negative so far - Praise the Lord! They will continue to grow
them out for the next 3 days, but the first 24 hours look great!
Also - Sarah's albumin level (a protein manufactured by the liver - very important - used to keep the fluids within her blood, instead of leaking out) is at the highest it has EVER been since January (3.9) - Praise the LORD - Again I will say it - Yes - and AMEN our God is SO good!
Sarah did have some diarrhea last night so they decreased her feedings back to 26ml an hour, instead of the 28ml per hour. (I don't know if this is good, or not). I pray that she will still have enough calorie intake to gain weight. Keep praying for much needed wisdom for the doctors as they venture forward in her continued care.
Thank you ALL for your precious prayers for God's precious Sarah!
Diane
2:00PM
Hello All Prayer Partners,
We are still waiting for a negative culture from the enterococcus - it has been 8 days now with a positive one. They did remove her central line (the culture came back negative, so this wasn't the continued source). They did another vancomycin blood level - I don't know if they will be increasing the dosage, or changing drugs? For each day that is still a positive culture, we have to add that many more days onto 10 days for IV antibiotics, which means a longer hospital stay.
Sarah needs to gain some much needed weight - this seems to be a current concern as well.
I will update when I learn more - keep the prayers coming - We continue to petition the Lord for a mighty healing in Jesus name! He has great plans for her to prosper and be in health, to be a mighty witness for Him!
Blessings,
Diane
UPDATE: 4-4-06
Hello,
I just received a phone call from the infectious disease doctor. Her 2nd bacteria in her blood, ''enterococcus'' germs are not dying with the use of vancomycin (this is a heavy duty drug). I am not sure of their plan of attack, or don't know if they can kill it. They might have to remove her central line, which is the IV line to give her the antibiotics. I don't quite understand the theory - if they remove the line - how can they treat the infection? This part didn't make sense to me. Anyway... Please pray that these bad bugs will be killed and quickly! If she needs a new line, pray that it will go in easily.
Sarah still needs to gain some much needed weight. They are not going to up her breast milk by any additional volume, and will now try to increase the calories per volume, by adding some supplementation (she reacted VERY negatively to this before). Pray that this goes well.
I will continue to stand on the promises of God - Yes and AMEN!
Diane
UPDATE: 4-3-06
Hello All Prayer Partners,
Sarah now has 2 blood infections - 2 different types of bacteria have
invaded her bloodstream. Her IV antibiotics will most likely be
continued at least 10 days ''after'' a negative blood culture this
time (I hope). Please pray for a complete recovery!
Her abdominal area is very swollen with gas - she needs to relieve this
and hopefully - not make too much more excess. They have increased her
feedings again to 26ml an hour x 24 hours a day, still trying to get
her to gain some much needed weight.
I saw Sarah this evening, and she has been resting comfortably through
it all - I continue to pray for protection over all of the drugs that
are continuously given to her each day, that she will have NO
residual effects from any of them! Please keep praying that the
nurses will work with Sarah if she is agitated, before giving her
sedation medication, as this is so hard on her system (PRN: morphine,
ativan and veconium).
Her lungs look much better (the bacteria is in her lungs as well as her
blood). We are hoping to extubate her possibly next weekend, but I
would rather wait until this infection is totally gone so as not to
compromise her recovery.
They continue to chase her potassium and magnesium levels - these need
to level out - it is not good to continually be SO low! When these are
low it can effect the heart, and her heart is already compromised and
trying to heal from her surgery.
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 4-1-06
Sarah has two new blood infections and they are bacterial. Please pray that they use the right antibiotics to treat them and she heals quickly. Please also pray for her abdominal swelling to go down and her lungs to clear. She is also in great need of gaining some weight. A praise report though is that the family is able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house now and they are very thankful. Thanks and Lord Bless!
April
UPDATE: 3-30-06
8PM
Hello,
Sarah is still congested in her lungs - they need to clear before
extubation in possibly a week. She also needs to gain some much needed
weight, so they have increased her calories to 24ml an hour, up from
22ml an hour. She didn't handle the fortification before, so we are
trying to see what else might be of help to add some additional
calories without the volume. Otherwise, we will be trying the
fortification again...
Her Lasix dose is higher then it used to be at home, so they are having
to watch her potassium, magnesium and sodium chloride, as all of these
fall below normal levels VERY quickly and effect her heart, and other
bodily functions.
