Updated - Monday, January 11th, 2010
Daily Prayer Requests and Updates
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
Prayer Requests and Updates - 1st Surgery
| January 16, 2009 | Grace's diaphram is elevated and may be partially or fully paralyzed. She is off the CPAP breathing machine,
but is still continuing to struggle breathing deeply because of her diaphram and subsequently her left lung is not able
to expand fully. Please pray that her diaphram will start working properly so her lungs can fill up fully with air!
Thank you for your prayers! |
| January 17, 2009 | URGENT! Please put little baby Nainoa at the top of your prayers today! He is in NICU is very critical condition!
He has already had 6 surgeries in the first 10 days of life and his kidney's may be shutting down. If he does not get better today,
they may not be able to save him. Please pray the Lord make him strong and either He heals him in this world or He heals him
in heaven. Also, pray that Sky, his Mother, stays strong and pulls the Lord closer to her and her family now more than ever!
As for Grace, please pray the same thing as yesterday! They are leaning towards disphram surgery to fix her breathing problems.
Thank you for your prayers! |
| January 18, 2009 | Grace' is going to have surgery today to move her diaphram down because it is elevated and partially paralyzed.
It is preventing her from taking deep breaths and getting off of her breathing apparatus. The doctors say this is her quickest way
to recovery. Please pray that the doctors have a smooth surgery and Grace recovers quickly so she can start progressing<
forward again and hopefully come home soon! Thank you for your prayers! |
| January 19, 2009 | Grace's surgery went well and she is recovering, but she is still struggling to breath regularly. She is also
in some visible discomfort. Please pray that her lungs continue to open and she can breathe deeply. Also, please pray
that she gets the chest tube taken out soon so she is not in as much discomfort!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 20, 2009 | They took the chest tube out of Grace! Now they have found fluid in her lungs. She is also still
in some visible discomfort. Please pray that the fluid drains from her lungs so she can breathe deeply and that her
pain subsides so she is not in as much discomfort! Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 21, 2009 | The fluid that was in Grace's lungs and heart is starting to drain and her arterial line was removed!
She is still having trouble taking slower, deep breaths! Please pray that the fluid continues to drain from her lungs and
heart so she can breathe better. She still has a ways to go! Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 22, 2009 | Grace is starting to breathe a little better and her lungs are filling up more and more. She is still in quite a bit
of discomfort and is fussy at times. Please pray that her pain subsides and that her lungs continue to expand and fill up completely
with air. She is getting better but has quite a ways to go! Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 23, 2009 | URGENT! Please pray for baby Gabrielle and her parents Diana and Ruben. Their baby was not only born with a
Hypoplastic Left Heart, she is also missing part of her brain. The doctors think it is best not to operate on the heart and let the baby pass away. We were blessed to talk with the parents and they are looking at all options. Please pray for their entire family
(including their other daughter Olivia) and that the Lord reveals to them exactly what He has in store for this precious child.
Please pray that either the Lord will make this baby strong and help her through these surgeries or that, if it is His will,
the Lord will take baby Gabrielle home and make her perfect in heaven, so she can await the day she gets to see her parents
and sister again! And pray that Diana and Ruben pull each other closer together and rely on the Lord now more than ever!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 24, 2009 | Although Grace is getting better and better, she still has a ways to go! They took transthoracic line out of her chest so we can now hold her again. They are slowly trying to get Grace to feed out of a bottle! Please pray for Grace to learn the sucking and swallowing motions required eat from the bottle and nipple. Also, continue to pray that she learns to breathe deeper
and slower. Continue to pray for baby Gabrielle, and baby Nainoa. Nainoa is still in very critical condition and needs all of our
prayers, including his Mom Sky. Gabrielle's parents are meeting with the doctors to discuss all of the options for their daughter.
