Friday, March 02, 2012
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
It's been too long!
I'll begin with my manna for today:
Psalm 71:14-16 (NIV)
As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
"I will always have hope", I love that!
I didn't always..... have hope.
It's just that sometimes, things happen. Things that shift your focus. "Rock your world" kind of things.
But, that's another story. I want to finish this one
I guess I was talking about "the surgery"
When we finally got to see Scotty, he was surrounded by machines, and tubes of every shape and color. A tube to give him breath, a tube for fluids, and drain tubes. He was connected to a large machine that pumped the blood for the right side of his heart, called an RVAD and another for the left, an LVAD. VAD stands for Ventricular Assist Device. It was somewhat overwhelming, except that all I remember was, He was alive! Nothing else mattered.
The very next day they had to take him back to OR for what they called a "washout". Clean up of leaking vessels.
He hadn't awakened as yet, they were keeping him sedated, in a coma-like state.
Because his condition was so poor when they first operated, I'm not sure they expected him to have any brain function. But God had a better idea!
The day they "wakened" him, my manna was from Ephesians 5:14. It says:
"Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light."
WOW! Talk about just what you need! And he did too, he woke up. His doctor was there when he fluttered his eye lids, and moved his fingers, and responded to commands! When the anesthesiologist stopped by later, Scotty,s doctor told him, "This is that kid we operated on, he woke up!" like he was surprised!
After that, it was kind of one-day-at-a-time for us. But we kept on fighting and standing our ground. I have it recorded somewhere how many, but he had several surgeries, including a lobectomy for a lung infection, but he always came through. And every time they took him away to surgery, I told the doctors, I was praying for them.
Then one day they told us the RVAD had stopped functioning, because of a blood clot. Dave was there when they did the echo, and they could see this long, stringy clot fluttering with every heartbeat clogging up the RVAD. This was very serious. The clot could break off and it would kill him. But they didn't think his heart would function without the RVAD. So they wanted to take him to surgery immediately, but the doctor that was trained for this was already operating on another patient. Plus, there were no more surgery suites available either.
His transplant co-ordinator left the room in tears. He had survived so much and come so far, only to have it end like this.
As I write this, it seems unbelievable. How could this be happening? And yet I wasn't moved! They may have thought I was unhinged. Somehow I knew that the God who had brought us this far, would not forsake us now. When they finally took him to surgery they removed the RVAD.Against all odds, they were able to remove the clot in one piece. And beyond all expectations, the right side of his heart beat under its own power.
There were many days after that, when all I could do was hold his hand, and I know he liked that, and I think it was as much for me as for him. In fact if we didin't get to the hospital soon enough, he would have the nurses call us. And still we persevered.
He had been in Intensive Care for two and a half months, it was getting close to New Year's Day, and suddenly we saw drastic improvement. Like he really was better! He wanted to eat, he wanted to walk.
He stayed a total of 101 days at the U of M Hospital.
This March 1st, we celebrated the sixth anniversary of his heart transplant!
There are so many other details that I could add, and maybe I will some day. For me, today, this is enough.
And his story isn't over either. He is normal in every way. He has issues, yes, but I am confident that those issues will be resolved.
And...As for me, I will always have hope.
Psalm 71:14-16 (NIV)
As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
"I will always have hope", I love that!
I didn't always..... have hope.
It's just that sometimes, things happen. Things that shift your focus. "Rock your world" kind of things.
But, that's another story. I want to finish this one
I guess I was talking about "the surgery"
When we finally got to see Scotty, he was surrounded by machines, and tubes of every shape and color. A tube to give him breath, a tube for fluids, and drain tubes. He was connected to a large machine that pumped the blood for the right side of his heart, called an RVAD and another for the left, an LVAD. VAD stands for Ventricular Assist Device. It was somewhat overwhelming, except that all I remember was, He was alive! Nothing else mattered.
The very next day they had to take him back to OR for what they called a "washout". Clean up of leaking vessels.
He hadn't awakened as yet, they were keeping him sedated, in a coma-like state.
Because his condition was so poor when they first operated, I'm not sure they expected him to have any brain function. But God had a better idea!