While I continue to trust the Lord with her life, I realize that the
Lord DOES tell us to petition Him with our requests and all of the
desires of our heart. Blind faith is when we do nothing, as I take it
to heart - "faith without works is dead". Some people believe and
express that, "why pray at all - just pray that the LOrd's will be
done... I know that the Lord's will "will" be done. This goes against
what God says when He states to come to Him with ALL of our prayers,
petitions, requests, etc., expecting to receive, because we know He
exists. My God is a good God and He DOES give good gifts to those who
love Him. He also states we receive not, because we ask not. He DOES
answer prayers - I have seen MANY in my lifetime. I know the Lord
instructs us to gain wisdom and knowledge, and this time is no
exception. It has been an interesting journey this past year on
educating myself on Sarah's condition and possible care that is needed.
With her delicate body she is not made up the same as other children,
so shouldn't be treated the same in terms of medications, etc. I have
seen her have greater sensitivities on many medications so far, so the
dosage had to be adjusted, or the medication completely
changed/stopped. This can be time consuming in trying to keep on top
of many doctors, of which MOST don't care if she lives or dies. Most
have expressed the latter, as they all state that they are taught in
medical school to not treat children such as Sarah (the same was done
in the 60's and 70's about Down's Children). I trust the Lord and know
that her life is in His hands forever, if it will be with us now on
earth, or if it will be with us on earth again after the Lord Jesus
returns to set up His kingdom (I can't wait for His Thousand Year
Reign - how exciting!). Either way - I DO know that we will be
together again because of our great savior, Jesus. I continue to
thank God for His will for her life, as I have had many opportunities
to witness for His glory with many families, nurses, and doctors. I
don't understand the ''whys'' of what Sarah is going through, or what
our family is going through, yet I will praise Him and continue to
trust that He will see us through all of the many days/years ahead.
Sarah has touched many lives, and I believe that she will continue to
touch many more lives, before her time is complete. She is such a
blessing from the Lord as all children are! I am SO thankful for
everyone that continues to offer up prayers for Sarah - you are truly
the righteous ones of God, for God does command us to pray for others -
thank you for your continued faithfulness!!!!!! May the Lord bless
ALL of you abundantly!
God Bless,
Diane
Hello,
Sarah is still in the hospital at Mpls. Children's. She will be on a
ventilator for 2 weeks, getting good nutrition and THEN they will try
to extubate her again. She was extubated too soon (last Friday) and
only lasted a day - a result of - no energy (hadn't been fed in a week
literally), and she had no reserves to draw on. Her aspiration
pneumonia is finally gone, and hopefully the 3 different (hospital
caught) bacteria. She is not on any antibiotics now and we are praying
that there are NO residual bugs left. A new culture was just taken
today to grow out - pray that nothing will come of it.
The prayers of the righteous are working - keep them coming! God is SO
good and we KNOW that He loves Sarah VERY much!
Our family is struggling with the cold bugs. Please pray that we all
heal soon, so when Sarah comes home she won't get anything new.
We are struggling with many new family concerns - thank you for all of
your blessings, help, and continued prayers!
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 3-25-06
Hi! Sarah had a bout of trouble this morning and her CO2 levels went up again and she needed to be re-intubated this morning. She was struggling with keeping her levels good. Her white blood count went back up again so they are doing some more cultures to find out what is going on there too. Please pray for health and healing for her little body. Please also pray for the kids at home, they all came down with the crud and are just not feeling well. Thanks for keeping them in your prayers
April
UPDATE: 3-24-06
Hello,
Sarah was extubated this morning. She is holding her own. She seems to be improving with each breath that she takes - praise the LORd for he is SO good! Her blood gases are remaining good, so they are turning her MR850 down a little at a time.
They have started her feedings again. Her bilirubin is starting to come down again as well. Her liver tests have been improving over the past 2 days.
This has been such a trying time - we want to thank everyone for ALL of your prayers - God IS hearing them and answering them - yes and amen!
May the Lord continue to bless all the faithful prayer warriors!
Diane
UPDATE: 3-23-06
Diane called just a few minutes ago. They have taken Sarah Rose off the vent and she is having a difficult time breathing on her on. She still has issues with her stomach swelling, her PH is out of range, and her oxygen levels were too high. Pray she does not need a trach and that her lungs will strengthen and heal.
Praises…her liver is decreasing in size and her bacteria levels are down.