Please pray for guidance and wisdom through this tough time and decisions. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 25, 2009 | Grace is starting to feed out of a bottle! Please pray for Grace to learn the sucking and swallowing motions required eat from the bottle and nipple. Also, her respirations are too high and they have to wait until they come down to resume
her bottle feedings. Please continue to pray that she learns to breathe deeper and slower and that her respirations slow down. Please continue to pray for baby Gabrielle, and baby Nainoa. Nainoa is hanging in there and the doctors say he may loose a couple toes because of the poor circulation to his extremities over these past few weeks, so he needs all of our
prayers, including his Mom Sky. It is beautiful seeing her faith get stronger and stronger during this time. The Lord ALWAYS brings so much good out of tough situations and I'm so glad Sky is seeing this! As for Gabrielle, her parents are amazing as well! They are staying strong thanks to the Lord as their foundation! As for their daughter,
she is still doing well, like she always has, despite her physical challenges. She is truly a special child and a gift from God. Please continue to pray for God's guidance for the parents Ruben and Diana during this tough time. There are some tough decisions to be made and we pray the Lord clearly reveals His plan for Gabrielle to them!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! |
| January 26, 2009 | Please add baby Jianni to your prayers. She is having some bleeding complications from her heart surgery and the doctors are working diligently to find out where the bleeding is coming from and stop it. Pray that the parents, Justin and Stevie, grow even stronger in their faith and completely trust in the Lord to see them through! Also, Continue to pray for baby Gabrielle and baby Nainoa. As for Grace, Grace is getting better and better! They moved her to the less critical side of the NICU, unfortunately to make room for other babies that are more critical! Please continue to pray for Grace to learn to eat from the bottle and take deeper, slower breaths so they can continue to try to feed her from the bottle.
Thank you for your diligent prayers, love and support! |
| January 27, 2009 | Please continue to pray for baby Gabrielle, baby Nainoa, and baby Jianni. They are strong little babies and are fighting to make it in this world! Pray that the parents continue to grow even stronger in their faith and completely trust in the Lord to see them through all of this! As for Grace, she is now on the less critical side of the NICU and her Grandparents can finally see her through a window! It should be a fun couple days seeing their eyes light up seeing their Grandbaby! Grace is still struggling to slow down her respirations, but her x-rays on her repaired diaphram and left lung look good! Please continue to pray for Grace to take deeper, slower breaths so they can continue to try to feed her from the bottle.
Thank you for your diligent prayers, love and support! |
| January 28, 2009 |
URGENT! BABY NAINOA NEEDS OUR PRAYERS DESPERATELY! His little body has taken a sharp turn for the worst. His organs are shutting down and the dark purple coloring that was in his toes are spreading up. The father is being rushed out from Hawaii to see his little boy. Please pray that the father has a safe trip out here and gets to be by his Wife and Son's side. Pray that the Lord's will is to heal this baby's body right here on earth and shock the doctors. Nainoa means conqueror! Pray with the Lord's strength, he will be able to battle back and get to see his other siblings, who are still in Hawaii. If the Lord's will is to make this baby's body perfect in heaven, pray that Sky and her husband will look for all of the amazing things their son has done in his short life and all of the positive things to come from him being in this world. Pray that they will have peace knowing that some day they will see their beautiful little boy in heaven with a perfectly functioning body.
Also, please continue to pray for baby Gabrielle and baby Jianni. Jianni has had some bleeding in the brain and they are trying to stop it without having to take her off of the heart and lung bypass machine. Please pray that Jianni's bleeding subsides and she gets stronger quickly. Gabrielle's parents still face one of the most difficult decisions any of us could EVER face. Please pray that Gabrielle's parents get accurate and informative advice and lots of time to pray for God's infinite wisdom.These prayers are much more needed than anything Grace needs, so please focus your prayers on these babies and their families! Thank you and God bless you! |
| January 29, 2009 |
Baby Nainoa is still hanging in there! He seems to be responding to his Daddy John being by his side. John made it safely here from Hawaii this morning! Baby Jianni is still having bleeding issues. There is blood inside her lungs and they keep having to drain it. Baby Gabrielle is still waiting for her parents and doctors to come up with a course of action and treatment. Please continue to pray for baby Nainoa, baby Jianni, baby Gabrielle and all of their parents!
As for Grace, she had to have a special x-ray done today to see if swallowed fluid was getting to her lungs and the good news was it was not! One of the doctors thinks she knows why Grace's respirations are too high and why she is coughing! They have put her on a different medication that does not have the side effect of coughing and it will also drain excess fluid in her body to give her more space to breathe! Please pray for Grace that this medication is exactly what she needed and her recovery will progress quickly now! Until her respirations and coughing are down, she cannot resume feeding from the bottle.