The day they "wakened" him, my manna was from Ephesians 5:14. It says:
"Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light."
WOW! Talk about just what you need! And he did too, he woke up. His doctor was there when he fluttered his eye lids, and moved his fingers, and responded to commands! When the anesthesiologist stopped by later, Scotty,s doctor told him, "This is that kid we operated on, he woke up!" like he was surprised!
After that, it was kind of one-day-at-a-time for us. But we kept on fighting and standing our ground. I have it recorded somewhere how many, but he had several surgeries, including a lobectomy for a lung infection, but he always came through. And every time they took him away to surgery, I told the doctors, I was praying for them.
Then one day they told us the RVAD had stopped functioning, because of a blood clot. Dave was there when they did the echo, and they could see this long, stringy clot fluttering with every heartbeat clogging up the RVAD. This was very serious. The clot could break off and it would kill him. But they didn't think his heart would function without the RVAD. So they wanted to take him to surgery immediately, but the doctor that was trained for this was already operating on another patient. Plus, there were no more surgery suites available either.
His transplant co-ordinator left the room in tears. He had survived so much and come so far, only to have it end like this.
As I write this, it seems unbelievable. How could this be happening? And yet I wasn't moved! They may have thought I was unhinged. Somehow I knew that the God who had brought us this far, would not forsake us now. When they finally took him to surgery they removed the RVAD.Against all odds, they were able to remove the clot in one piece. And beyond all expectations, the right side of his heart beat under its own power.
There were many days after that, when all I could do was hold his hand, and I know he liked that, and I think it was as much for me as for him. In fact if we didin't get to the hospital soon enough, he would have the nurses call us. And still we persevered.
He had been in Intensive Care for two and a half months, it was getting close to New Year's Day, and suddenly we saw drastic improvement. Like he really was better! He wanted to eat, he wanted to walk.
He stayed a total of 101 days at the U of M Hospital.
This March 1st, we celebrated the sixth anniversary of his heart transplant!
There are so many other details that I could add, and maybe I will some day. For me, today, this is enough.
And his story isn't over either. He is normal in every way. He has issues, yes, but I am confident that those issues will be resolved.
And...As for me, I will always have hope.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, April 01, 2010
A Fixed Heart
Here is my testimony of how God helped us when we really needed Him. Some may know part, but not all. I will be adding to it. This is for my healing and for God's Glory. He is truly a GOOD GOD!
You know how some things happen, when you are least expecting them? This was one of those times. 2003, All I can remember is that the Minnesota Twins were in the playoffs. I dropped the boys and Dave off to watch a game being shown at the Riverview Theater. We have a picture that I took of them going in. I still have it in my head. Later that week Scotty got sick, maybe he was, even then. It was bad, coughing, throwing up, tired, and pale. But as the week went on it got worse. By Saturday we took him to urgent care, they basically did nothing. Now, I don’t blame them, they didn’t know what was wrong. But something was definitely wrong. They told us he probably had the flu and to come back if he didn’t get better. Well he didn’t, in fact he got worse. On Tuesday morning he was having trouble thinking. He knew what he wanted to say, he just couldn’t say it, and by that evening he was having chest pain and also had trouble breathing. I should have called 911, but I didn’t. The one thing I did do right was that I spoke the Word over him.
I am the Body of Christ and satan hath no power over me. For I overcome evil with good.(1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:21)
I will fear no evil for thou art with me Lord, your Word and your Spirit they comfort me. (1 John 4:4)
No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for my righteousness is of the Lord. But whatever I do will prosper for I’m like a tree planted by the rivers of water. ( Isaiah 54:17; Psalms 1:3)
I called the nurse line. She said take him to Children’s Hospital. I didn’t have a way because Dave was at choir practice. So I called him, and he came and picked Scotty up, and took him over to the ER. Over the next several hours they tried to find out what was going on. Pneumonia, tumor, were some of the words I heard.
Poor Dave, it must have been a long night. God had been at work preparing us, guiding our steps. Actually Dave being the one to go to the ER that night was God. Choir practice is like going to church. They really prepare for worship. Praying, singing. So he was full. And me? I was ready too. Maybe not to the same degree, bit I had been going to a class, learning to hear from God, Fresh Manna. Led by Daniel Gutierrez.