Diane will keep us updated as it is possible. Your prayers are so greatly appreciated.
Elizabeth
UPDATE: 3-22-06
Hello,
Sarah's PEG is in place. She had begun 5ml feedings per hour yesterday morning and seemed to tolerate it well. The GI doctor was surprised that they had begun her feedings so soon (usually they wait at least 24 hours - don't know what the concern was...
New conditon: This morning they stopped her feedings for 6-8 hours in hopes of extubating her. Her lungs on xray looked pretty good, I guess, I haven't seen the xray yet to confirm. They turned the ventilator down to 6 breaths per minute from 12bpm, and Sarah did NOT initiate any breaths on her own. This is NOT normal for her, as she is usually breathing above the vent all the time. She has been sleeping ALL day and her abdomen is swollen and continues to swell. Sarah is out of sorts today - not herself in any regard - I don't know what is going on. Her CRP is elevated, yet her white blood count is finally starting to go down. Her blood gases have been good. They called it a stop at 5:30pm and now have resumed the ventilator up to 10bpm and have restarted her feedings back to 5ml per hour until tomorrow. Not sure what to make of it all - as nothing is being said by the doctors. PLEASE PRAY FOR WISDOM IN DECISION MAKING IN REGARDS TO EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON AND FOR A COMPLETE HEALING ON HER PRECIOUS BODY - THANKS!
God bless everyone of you!
Diane
UPDATE: 3-21-06
Hello,
Sarah's PEG (feeding tube in her stomach) was successful - PRAISE THE LORD AGAIN AND AGAIN! She is still asleep and seems to be resting comfortably. She will not be able to eat for another 24 hours - please pray for MUCH peace throughout this time. We are praying for a quick recovery and healing to the incision that was made. Sarah will (hopefully) stay intubated for atleast 4-5 more days to help her lungs heal from her illness. Hopefully, she will not try to extubate herself again.
It is such a blessing - through this hunger time - I have been able to work with her on sucking on a pacifier - she seems to like the preemie one that was given to us at St. Cloud Hospital. I did pick up some preemie nipples (thank you Mary) and she seems to like it alot. Hopefully, we will be able to start working with her bottling skills soon.
Please pray that her body will not break down her red blood cells so quickly. They are thinking that a small hole in her heart might be the culprit. If it is - another open heart surgery might be in order, and the cardiologist doesn't want to go that route. They don't even know if they would be able to find the 2 small holes to close them. Please pray that her hemoglobin stays in the normal range, otherwise she will need blood transfusions periodically if it is due to her heart.
Also, they changed her pacemaker setting to 140 instead of the 160 that it was at. They are trying to spare the generator in it - otherwise another heart surgery will be required to replace the pacemaker that she has if it wears out too soon. We continue to ask God to heal her heart, restore her sinus rhythm (she has an AV block) and shrink it back down to normal size.
Keep the prayers coming - God is able and faithful and I know that he loves Sarah VERY much!
Blessings to you all!
Diane
Update from Diane:
Sarah just went into surgery about 10 minutes ago and they decided to do the peg version of the feeding tube. They are also hoping that she will stay intubated for about 5 more days so she can heal up her lungs and be ready to return home. Please keep her in prayer that all goes well. Thanks,
UPDATE: 3-19-06
Hi, Diane wasn’t able to get online to send an update, but thought I could send you a quick email and a prayer request.
This morning Sarah extubated herself and also pulled her feeding tube out. She is being good and feisty while she is up there and didn’t like the ventilator. She currently has a 50/50 chance of being reintubated, during the night. For sure she will be intubated though for the surgery that she is going to be having tomorrow to put a permanent feeding tube in. IF they do the peg version it will be a 2 hour surgery, if they do the other kind, it will be a lot longer surgery and they will be doing some other tests while they are in there. Diane is praying for the quick one. Currently they have been withholding food since her feeding tube is out and they need her not to eat for at least 8 hours before the surgery anyway. The do have IV fluids going in so at least she is getting something, but Sarah is really sucking on her hands and is looking pretty hungry. She also hasn’t been able to get any sleep because of all the neb treatments she has been getting to battle the pneumonia. The nebs have her so wired she hadn’t slept all day today. Because she isn’t intibated right now though she has to work harder to breathe so she really needs prayer to be able to get easier breathing.