Thank you for your diligent prayers, love and support! |
| January 30, 2009 |
Baby Nainoa is still hanging in there but is in dire need of a miracle! His body is still shutting down. Baby Jianni is still having bleeding issues. There is still bleeding inside her lungs and they are going to try and drain them again. We pray they are able to stop the bleeding and get her off of the heart/lung bypass machine! We have not seen Baby Gabrielle or her parents, so we do not know the latest. We pray all is well with them. Please continue to pray for baby Nainoa, baby Jianni, baby Gabrielle and all of their parents!
As for Grace, she is still coughing and occasionally throwing up, her respirations are still too high, and she cannot feed from a bottle until these things get resolved. They want to give her a couple days to rest and to get the new medication fully in her system before they try and bottle feed her again! Please pray for Grace that the new medication is exactly what she needs and her recovery will progress quickly now!
Thank you for your diligent prayers, love and support! |
| January 31, 2009 |
I'm sorry to say beautiful Baby Nainoa's body gave out today. The good news is his spirit and a perfect, new body are now in heaven! Thank you all so much for your prayers. There is no doubt the Lord brought this precious life into the world for MANY reasons. One is the amazing friendships we and other have made with the parents Sky and John. The best part of this difficult time is they both accepted Jesus to come into their lives TODAY! There will be a day when they get to see Baby Nainoa again in his perfect form! Please continue to pray for Sky and John for their strength and their new relationship with Jesus!
They are trying to wean Baby Jianni off of ECMO (heart and lung bypass machine) today! This is a key moment in this baby's life. She is still bleeding inside her left lung and they basically say it is time for her to make it on her own or not make it. They do not want to keep them on ECMO too long because this is not good for them either. Please pray they are able to get her off of the heart/lung bypass machine and her heart becomes strong! Also, pray that the bleeding in her left lung stops, which would make it easier on her heart! Baby Gabrielle and her parents are spending the last few hours or days together. Her little body would not be able to survive with the heart and brain abnormalities she has. This is a situation and decision that no one ever wants to face. Diana and Ruben are amazing people! Please continue to pray for baby Gabrielle and her parents as she passes from this world to her heavenly home! Also pray for Diana and Ruben to cling to God during this time and embrace what a beautiful gift from God they have been given. She is a beautiful baby and will be made whole again very soon! As for Grace, she is still coughing a little, but her respirations seem as though they are coming down. She got to spend hours in Mommy and Daddy's arms today, and even Grandma Dunn got to come and see her.(through the window!) We are praying that the new medication is what her body has been needing so her swelling goes down and her cough goes away so she can resume bottle feeding again! Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support! |
| February 1, 2009 |
Baby Jianni has had a rough time getting off of ECMO (heart and lung bypass machine)! This is a key moment in this baby's life. She is still bleeding inside her left lung and they basically say it is time for her heart to make it on its own. Please pray they are able to get her off of the heart/lung bypass machine and her heart becomes strong! Also, pray that the bleeding in her left lung stops, which would make it easier on her heart!
Beautiful Baby Nainoa is now in heaven! Sky and John and their love in the Lord is an inspiration to all of us! The fact that they both accepted Jesus to come into their lives during this tough time is a true testament to God's glory! I am so thankful the Lord brought us all here together during this time so we can cling to eachother for support and encouragement. Thank you Lord! There will be a day when they get to see Baby Nainoa again in his perfect form! What a joyous day that will be! Please continue to pray for John and Sky for strength and their new relationship with Jesus to blossom! They are now part of our family! John and Sky, if you read this, we love you! ;o) Baby Gabrielle and her parents are spending the last few hours or days together. Her little body would not be able to survive with the heart and brain abnormalities she has. This is a situation and decision that no one ever wants to face. Diana and Ruben are amazing people! Please continue to pray for baby Gabrielle and her parents as she passes from this world to her heavenly home! Also pray for Diana and Ruben to cling to God during this time and embrace what a beautiful gift from God they have been given. She is a beautiful baby and will be made whole again very soon! As for Grace, she is still coughing but her respirations may be coming down a little. She got to be in Mommy's arms skin-to-skin today! Sherry and Grace loved that! Daddy was watching Grace's Steelers win the Super Bowl. He loved that, too! We are still praying that the new medication is what her body has been needing so her swelling goes down and her cough goes away so she can resume bottle feeding, hopefully by tomorrow! Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support! |
| February 2, 2009 | I'm sorry to say beautiful Baby Jianni passed away earlier tonight. She is now in heaven playing with Baby Nainoa, who also passed away two days ago. While it is difficult to see the parents going through this pain, it is truly amazing to see how strong they all are and how their faith in the Lord has given them strength. We have deleloped wonderful friendships with Baby Nainoa's parents (John and Sky) and Baby Jianni's parents (Justin and Steevie). They are now part of our family and our thoughts and prayers are with them every day. You are an inspiration to all of us!
