My Great Dad

Blessing in Disguise

We got back from New York last night. It was great to see the kids but very difficult to feel so far away from my Dad. Isaiah climbed into bed with me this morning like he usually does, but instead of cuddling, he threw up all over the bed. To be honest with you, I hardly even flinched. After seeing my Dad on a respirator, I think I can handle just about anything. I cleaned Isaiah up and brought him out to the couch. I was rubbing his legs and Gabe joined me. I prayed for Isaiah that Jesus would touch his body and take away the yucky feeling. Less than two hours later, he was asking for food and keeping it down. He has been playing today as if nothing ever happened! He kept asking for more and more food, and I kept telling him to slow down so we can make sure his tummy doesn't start hurting again. He said that he was all better and that it didn't hurt anymore, with a smile. It was the perfect teaching moment to show him that when we ask God for something he always helps us. For a child, it helped that our prayer was answered so quickly, I think he really understood. Not to mention what it did for my faith. I was literally able to feel all of your prayers when I was up with my Dad. We saw answered prayer and ask for continued support, as he still has a long way to go. God's been gracious to me, showing me the bigger picture of what is going on. I know that he would never let my father suffer in vain and that He will use this situation to accomplish something beautiful. I also strongly believe that He has granted a special grace and mercy for my father to endure this time. Our hearts have been postured beautifully to express our love for each other and to maybe re-examine our priorities. My Dad is a precious man who loves his family and I'm proud to be his daughter.

answered prayers

I just wanted to update you all on how things are going. Justin and I have been up here in New York all week. My Dad has been diagnosed with an inoperable cancerous brain tumor. They believe the cancer to be aggressive and will be treating it with chemo and radiation. They did a biopsy this morning and had to make a bigger incision than they had planned. When he started to come to after the surgery he got very aggitated and began ripping out his tubes and IV's. It was the doctors plan try to take him off the ventilator after the biopsy but my dad ended up ripping it out himself. Three nurses couldn't keep him from doing it! He's a fighter! It's been wonderful to ba able to talk to him and have him off of the sedation medication. He's been hilarious! Still very hoarse from all the tubes, but much more comfortable than before. He still does not have most periferal vision on his left side. He is also seeing visions of us even after we've left the room. Almost like his brain is remembering images. It will be another week before we know whether the abilities he has lost are just from swelling or from the tumors growth itself. This has been the most surreal experience. I kept expecting to wake up, like from a bad dream. My body became physically ill trying to process all of this. We're all now at a better place, being able to see his eyes open and talk to him. Our eyes are all dried up, no tears left. We need to be strong for him anyway. He does not yet know about the aggressive cancer. That will be a difficult conversation. All he knows is that he had a mass or lesion on his brain. The tumor is actually part of his brain and not removable. This will be very hard to tell him. Right now it's as if the world has stopped turning. All of your prayers have blessed my family in ways I can't describe. For example, let me tell you what happened wthis afternoon. We had been telling my dad how pretty his nurse was and when he looked at her she said, (a whipser voice is all he can get out)"Thank.. you.... very... much.. you are pretty". About a minute later "But my wife's prettier!" my mom was right there to hear that and it was great. We were able to realiz that even though this tumor has taken away some of his abilites, the core of who he is is still there. We're extremely thankful for that and cherishing every moment. Keep praying, we still have a long way to go. Thank you all from the deepest depths of my heart...