Thoughts on a Friday Evening

Four years ago, when we found out we were expecting a baby, I felt like God had such a sense of humor!  With 16 years between our biological kiddos and at a time when I was in total heartbreak over watching some of the choices our oldest daughters made, I learned to realize that not only did He have a sense of humor, but He also knew what a blessing Gabriella would be to us. She has been that ray of sunlight in some of our darkest days.  I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. Tonight as I gave her a bath, she talked non-stop with excitement about riding by herself for the first time in tomorrow's rodeo. She told me she is going to "lope so fast!"  She told me how her hair will be blowing in the wind and that Catolena (her horse) will look so beautiful.  The excitement in her eyes was so refreshing.  It was a reminder of what a gift it is to have Gabriella, Sophia and Caleb. Yes, they keep us hopping and it is not always easy as we get a little older, but we are blessed to be their parents. The truth is that tomorrow Gabriella will probably walk Catolena through the barrels and poles, but we will be there to encourage her in her dream.  Sophia will enjoy lead line and will probably carry the ribbon she pulls off the goat all day.  Caleb will carry his rope everywhere he goes and if we aren't careful, he will rope our feet.  What a blessing!!

A Day of Appointments

First, I want thank everyone who has been praying for Samuel over the last nine months.  I have no doubt that God has answered our prayers over and over again.  If He hadn't, Samuel would not be here anymore. The Lord has a plan for him, and I hope that one day we see His plan in all of this. 

It was raining when we woke up this morning. Today it snowed, sleeted and rained, sometimes all at the same time. None of the snow stuck to anything. It is slushy and cold. Tonight it will be in the mid 20's. We are praying we can safely get to the airport in the morning.  

We are still at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  Samuel is having a CT scan right now.  The appointments went well. I think all the doctors are excellent and they seem to have a good understanding of what is going on with Samuel.  We discussed his current condition and what options he may have.  There's complications and side effects to any of the surgical choices. One of the surgery options causes cancer down the road, so for a 60 year old it might be a good option, but for a 20 year old, it's not such a great option.  It is a battle of "quality of life vs. quantity of life."  After some discussion, we basically decided that wasn't an option we should even consider at this time.  

The ultimate goal would be for Samuel to be able to return to his life as it was before his accident, but if that is not possible, we will settle for as close to that as possible. The CT scan will give the doctors more information about what can be done, but the final decision on what procedures they will do will have to be made in the operating room when they can physically see what they have to work with.  

The first surgery will be about 12 hours long, maybe longer depending on what they decide to do. They will be working on scheduling it, but it may be hard to fit it into all their schedules. They are going to try to schedule it for March if possible.  We want to do it as soon as possible.  He will need to stay in the hospital for about 2-3 weeks depending on what all is done. They said that plastic surgery may have to follow up with a series of surgeries to close his abdominal wall, but we won't know how many until the first surgery.  

I feel at peace about our decision to come to Hopkins. I feel like we are in the right place for the complications he has. I have to say that being here has also really given me more of an appreciation for the beautiful country lifestyle we sometimes take for granted. Two days in the inner city is more than enough for me.  I am looking forward to heading home tomorrow. I think Samuel is ready to be home too. 

Baltimore Bound!

Samuel and I are headed to Baltimore. Today is nine months since Samuel's car accident. We will be spending the day traveling. We have a layover in Charlotte, NC and will arrive in Baltimore around 4:20 this evening.  We will have appointments all day tomorrow. Please pray that everything goes well and that they don't cancel Samuel's appointments due to the weather. They are expecting up to six inches of snow tomorrow and they have already closed schools in the area. Tomorrow evening (if things go as planned), my dear friend, Kim Richey will be meeting us at our hotel and staying the night with us. We are really looking forward to spending a little time together. On Tuesday morning, Samuel and I will head home. Please pray for safe travel, for compassionate doctors, for complete healing and that the Holy Spirit prepares our hearts for whatever news we may get.  Pray for strength and endurance for Samuel as we travel...and for me. I had very little sleep last night because I was trying to take care of things for my family at home. Please pray for a clear mind so that I may focus on Samuel's situation for the next few days. Please pray for our family at home, especially the three youngest, who didn't want mommy to go and are struggling with how the accident has impacted our family during the last nine months.  I will send an update when we have something to share. Thank you for your prayers.  Blessings!

A Busy Saturday

The first group of kids made it safely to Fort Worth today. They got the cattle washed and settled in. I stayed at home with some of the younger kids and Lydia, who had ranch sorting practice for the Go Texan Competition for Houston Livestock Show next weekend.  We spent the day taking care of animals and fixing things at the ranch.  

The neighbor called and said he had a big Longhorn steer with an 8 foot horn span in his pasture. He said he was mean and dangerous! He said he was tall and probably just jumped right over the fence!  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out which steer fit that description. I had to look at the list on my phone. We figured out it was SH Bold Boy, who is a total sweetheart and is ridden by Joy is parades..  Ten minutes later we had him haltered and Joy walked him back home behind the mule.  Sometimes you can't help but laugh at the preconceived ideas that people have about Texas Longhorns.  

On a really good note, Samuel felt better today than he has felt in months!  He actually walked around at the ranch today. He slept in a bed last night instead of a chair. He isn't feeling great, but it is a huge improvement!  Praise The Lord!!  He is answering our prayers.  Hopefully each day he will grow stronger again and build strength before we go to Baltimore.  Samuel is feeling well enough that he is going to try to teach his Sunday School class tomorrow morning.  

The girls and I are leaving for Fort Worth at 6:00 am.  I'm sure Jacob will be relieved when we get there. I'm pretty sure he has his hands full.  

Out of the Operating Room

Samuel is out of surgery and in recovery now. The doctor came by and spoke to me about some procedures he did to try to make Samuel more comfortable.  They changed the type of tube used for the most painful one, they added some internal sutures to try to prevent it from moving and they flushed the organs before placing the new tubes. We are hopeful that this helps alleviate the pain.  I will be able to see Samuel when he wakes up. If he doesn't develop a high fever and if he can keep food down, they will send us home this evening. We greatly appreciate the prayers!  

Challenges and Blessings

Every day lately seems to bring things that are reminders of the challenges we still face and of the blessings we have as well. When I woke up at 3:00 am to head to Houston for another surgery for Samuel, I could hardly make myself get up and get dressed. Wearing pajamas all day sounded so appealing. Then I thought of Samuel and how he has worn pajama pants for 8 1/2 months now because he doesn't have a choice. It made me realize that being able to get up, to get dressed, and to drive to Houston is a blessing. 

We are here now and Samuel is about to go back for surgery.  It's a new year which means all the insurance deductibles start over again, but God is good and He has carried us this far and will continue to walk with us along this rocky road. 

I will send a post when Samuel is out of surgery and back in his room. Thanks for praying!

We have an appointment!!

Sooooo.......after calling Johns Hopkins Hospital every day for weeks trying to coordinate a date for Samuel to see the surgeons that will be working on putting him back together, we finally have an appointment for the initial consultation to coordinate the first reconstruction surgery. On February 3rd, we will be meeting with the team of surgeons in Baltimore. Samuel is still in a lot of pain and really struggling to cope with it on a daily basis.  We had really hoped to get in sooner, but this is the soonest they can take him. Because the pain is so bad and the appointment date is three weeks away, we are going to have to replace the tubes another time at Memorial Hermann Hospital. He is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday of this week. We are praying this will give him some relief from the pain so he can make it until February 3rd. Please continue to pray for total healing, strength, pain relief and a will to keep fighting.