To our new Hawaiian family, if you read this, Aloha wau ia 'oe! Take peace in knowing that their babies are now in no pain, the bodies fully restored, and they are in Jesus' loving hands. They will be there on the day their parents join them in Heaven! Please continue to pray for all of the parents, for their continued strength through Christ, for a safe journey back home, and the ability to see the positive things that have come and will continue to come from their baby's precious lives. God works for good in all things! We do not have an update on Baby Gabrielle but will let you know as soon as we hear something. It has now been two days since they took their baby off of the machines and drugs that were keeping her alive. Please continue to pray for Baby Gabrielle and her parents, Diana and Ruben, as she passes from this world to her heavenly home! She is a beautiful baby and will be made whole again very soon! As for Grace, she still needs lots of prayers! We found out today her diaphram in still slightly elevated, even after her surgery to correct that, and this may be partly responsible for her respirations still being high! She is still coughing but they seem less frequent and her respirations may be coming down a little as well. Daddy got to see her smile for the first time today!!! She smiled 5 times in a couple minute span and it was the best! Sherry got to see her do that a couple days ago but didn't want to tell me so I could experience it myself! Daddy brought in Grace's Steelers jersey so she could celebrate the Steelers winning the Super Bowl! I'm sure she loved it! We are still praying that the new medication is what her body has been needing so her swelling goes down, her cough goes away, and her respirations slow down! Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support! |
| February 8, 2009 | Grace is having her surgeries tomorrow! They will be plicating her diaphram down again to help her lung open up all of the way, doing a fundoplication of her stomach to help with her acid reflux, and putting in a G-tube for feeding. Grace's respirations are still high, she is still coughing, and she is throwing up occasionally. They feel all of these surgeries are necessary to get Grace home in a timely manner. Please pray the surgeries go exactly as planned and they relieve the cause of her symptoms like the doctors believe they will. Also pray that her recovery goes quickly and she gets to come home very soon!
Please continue to pray for Baby Nainoa's parents, Baby Jianni's parents and Baby Gabrielle's parents. Baby Nainoa's parents (John and Sky) and Baby Jianni's parents (Justin and Steevie) are back home in Hawaii. Please pray that they remember every day how much the Lord loves tham and their children who are now in Heaven! We plan on staying in touch with them and hope to have some pictures of them up here soon! They are now part of our family and our thoughts and prayers are with them every day. John, Sky, Justin and Steevie, you are an inspiration to all of us! We miss you already! Aloha wau ia 'oe! Baby Gabrielle is still hanging in there despite having all of the tubes and medications removed! This is tough on the parents Ruben and Diana, but it may turn out to be a big blessing, as they are looking to move Baby Gabrielle to hospice care or even home for the final days or weeks of her life. This would enable other family members to see her and spend time with her before she goes to heaven and is made whole again! Please continue to pray for her and her parents! They are amazingly strong and we pray they continue to hold the Lord close to them during this time! Thank you for all of your continued prayers, love and support! |
| February 9, 2009 | Grace is having her surgeries this morning! They will be plicating her diaphram down again to help her lung open up all of the way, doing a fundoplication of her stomach to help with her acid reflux, and putting in a G-tube for feeding. Grace's respirations are still high, she is still coughing, and she is throwing up occasionally. They feel all of these surgeries are necessary to get Grace home in a timely manner. Please pray the surgeries go exactly as planned and they relieve the cause of her symptoms like the doctors believe they will. Also pray that her recovery goes quickly and she gets to come home very soon! I will update this page tonight and let you know how the surgery went!