So please keep her in prayer that tomorrow her surgery will easily be working into the surgeon’s schedule and that everything will go perfectly. Thanks for praying!
April
UPDATE: 3-16-06
12:27PM EASTERN:
Hello,
Sarah was successfully intubated this morning. She has NO reserves and
is very weak, so the ventilator is working for her. She is very
fragile, and critical. They are having trouble getting her oxygen
levels good on the machine so far. Since the weather has now cleared,
they will be airlifting her to Mpls. Children's within the next 1/2
hour (11:am - 3/16). They were able to place a central line in her
femur, before leaving the St. Cloud Hospital. I am not sure if the
antibiotics were started yet (if it is a virus - the antibiotics won't
do anything).
Please continue to pray for a complete healing from this
infection/virus and that her heart will continue to heal (it is very
enlarged). Right now she is only on sugar water through an IV. We are
hoping that she will be able to be given breast milk and not the TPN as
that is so hard on her liver.
Pray for continued wisdom and the Lord's guidance within ALL decisions
that need to be made in regards to her care.
Keep the prayers coming - thanks!
God Bless,
Diane
8:51AM:
Sarah is being prepped to be intubated as I write this (8am). She is
in critical condition and the intubation in itself could kill her they
say, due to the drugs involved with intubation effecting her breathing
and especially her heart. They said that due to the weather and her
condition that the transport to Mpls. Children's from St. Cloud could
take 2-3 hours, and they don't want her to have breathing failure along
the way, so they are intubating her before she leaves. They will also
be trying to place a central line to start antibiotics, which IF it is
viral then the antibiotics won't do anything.
Much prayers are needed - thank you EVERYONE for all of your prayers
for Sarah's precious life!
God Bless,
Diane
7:31AM:
Prayers are Needed
Sarah will be transferred back to Mpls. Children's Hospital this
morning because they are unable to perform tests on her at St. Cloud
that are necessary. Their cardiologist is on vacation for 2 weeks so
they don't have anyone that could interpret an electrocardiogram if
done. Also, any cultures will now need to wait until her transfer is
complete, which is more time wasted on trying to properly treat her.
Her breathing is VERY difficult. Her CRP is up which is a sign of
infection. They are still not feeding her which stresses her more, and
then on top of it they continue to give her medications through her NG
tube on an empty stomach, which REALLY stresses her out. Her potassium
levels are very high which can cause cardiac arrest (they had added it
to her IV fluids and she had been getting potassium 3 times a day
already) - please pray that this level goes down and quick. They have
held her potassium now since 6am, in hopes of it returning to normal.
Back to being an advocate for Sarah again.... Pray for strength as I
have been without sleep for 3 days now.
Also - anyone that would be willing to take care of our children for a
couple of days until we get things sorted out - please call me at
320-420-9989, or Rik at 320-420-9899, home at 320-558-2670, or the
hospital.
Please pray for wisdom and knowledge for ALL of the doctors that will
be involved in her care so that they can treat her properly - thanks!
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 3-15-06
Prayer warriors:
Prayer request - Sarah is having a very hard time breathing, even after
her Neb treatments. The doctors are experimenting on Sarah with
additional lasix today at St. Cloud Hospital, wondering if the fluid in
her lungs is related to her heart condition, or if it is related to the
yellow nasal secretions (they are wondering if she might have 2
issues, instead of one). They have given her 2 doses of intravenous
lasix, instead of the 2 doses of oral lasix for a day (iv is stronger),
and are withholding her food (which I am not happy about) to see if
her lungs become any clearer. They are giving her an IV of fluids
(sugar water) while they are testing this theory out of theirs.
We are also going to talk about placing a Gtube in, instead of the NG
feeding tube (her pediatrician is recommending this as the NG tube
could be the source of her infection in her sinus cavity). We are
trying to decide ''where'' to have her transferred to, if the GI doctor
gives the ok for the surgery. It will either be Mpls. Childrens again,
or the U of M. We will continue to try to strengthen her oral
abilities in hopes of being able to feed her by mouth someday.
Praise report - her hemoglobin is starting to come up (8.2 to 9.2
today) - which means her body is finally making red blood cells! We
are still asking anyone that is O+ that would be interested in being a
direct donor for Sarah, to please still donate in St. Cloud. It takes
about 5 days to clear the blood so that it can be given to her, if
needed. Thank you ahead of time for your donations of love for her.