What is Fresh manna, you say? Going to God’s Word daily to hear what God is speaking to you. I had been working hard on it too. I was getting strong. Hearing what God wanted to tell me. Still that night when Scotty was clearly in trouble, I was unsure. Looking back, it was like taking a baby step, a little shaky. However, I’m so glad I spoke those Words. Even though speaking was a small thing. I do believe it made a difference.
That next morning, I sat down to read. I didn’t know where to start. We had a little holder shaped like a loaf of bread that held Bible verses. I picked one out.
It was –
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.(John 4:14)
I wasn’t satisfied that that was what God had for me, so I got out my Bible and turned to John the forth chapter and kept reading, I’m so glad I did. I came to verse 50, which was it! It jumped off the page for me.
” Go in peace, your son will live”
It was almost like an audible voice! What more did I need?
But to say I was ready, is so not true, how can you be ready for the things we heard? HEART FAILURE! Heart failure? My child? How? Unbelievable! NO!
I decided to believe anyway!
When I finally was able to see him, he actually looked better. The sweet nurses had him tucked in bed; He was on oxygen and had an IV. We called church and asked Pastor Jeff, his youth pastor, to come and lay hands on him and anoint him with oil. We were just following the Scripture that says-
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (James 5:14)
” They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:18
Pastor Jeff was so nice to come, and he did pray for Scotty. Nevertheless, he didn’t get better, he got worse.
I know I keep saying “he got worse”, but he did. Every time they came to talk to us, and even when they didn’t talk to us, we knew it was worse. More and more I.V.s. , 18 different medications by the time they transferred him to the U of M. I know Scotty doesn’t remember anything about that time, for which I am very thankful, because there were times all I could do was cry. It makes me tear up, even now, 7 years later. Everyone was so nice to us, and to Scotty. They did everything they knew to do, but there came a day, a week after he had been admitted, when they said, “we have to make a decision”. There were two choices, one, Put him on a big machine that takes the blood out of your body and pumps it back in, kind of like a giant heart or two, send him to the U of M and they would implant a device called an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device)and an RVAD (Right Ventricular Device). A heart replacement while he waited to get better or a transplanted heart was found. Now he was still way too sick to even consider a transplant, but that is what he needed. His cardiologist, the top Dr at Abbot, working with the Children’s Dr, had to make a very hard decision, and they made it at just the right time. They decided to send him to the U of M.
Sending Scotty was not an easy thing, it took about a half hour, for the nurses and EMT’s, just to get him ready. I remember standing outside Children’s Hospital, holding a bunch of balloons and watching the ambulance drive away. We thought, finally he’ll be OK. But I knew in my heart I needed to be with him. Terry, Mom Dave and I drove home. Just a few blocks. We all were tired from the week of stress, but as soon as we got there, Terry and I decided we had to go and make sure he was settled in. It was a good thing we did, because as soon as we arrived a nurse was handing me a piece of paper to sign, they were taking him directly into surgery. “Come on, we have to go” was what I heard them say.
12 hours…….I was so glad I had that Word,
” Go in peace, your son will live”
Dave had one too-
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise (Psalm 57:7)
We waited…and waited. Once the anesthesiologist came out, he said they weren’t able to give any anesthesia because they didn’t have time, he was dying, (he didn’t say that, but that was what he thought). They opened him up as fast as they could. He didn’t tell us at the time, but another assisting nurse specialist came and told us later that they scooped large blood clots out of his heart.
Oh......... remembering is kind-of hard, but good at the same time. The space of time gives you perspective. I think I’ll stop here for now, I know God saved him, I know God loves him, and I know God has a purpose. Part 2 soon.
You know how some things happen, when you are least expecting them? This was one of those times. 2003, All I can remember is that the Minnesota Twins were in the playoffs. I dropped the boys and Dave off to watch a game being shown at the Riverview Theater. We have a picture that I took of them going in. I still have it in my head. Later that week Scotty got sick, maybe he was, even then. It was bad, coughing, throwing up, tired, and pale. But as the week went on it got worse. By Saturday we took him to urgent care, they basically did nothing. Now, I don’t blame them, they didn’t know what was wrong. But something was definitely wrong. They told us he probably had the flu and to come back if he didn’t get better. Well he didn’t, in fact he got worse. On Tuesday morning he was having trouble thinking. He knew what he wanted to say, he just couldn’t say it, and by that evening he was having chest pain and also had trouble breathing. I should have called 911, but I didn’t. The one thing I did do right was that I spoke the Word over him.