Thank you for all of your continued prayers, love and support! |
| February 10, 2009 | Grace's surgeries yesterday went well and she is slowly but surely recovering! They plicating her diaphram down to try to get her lung opened up all of the way, they did a fundoplication of her stomach to help with her acid reflux, and they put in a G-tube for feeding. They felt all of these surgeries were necessary to try and get Grace home sooner. The doctors said they went well. Grace looks good, but in still intubated and is struggling to go from being put under to waking up. It is a tough transition and they want to get her extubated as soon as possible without putting her under too much strain. She now has another big incision across her stomach but she will be raised to be proud of her scars! Many good things are coming from her sacrifice! Please pray the surgeries worked, that her recovery goes quickly and that she gets to come home very soon!
Baby Gabrielle passed away this afternoon with her parents loving her every step of the way. She was a little angel and is now completely whole in heaven with her heavenly father. Please pray that her parents, Ruben and Diana, are comforted in the Lord's love. They have been amazing during this difficult time and we pray they pull the Lord even closer during this difficult time! We also ask that you pray for Baby Seth! He was born 6 months ago at less than 1lb and has been in the NICU ever since! He is now about 7-8lbs and has battled through all kinds of ailments. Right now his liver is failing and they hope he can find a doner soon. Please pray for him and his parents for strength and God's healing hands! Also pray that his parents get back and forth from their home to the hospital safely each day. They have to travel for several hours each way! Thank you for all of your continued prayers, love and support! |
| February 11, 2009 | Grace's surgeries went as expected and she seems to be recovering well! They extubated Grace already and put her back on the nasal cannula. She is in quite a bit of discomfort, as they do not want to give her too much pain medication so she can breath more on her own. She is also hungry, as they had to stop feeding her for her surgery and for a while after. They plan to start feeding her again today! It broke our heart to have her looking at us today, whimpering in pain, and not being able to do much for her other than trying to give her comfort. She looks really good and hopefully will be over the majority of the pain soon! Please pray the surgeries will be exactly what she needed and that her recovery goes quickly so she gets to come home very soon!
Please continue to pray for Baby Gabrielle's parents, Ruben and Diana, and her big sister Olivia. Gabrielle passed away yesterday and we pray they will cherish every moment they got to spend with their little angel! Also, please pray for her sister olivia, that she knows her sister is in heaven smiling down on her. We pray they will continue to rely on the Lord for all of their comfort and strength! We also ask that you continue to pray for Baby Seth! He was born about 6 months ago at less than 1lb and has been in the NICU ever since! He is now about 7lbs and has battled through all kinds of ailments. Right now his liver is failing and they hope he can find a doner soon. Please pray for him and his parents for strength and God's healing hands! Also pray that his parents get back and forth from their home to the hospital safely each day. They have to travel for several hours each way! And pray that if it is God's will, He will heal Seth's little body hear on Earth! Thank you for all of your continued love, prayers and support! |
| February 13, 2009 | Grace is recovering from her recent surgeries quickly! She is still in some discomfort because they do not want to give her too much pain medication, but the good news is they are weining her off of the nasal cannula! Her breathing got better since her surgery and she is even starting to eat a little amount of milk from a bottle again! The doctors say it may not be too much longer until they let her come home!!! Please pray that she continues to progress quickly and that she has no set backs so she can come home very soon!
Please continue to pray for Baby Seth! His liver is failing and they hope he can find a doner soon. Please pray for him and his parents for God's strength and healing hands! Also pray that his parents get back and forth from their home to the hospital safely each day. They have to travel for several hours each way! And also pray that if it is God's will, He will heal Seth's little body here on Earth! Thank you for all of your continued love, prayers and support! |
| February 14, 2009 | Grace is getting better and better! She is still in some discomfort, but she is primarily happy and loves her quality time with Mommy and Daddy! She is feeding a decent amount from the bottle again and the rest goes into her newly insertes G-tube! She loved spending Valentine's Day with Mommy and Daddy and even smiled at us several times today! I can't begin to tell you how much that warms our hearts after all she has been through! Please pray that she continues to progress quickly and that she has no set backs so she can come home very soon!