Her bilirubin continues to come down -we can't wait to see her normal
skin tone (she can join our ''pale face'' family)!
God DOES hear all of your prayers - please continue diligently to flood
His throne of grace with more prayer requests for Sarah - thanks! We
continue to believe in His healing touch on her life. :)
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 3-14-06 11:00PM Eastern Time
I have just received a call from Diane. Sarah Rose has be hospitalized. She is very congested and this has affected her breathing. They will test her again tomorrow for RSV. Please pray for her protection, healing and strengthening of her lungs.
We do have some praise reports. Her billirubin count is down to almost normal and her co2 levels are down to 36. Praise the Lord! Continue to lift her up for total healing and health.
God Bless,
Elizabeth
UPDATE: 3-11-06
Hello,
Sarah's head is very congested over the past few days, and she drops
her sats if her nose isn't suctioned clear frequently. I am praying
that this passes VERY soon.
We are still waiting on her body to develop her new red blood cells -
another heel poke this Wednesday. The doctors will transfuse if her
hemoglobin gets down to 7.0. She was at 8.7 as of last wednesday.
Her bilirubin continues to come down - she is starting to look better
in terms of her complexion - getting lighter. Next bilirubin test is
on Wednesday too. God is good!
We continue to pray for a complete healing on her precious body. :)
Keep the prayers coming - thanks!
Diane
UPDATE: 3-9-06
Hello All,
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and continued prayers!
Sarah's bilirubin is continuing to come down. Her direct is now 7.9
as of 3/8/06. We still have a ways to go (down to zero), but with God
all things are possible.
Sarah's CO2 was in the 60's for the past month while she had been in
the hospital. Her CO2 level was down to 37 this past week - what a
wonderful blessing in God's healing ability. They kept telling us that
her CO2's were going to be in the 60's, probably due to her being a T18
and her lung problems - another lie from the devil!
Sarah is not bottle/breast feeding as yet - she is on continuous NG
tube feeding. They don't want to stress her out. I am hoping that she
will bottle/breast feed someday soon. We are hoping to start her on
some additional oral exercises by withholding her food for 2 hours, and
then try bottle/breast feeding her, because right now she does not get
hungry. Just waiting on the Dr.'s ok...
Major prayer - my milk supply, most likely due to stress and too low of
hormone levels, is almost gone. I am trying many things to help myself
to increase my milk supply.
Sarah's hemoglobin is below normal (just found out today) - she may
possibly need a blood transfusion tomorrow. The doctor wants her to go
in to the doctors office in the morning to draw some more blood to
check to see if her body is starting to make more red blood cells.
(this was expected to happen, because she had a blood transfusion 3
weeks ago and now her body needs to make its own blood). Please pray
that her blood test will come out well so that she will not need
another blood transfusion. If she does, this will set her back another
month before her body will try to make its own red blood cells again.
Her white blood count was a little elevated from last week - please
pray that this is only due to her body trying to make red blood cells,
and not due to the infection getting worse in her blood. She does have
a small red area (new) on her chest incision area, and I am concerned
that the infection is coming back. If it is, this could possibly mean
another hospital stay with IV antibiotics, or increasing her dosage of
the oral antibiotics.
Her liver continues to shrink in size - praise the Lord. Please pray
for her lungs to continue to heal, along with her heart.
Also prayers for her brain, kidneys, intestines, gallbladder, bladder,
etc. that they will not have any residual effects from all the
medications that she has been on. We are hoping to remove these
medications soon - I have a check in my spirit that some of these
should not be given anymore. We continue to pray, and try to educate
ourselves about these meds. as we desire to help Sarah be the best that
she can be.
Keep the prayers coming - what a mighty God we serve!!! Praise the
LORD for he is good!
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 3-5-06
Hello,
Thank you for your continued prayers for Sarah and our family! It has
been an amazing week... We are trying to adjust to taking care of her
- it sure is a lot different then a healthy, nursing baby. Between the
equipment, and the medications - it keeps me moving.
In all things, I will praise the LORD! It is such a blessing to be
''able'' to have her at home to take care of her. It is quite the
learning experience when the alarms on the equipment go off - I
sometimes wish I had 6 arms...
URGENT: Prayer request - my breast milk seems to be drying up - pray
that it will come back in soon, or I don't know what we will do - Sarah
does not seem to tolerate any formulas. I have blessed thistle and
fenugreek to try to help it come back. Any other suggestions would
be VERY MUCH appreciated.