I am the Body of Christ and satan hath no power over me. For I overcome evil with good.(1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:21)
I will fear no evil for thou art with me Lord, your Word and your Spirit they comfort me. (1 John 4:4)
No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for my righteousness is of the Lord. But whatever I do will prosper for I’m like a tree planted by the rivers of water. ( Isaiah 54:17; Psalms 1:3)
I called the nurse line. She said take him to Children’s Hospital. I didn’t have a way because Dave was at choir practice. So I called him, and he came and picked Scotty up, and took him over to the ER. Over the next several hours they tried to find out what was going on. Pneumonia, tumor, were some of the words I heard.
Poor Dave, it must have been a long night. God had been at work preparing us, guiding our steps. Actually Dave being the one to go to the ER that night was God. Choir practice is like going to church. They really prepare for worship. Praying, singing. So he was full. And me? I was ready too. Maybe not to the same degree, bit I had been going to a class, learning to hear from God, Fresh Manna. Led by Daniel Gutierrez.
What is Fresh manna, you say? Going to God’s Word daily to hear what God is speaking to you. I had been working hard on it too. I was getting strong. Hearing what God wanted to tell me. Still that night when Scotty was clearly in trouble, I was unsure. Looking back, it was like taking a baby step, a little shaky. However, I’m so glad I spoke those Words. Even though speaking was a small thing. I do believe it made a difference.
That next morning, I sat down to read. I didn’t know where to start. We had a little holder shaped like a loaf of bread that held Bible verses. I picked one out.
It was –
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.(John 4:14)
I wasn’t satisfied that that was what God had for me, so I got out my Bible and turned to John the forth chapter and kept reading, I’m so glad I did. I came to verse 50, which was it! It jumped off the page for me.
” Go in peace, your son will live”
It was almost like an audible voice! What more did I need?
But to say I was ready, is so not true, how can you be ready for the things we heard? HEART FAILURE! Heart failure? My child? How? Unbelievable! NO!
I decided to believe anyway!
When I finally was able to see him, he actually looked better. The sweet nurses had him tucked in bed; He was on oxygen and had an IV. We called church and asked Pastor Jeff, his youth pastor, to come and lay hands on him and anoint him with oil. We were just following the Scripture that says-
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (James 5:14)
” They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:18
Pastor Jeff was so nice to come, and he did pray for Scotty. Nevertheless, he didn’t get better, he got worse.
I know I keep saying “he got worse”, but he did. Every time they came to talk to us, and even when they didn’t talk to us, we knew it was worse. More and more I.V.s. , 18 different medications by the time they transferred him to the U of M. I know Scotty doesn’t remember anything about that time, for which I am very thankful, because there were times all I could do was cry. It makes me tear up, even now, 7 years later. Everyone was so nice to us, and to Scotty. They did everything they knew to do, but there came a day, a week after he had been admitted, when they said, “we have to make a decision”. There were two choices, one, Put him on a big machine that takes the blood out of your body and pumps it back in, kind of like a giant heart or two, send him to the U of M and they would implant a device called an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device)and an RVAD (Right Ventricular Device). A heart replacement while he waited to get better or a transplanted heart was found. Now he was still way too sick to even consider a transplant, but that is what he needed. His cardiologist, the top Dr at Abbot, working with the Children’s Dr, had to make a very hard decision, and they made it at just the right time. They decided to send him to the U of M.
Sending Scotty was not an easy thing, it took about a half hour, for the nurses and EMT’s, just to get him ready. I remember standing outside Children’s Hospital, holding a bunch of balloons and watching the ambulance drive away. We thought, finally he’ll be OK. But I knew in my heart I needed to be with him. Terry, Mom Dave and I drove home. Just a few blocks. We all were tired from the week of stress, but as soon as we got there, Terry and I decided we had to go and make sure he was settled in. It was a good thing we did, because as soon as we arrived a nurse was handing me a piece of paper to sign, they were taking him directly into surgery. “Come on, we have to go” was what I heard them say.