Please pray for Baby Sergio and his parents! He has been in the NICU now for a couple weeks and he has heart problems as well. His parents have had a tough week, but they are faithful that the Lord will bring them all through this OK! They even bought Grace her first Valentine's present, so Sergio is now Grace's first Valentine! (besides Daddy, of course!) Please pray for Sergio and his parents for God's strength and healing hands! Pray that the parents stay strong and pull the Lord closer to them during this time and not push Him away! Please continue to pray for Baby Seth! He is still haging in there and is a wonderful little fighter! Pray that if it is God's will, He will heal Seth's little body here on Earth! Thank you for all of your continued love, prayers and support! |
| February 15, 2009 | Grace is now off of her nasal cannula and breathing on her own! This is the first time we have seen her without anything in her nose helping her breathe since she was one day old! Her breathing seems to be just fine without any help, but they want to see a couple days of success without the cannula! The doctors say she may be coming home this week!!! Please pray that she continues to not have any set backs and that she comes home very soon!
Please continue to pray for Baby Seth, Baby Sergio, and their parents! They have both proven they are strong little guys and are fighting to make it through these challenges. Pray their parents see all of the positive things that come from their baby's struggles and how the Lord is using this to further His kingdom with all of our babies lives! Thank you for all of your continued love, prayers and support! |
| February 16, 2009 | Grace is continuing to do well off of her nasal cannula and is breathing on her own! They want to see a couple days of success without the cannula before they will let her come home! The doctors say she may be coming home as early as Wednesday!!! Please pray that she continues to not have any set backs, she gets stronger and stronger, and that she gets to come home very soon!
Please continue to pray for Baby Seth, Baby Sergio, and their parents! Pray the babies stay strong and fight through these tough challenges. Pray their parents stay close to God and see all of the positive things that come from their baby's situation. Pray the Lord continues to use all of us to bring Him Glory and further His kingdom! Thank you for all of your continued love, prayers and support! |
| February 17, 2009 | Grace may be coming home today! She has been doing well breathing on her own and all of her numbers seem to be where the doctors are happy with her progress! Please pray that the timing is right for Grace to come home and thrive here with us! Pray that Sherry and I are completely prepared (is that possible?!) to care for her and help her get strong for her next open-heart surgery, which should be in April or May. Pray that Grace loves her new environment and adapts well to the peace and quiet! Pray she does not get sick or has any setbacks, and becomes the happy little girl we know she will!
We are so thankfull for all of you, your love, your prayers, and your support. Please know her journey is LONG from over so please continue to keep her in your prayers! We will continue to update the prayer requests, the pictures (in the Grace@Home section and not the recovery pics anymore!) and fill in the rest of the sections soon! |
| February 18, 2009 | Grace is finally home! She is learning her new environment and is in a constant starte of amazement! She is still having some coughing issues, but her respirations seem to be much better than before her last surgery. Pray that Sherry and I help her get strong for her next open-heart surgery, which should be in April or May. Pray that Grace thrives in her new environment and adjusts to the quiet all day and the darkness at night. Pray she does not get sick before her next surgery and continues to be an instrument for the Lord! She is truly a blessing from God!
We are so thankfull for all of you, your love, your prayers, and your support. Please know her journey is LONG from over so please continue to keep her in your prayers! We will continue to update the prayer requests, the pictures (in the Grace@Home section and not the recovery pics anymore!) and fill in the rest of the sections soon! Thank you! |
| February 19, 2009 | In case you missed it....Grace is finally home! She had her first doctor's appointment with the pediatrician and thay are happy with her progress! She is now 8 lbs 5 oz, up 2lbs since birth and 3+ since post heart surgery! She is sleeping well in the night, much better than Sherry and I! Please pray that we remember all of her medications, which are administered throughout the day and night, and they do not make Grace's stomach upset. Pray that she continues to gain weight and grows strong and healthy!
Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. While she looks great now, please know her journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! We will continue to update the prayer requests, the pictures (in the Grace@Home section and not the recovery pics anymore!) and fill in the rest of the sections soon! Thank you! |
| February 20, 2009 | Grace is doing well (for the most part) at home! She is sleeping well at night, she is tolerating her food a little better since the doctor said it is OK to reduce the amount slightly, and she even got her first real bath today! She flashed her beautiful smile several times this morning!
Please pray that she gets less and less fussy and that we remember all of her medications, which are administered throughout the day and night, and they do not make Grace's stomach upset. Pray that she continues to gain weight and grows strong and healthy! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. While she looks great now, please know her journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thank you! |
| February 23, 2009 | Grace is doing well for most of the day, but is having a fit every night around 7pm! The doctor says this is not that uncommon and it should go away around month 3! She has been flashing her beautiful smile to pretty much everyone in eye sight, as long as she is awake and not hungry!