Any healthy nursing moms that are local to me - please call me if you
would be interested in donating some of your precious breast milk (any
amount of breast milk would help, in hopes that my milk supply will
return).
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 3-3-06
Hello,
I can't believe that Sarah is 2 1/2 months old already - wow! where
has the time gone... The days seems to blend together too quickly.
Sarah is adjusting to her new room at home and her family. The
children had fun helping to decorate her room with me. We are loving
each day to be able to take care of her! She is SO precious!!! I had a
scare on the way to the doctors office for her first check up on March
1st. About 1/2 way to the doctors office, her heart dropped to 118 and
her respirations were dropping as well. Now 118 is ok for a resting
child, but a resting child on a pacemaker set at 160 is a ''problem''.
Her heart is NOT supposed to go below 160, it can only go above - this
is the way it is set. The nurse that was with me told me to call 911,
so I did. The ambulance and sherriff arrived very quickly, and is was
wonderful that the Lord restored her back to 160 by the time they
arrived - so we decided to keep our appointment with the pediatrician.
We arrived at the doctors office, and her heart started going down into
the 140's and low 150's - very strange again... The doctor placed a
call in to her cardiologist and they couldn't figure it out either.
Well - her heart is now back to the 160 mark - hopefully it does NOT
happen again - I am praying that she will NOT need surgery to replace
it - that would NOT be good!
Sarah does seem congested, her xray doesn't show anything, so the
doctor believes it is only in her sinuses and throat - please be
praying for protection from any infections, as her little body is still
recovering from the blood infection that she got while at the
hospital. She is still on antibiotics for the blood infection, which
are very hard on her digestive system, and body as a whole.
Her coloring seems to be getting lighter - she had her blood draws
today at home, so we should hear how her bilirubin is soon, along with
her electrolytes (these need to be monitored due to her being on the
lasix for her heart). I continue to pray that her medications will end
and that she won't need them (they have so many bad side effects).
Sarah's feedings are going well - they don't want to discontinue the
continuous ng feedings yet. I am trying to be patient, yet I hope it
will happen soon. Since she doesn't ever feel hungry, it is hard to
get her to want to nurse, or suck on a bottle, or pacifier. When we
made our trip to the doctor, her feeding tube came out and was out for
4 hours. She was REALLY hungry, and sucked on my finger VERY hard - I
was surprised at the strength and sucking ability that she had when she
was hungry - I continue to praise the Lord for each step we take in
helping her to develop. :)
Our family is trying to adjust to this new routine (if I can really
call it one yet - I don't know). Everyone is wanting to learn and help
out, Nathan and Angela have schedules they wanted me to make up of
things they can do for her - what a wonderful blessing they are! They
both want to grow up and be doctors to help Sarah - God is so good to
bless Sarah with such wonderful sisters and brothers. It is hard at
times, as they start to fight about "whom" is going to hold her, etc.
This is a learning session for sure...
Please continue to pray for a complete healing on Sarah's precious
body. Heart, lungs, liver, digestive system, blood infection to be
gone, immune system to improve, the ability to nurse, or bottle, brain
development to be normal, - all aspects of healing, I guess. God knows
and is able to do much more, and love her much, much more then I (if
that is possible).
Thank you again for all of your blessings, and prayers for Sarah! She
is such a joy to behold - God's handiwork, grace, mercy and love.
p.s. I did find a carseat/double stroller at babies r us - so we do
not need one now. With all of Sarah's required equipment, a regular
carseat would not work. The double stroller works very well. I think
her clothes will be ok for a while now - thank you all! DIAPERS are
the main item in need - size ''newborn''. Sarah weighs 5lb. 2oz now
and is 19 1/4'' long.
All blessings are very much appreciated!
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 2-28-06
Sarah is home - Praise the LORD! We are enjoying her - singing to her,
holding her, changing her, smelling her, kissing her, and we continue
to pray GOOD and WONDERFUL blessings on her life! Keep the prayers
coming - the LORD is faithful - we believe He has plans for her to
prosper and be in health, even as her soul prospers - we stand on His
promises. :) We are so blessed to have Sarah home - we know that ALL
things are possible in Christ.