12 hours…….I was so glad I had that Word,
” Go in peace, your son will live”
Dave had one too-
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise (Psalm 57:7)
We waited…and waited. Once the anesthesiologist came out, he said they weren’t able to give any anesthesia because they didn’t have time, he was dying, (he didn’t say that, but that was what he thought). They opened him up as fast as they could. He didn’t tell us at the time, but another assisting nurse specialist came and told us later that they scooped large blood clots out of his heart.
Oh......... remembering is kind-of hard, but good at the same time. The space of time gives you perspective. I think I’ll stop here for now, I know God saved him, I know God loves him, and I know God has a purpose. Part 2 soon.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
ATC's
Dave and I have been busy making ATC's. Very fun little( 2 1/2" by 3 1/2") cards, endless possibilities! We are preparing for a swap in December, where we will trade our creations for someone elses. We've joined a group called MN Altered Arts. They meet about once a month, meeting at The Open Book downtown or at someones home. We are excited to meet some artists and see what they are doing.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Don't look at what you can see with your eyes.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (The Message)
16-1 8So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.
Kenneth says-
Don’t center your attention on what you can see in this natural, physical sense realm. Everything you see is temporal and subject to change. So put your faith in the unseen eternal realm. The things which are eternal are not subject to change.
God’s Word is eternal and contains 7,000 promises to cover any circumstance you’ll ever face. And, no matter what happens in this shifting, changing world you live in, those promises will forever be the same.
Star says-
Lately the "seen" realm has had my attention, I'm sad to say. It's just that when you look around you and see the events of the day, it's so easy to do. I'm glad this verse reminded me where my attention needs to be. There is only one thing that will save the United States, yes and even the world, and that is for us to wake up and turn to God. No one man can save us now. Only God. So don't look to man, look to God. He's just ready and waiting for a conversation with you.
16-1 8So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.
Kenneth says-
Don’t center your attention on what you can see in this natural, physical sense realm. Everything you see is temporal and subject to change. So put your faith in the unseen eternal realm. The things which are eternal are not subject to change.
God’s Word is eternal and contains 7,000 promises to cover any circumstance you’ll ever face. And, no matter what happens in this shifting, changing world you live in, those promises will forever be the same.
Star says-
Lately the "seen" realm has had my attention, I'm sad to say. It's just that when you look around you and see the events of the day, it's so easy to do. I'm glad this verse reminded me where my attention needs to be. There is only one thing that will save the United States, yes and even the world, and that is for us to wake up and turn to God. No one man can save us now. Only God. So don't look to man, look to God. He's just ready and waiting for a conversation with you.
Monday, March 02, 2009
My heart is full of love
Ephesians 4:16 (New Living Translation)
" He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
This was acted out this weekend beautifully by some Homemakers! It was such a blessing to be at the Homemakers overnight! It was expanded this year to include workshops. There were several, but I chose one on Deals,deals and more deals, with Carrie , one with Jen on health and fitness, and one on Style with Cyndi. I enjoyed them very much, but more than that, I was impressed and thankful that God is supplying us with information that will help us grow. As the verse says " each part does its own special work ", the truth is we all have something to contribute, to each other. Thank you Renee and company for putting this together for us HM. It will be exciting to see the "fruit" of this time we had together. I know it will be good!
" He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
This was acted out this weekend beautifully by some Homemakers! It was such a blessing to be at the Homemakers overnight! It was expanded this year to include workshops. There were several, but I chose one on Deals,deals and more deals, with Carrie , one with Jen on health and fitness, and one on Style with Cyndi. I enjoyed them very much, but more than that, I was impressed and thankful that God is supplying us with information that will help us grow. As the verse says " each part does its own special work ", the truth is we all have something to contribute, to each other. Thank you Renee and company for putting this together for us HM. It will be exciting to see the "fruit" of this time we had together. I know it will be good!
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Beautiful Lily
Michael Yon
Star of David