Please pray that she gets less and less fussy and that her little bouts of colic in the evenings go away soon. Pray that she continues to gain weight and grows strong and healthy for her next heart surgery in May! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. Grace's journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thank you! |
| February 28, 2009 | Grace is still struggling every night around 7pm! We think she has small bouts of colic! We are thankful it is only in the evening and not all day. She also sleeps really well. We just have to get up once in the night to feed her and she goes right back to sleep! She is also starting to make "talking" type sounds and it is adorable!
Please pray that her little bouts of collic start to subside and will go away soon. Pray that she continues to gain weight and grows strong and healthy for her next heart surgery in May! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. Grace's journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thank you! |
| March 12, 2009 | Grace is having surgery this morning! They are doing a cardiac catheterization to see if she has any narrowing of her arteries or aorta. Unfortunately, the have to once again intubate her to put her under. There are many risks with this procedure so please pray for her health, the surgeons wisdom, and the Lord's healing hands. We pray that everything looks perfect when they look into her heart, but if they do find something of concern, they can fix the problem and make Grace even better than before!
Sherry and I are also struggling to learn how to be first-time parents! We never know if Grace's struggles are typical newborn issues or if they are related to her heart. We are learning to balance taking care of Grace, going back to work, trying to keep the house clean, and finding time to enjoy being with eachother. Please pray Sherry and I find the balance needed to keep our sanity and enjoy our baby and our marriage to its fullest! Grace is now over 9 lbs! Pray that she continues to gain weight and grows strong and healthy for her next heart surgery in May! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. Grace's journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thank you! |
| March 13, 2009 | The surgery went well and Grace is already home this evening! The cardiac catheterization went well. The doctors wanted to see if Grace had any narrowing of her arteries and/or her aorta. Unfortunately, they did find some narrowing and had to perform an angeoplasty to open them up more. Fortunately, the narrowing was not that great and they did not have to use any shunts, which would have been more complicated and may have resulted in more procedures! They had to once again intubate Grace to put her under, so we are praying that she does not have any lingering feeding issues because of it! We ask that you continue to pray that Grace continues to gain weight and grows strong and healthy for her next heart surgery, which the doctors told us will probably be in 4-6 weeks! It seems like she just got home and now we are gearing up to bring her back in! Wow!
Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. Grace's journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thank you! |
| March 19, 2009 | We have some good news! We found out Baby Emilio, the premie baby who weighed less than 1lb that many of us have been praying for for almost 3 months, is finally home! Sherry ran into Emilio Sr. the other day in the hospital and he gave her the great news! Thank yo for all of your prayers for this little warrior! We will post a picture when we get a chance!
Grace is doing well, but is still struggling to feed by mouth. We are hoping she is not having any setbacks from being intubated again at her last procedure. We ask you to pray for Grace to learn to properly latch on to the bottle, and suck and swallow the milk until her belly is full! This is one of the biggest struggles for babies that have been through what Grace has, but we are confident that she will be a rockstar eater soon! (if she takes after her Daddy!) ;o) Sherry is going back to work on Monday! Please pray Sherry is able to not be too stressed out, that the transition is nice and smooth, and that we are able to find the balance needed to enjoy our baby, our marriage, and our jobs to the fullest! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. Grace's journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thank you! |
Prayer Requests and Updates - 2nd Surgery
| May 16, 2009 | First off, let me apologize to all of you who have been checking the website regularly to see updates on Grace's progress and prayer requesst for her and our family! I have not been doing a good job of staying on top of this, but will be doing so much more regularly now! Thanks for understanding!