So many families have spent SO much time praying for Sarah - words
cannot express our gratefulness and the love that we feel for ALL of
you! May the Lord continue to bless all of the families that have been
faithful in prayer. A special thank you to all of the families that
have given meals to our family through this difficult time, and for
the gifts of love that we received for Sarah.
Sarah's first pediatric appointment is on Wednesday, March 1st. We are
praying that he will be interested in helping her to live, not just
provide comfort care... Please be praying for MUCH wisdom in regards
to her care, medications, blood work, tests, etc.
The Lord says if we believe that he exists then we can believe/expect
that he also hears our prayers and answers them - Yes and Amen! How
much more gifts does our Father in Heaven gives us? - He gives good
gifts to all of us who love Him. :) I love being a child of God and I
love the precious gift that he has given me - Sarah is SO precious! I
am so blessed to be Sarah's mom! :)
Keep the prayers coming,
Diane
This is a photo of our 5 youngest children, along with Rik and myself.
Nathan - 8, Angela - 6, Shanae - 4, Luke - 2, and Sarah - just born
12/12/05
UPDATE: 2-27-06
We are scheduled for Sarah to come
home tomorrow around 2 pm. We are So excited!!!
Sarah's liver is coming down in size - praise the LORD! We continue to
pray for her blood infection to be gone - keep the prayers coming -
THANKS!!!
God Bless,
Diane
UPDATE: 2-23-06
Praise the LORD:
We have been training on the equipment for Sarah over the past 2 days. She does require oxygen at this point, at a low setting. Sarah will now be going home with a pulse oximeter, and suctioning equipment as well. We were very concerned, as they had not planned on allowing this important equipment to go home with her.
Sarah will be having a CT scan on Thursday on her left nasal passage. It is obstructed, or possibly not formed properly. We are planning on taking her home on MOnday, if all goes well.
Sarah's bilirubin continues to decline - down to 13.2. Her feedings are up to 19ml per hour, and she tolerates them well. She is trying to suckle at the breast, bottle, and pacifier. We hope this will continue so that she will not need to have surgery at a later date for a G-tube placement.
Sarah is off of her IV antibiotics today, and is now on oral antibiotics until her sternum incision heals completely, inside and out.
Please continue to cover Sarah with your prayers for complete healing for her heart, liver, and whole precious body!
Items needed (used are fine): baby scale, infant mobile for crib, DIAPERS, infant car seat, newborn girl sleepers that zip, or snap up the front, or the body type that pull over the head - any color is fine.
God bless,
Diane
ADDED: 9-10-05
Condition=Our unborn daughter has been diagnosed with Trisomy 18. She
is due on Nov. 30th, 2005
Comments:
My husband and I learned that Sarah was a special child, with Trisomy
18 (Edward's syndrome) when I was about 17 weeks along. We were told
SO many times to abort her (actually the doctors call it "deliver her
early", instead of using the term abortion). We have had many battles
with doctors, and nurses as they are taught in medical school to allow
these babies to die, and NOT to treat, or care for them (it was the
same way in the 60's-70's with Trisomy 21 (Downs syndrome). It seems
that there is no value to human life anymore (God talks about this
happening as we get closer to His return), unless you are perfect (in
the world's eyes).
I began to search on the internet for any and all information on the
subject trying to educate myself to prepare for her precious arrival on
how we could help her, as none was given by any of the medical
profession except for the abortion idea. I have met MANY families in
my search, that also have Trisomy 18 children that are living and have
become friends with many of the moms. There are many families that
have chosen life for these special children as we have, and they are
a wonderful resource of information and support.
We continue to trust the LORD with Sarah's life, and lean on Him for
our strength, and for her continued healing. It is a daily battle, yet
we will stand firm in our faith and speak boldly about God's love for
ALL children, regardless of any health problem. Please join us in
praying for Sarah!
Thank you for ALL of your prayers!
God Bless,
Diane
I thought I would send you a photo of our unborn daughter, Sarah,
taken on 8/17/05. She weighed in at 1 lb. 2 oz. Isn't she
beautiful?! Thank you for all prayers for her! We are continuing to
pray for a complete healing, which includes: that her body will get
rid of the extra 18th chromosome, that the VSD (hole) in her heart
will close, that her brain will develop normally, that her hands will
be able to open and close, that she will be able to nurse, breathe,
etc. She is swallowing amniotic fluid, which is a good sign! We
continue to trust the Lord and pray that His glory will be revealed
through her life!
God Bless,
Rik and Diane
 
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