Through the Fire

Friday was a hard day. Mom found out about her leg and we spent the day recapping what happened and encouraging her. It broke my heart to see her so upset. She still can't talk to us, but now that they have the Trach in and the ventilator out, she's able to mouth to us. She kept saying "I am just so sad." We all cried and told her that we were going to get through this together. It will be hard but we WILL get through this.

Mom's spirits were lifted yesterday when her sweet friend, Lana Martin, came to visit her. Mrs. Lana has been a friend of Mom's since they were kids. She is precious and their relationship is more like sisters than friends. Mom's eyes lit up when she saw Lana and she told her over and over how much she loved her. Mrs. Lana has been hanging out at the hospital from the beginning but this was the first time Mom was alert enough to realize she was here. It was a special moment and one that left us all in tears. We are all just so thankful that we still get to have these moments. I am so thankful for the friend Lana is to Mom. She is a jewel.

The fever Mom was having has still been coming and going. They are able to control it with Tylenol, but there is still concern of infection. The new blood cultures have been negative for bacteria, but her white blood count has remained elevated. She has also struggled with high heart rate which keeps her from sleeping. They believe this is related to the fever. Last night was rough and she didn't get much sleep. Please pray that they can find the source of the infection today and knock that out.

The vascular surgeons came in and checked out her left arm again. Back when she was throwing blood clots her left arm was severely damaged. It has been a watching and waiting game as to whether it will make a full recovery. For many days, they couldn't find a pulse in it. This was extremely discouraging to us because it was a huge sign that it would later need to be amputated as well. Last week one day they were able to find a strong pulse and since then the pulse has been present. Today the vascular surgeon felt like it looked good and there only concern was the tip of one of her fingers. Please continue to pray for that arm and her fingers.

This journey is a war filled with many battles. Everyday is a new battle to win in order to eventually win the war. It is extremely stressful and each day is more exhausting than the one before. There are so many things to worry about and so many more hills to climb in order to get Mom home and stable. It's taking a toll on all of us. Our family has been through so many battles, but this one is by far the hardest. We are tired, but know the Lord is going to continue to carry us through. The devil won't win. He keeps trying, but he won't.

Since Mom has been sick, one song that has carried us through this journey is, "Through the Fire" by the Crabb Family. It's an old song but one of Mom's favorites. If you haven't heard it you should look it up. I don't sing, but Grannie and I have sung this to Mom multiple times throughout her battle with heart failure. The song talks about how we aren't promised that life will be easy, but we ARE promised that when it gets hard our God will show up and take us through the fire again. Today, we are still singing that song. The Lord always shows up. He always carries us and loves us through every moment in our lives. I have no doubt that our God is present here in this hospital room today
and He is taking us through the fire again.

Sophie made wreaths for every room on the ICU
floor. 33 wreaths total. The nurses and doctors
love Them. Mom's is extra special!

Sophie's Christmas tree for Mom's room.

Dr. Hahn is an angel. She is one of Dr. Bansal's residents and
someone we have gotten so close with. She left for a few days
to go home for Christmas, but left us with this card and some homemade treats.
She is a huge blessing to us.