Being first time parents has been VERY time consuming and just learning how to be good parents to a perfectly healthy baby, let alone one that needs special care, has been a HUGE change! This has been an absolutely amazing experience and blessing to have Grace home for the past three months. We have been enjoying every second with her, even the bad evening hours! ;o) Grace's second heart surgery is now scheduled for Thursday, May 21st at 7:30am. We ask that you pray for these few days leading up to the surgery. Pray that Sherry and I are able to get plenty of rest at night and that we continue to put Grace in God's hands! He has had an amazing plan for her up to this point and I'm sure He has LOTS more in store for her! (and us!) We pray that he will reveal to those surgeons, doctors, and nurses exactly what needs to be done for her to thrive after this surgery. We also ask that you pray for our family financially! As if the $2+ million medical bill wasn't enough (our part is much smaller, but significant!), I was recently let go of my job and will not be working through Grace's surgery and recovery. This is a blessing for now, but may be very difficult soon! Please pray that the Lord continues to provide, as he always has, and that a job presents itself at the right time, one I will love and be a perfect fit! (If anyone knows of a good sales/training/management position, let me know!) Sherry is back at work and, while it is going well, it is definitely adding stress in our household! Sherry is doing an amazing job balancing everything, but we need your prayers for us and our marriage. We have so many things in our lives right now that could pull us away from the Lord. Please pray it does the exact opposite and it keeps us focused on Him and praising Him for the glorious things happening that we do not see! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. Grace's journey is LONG from over! Please continue to keep her, and us, in your prayers! Thank you! |
| May 20, 2009 | Grace's second heart surgery is tomorrow, Thursday, May 21st at 7:30am. We will be in the hospital most of the day today doing x-rays, exams, blood tests, etc. This will be a tough day for Grace (and for us!) We ask that you pray for all of us this last day beforethe surgery. Please pray that a calmness comes over us that only the Lord can give and that we continue to put Grace in God's hands! He has had an amazing plan for all of us up to this point and I'm sure He has LOTS more in store! We pray that all of these exams today will reveal to those surgeons, doctors, and nurses exactly what needs to be done before, during, and after her surgery for her to thrive and live a LONG, fruitful life!
Please continue to pray for our family financially! As if the $2+ million medical bill wasn't enough (our part is much smaller, but significant!), I was recently let go of my job and will not be working through Grace's surgery and recovery. This is a blessing for now, but may be very difficult soon! Please pray that the Lord continues to provide, as he always has, and that a job presents itself at the right time, one I will love and be a perfect fit! (If anyone knows of a good sales/training/management position, let me know!) We have so many things in our lives right now that could pull us away from the Lord. Please pray it does the exact opposite and it keeps us focused on Him and praising Him for the glorious things happening that we see, and many that we do not see! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! All of you help all of this have a purpose! We love you! |
| May 23, 2009 | Grace's second heart surgery was Thursday and we have had a couple hurdles during the surgery and since the surgery! Our day began at 4am with surgery check in at 5:30am. Grace was in surgery until about 5pm. At about 2pm, we were informed that the heart surgery was completed but there was a problem. Grace's oxygen levels were unusually low and they did not know why. The decided that after some observation, they would bring her back over to the NICU where they are better prepared to handle emergencies and if they had to put her back on a heart and lung bypass machine, they could.
Needless to say, we had a room full of tears at the thought of Grace's surgery not going well and the abundance of things that could be going wrong. After MUCH prayer, many tears, and giving it to the Lord, the same nurse came down 45 minutes later and said her numbers were looking better and while they were still bringing Grace over to the NICU, they had removed the bypass machine and her heart was beating fine on its own! Please thank the Lord for how he has seen her through all of this and how he is continuing to use Grace for His glory and expand His kingdom! Our God is an AWESOME God! Grace is scheduled to have her chest sewn up tomorrow! We had some delays today and a couple scares. Grace was originally supposed to have the chest sewn up today but she had some weird things happen that messed with her numbers. She is doing better now and they hope to close her up tomorrow morning. Please pray that she has a great night tonight and that when the doctors some by tomorrow morning, that they see nothing but positive things and close her up with no hiccups! We also pray that her body responds well to the procedure and it does not set her back at all! Also, continue to pray for Sherry and I to be able to balance all that we have going and still be able to love eachother and pull one another even closer together during this time! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! All of you help all of this have a purpose! We love you! |
| May 27, 2009 | Grace has had an AMAZING healing the past 36 hours! The only word I can think of is miraculous!!!
Two days ago, she was extremely swollen, in discomfort, having breathing issues, etc. In the short amount of time I went home late Monday evening until Tuesday morning, the Lord was working on Grace! When I called Sherry Tuesday morning to see how Grace was doing, she told me the good news! When I got to the hospital, I could not believe my eyes! Our little angel was almost back! She still has more to go, but in a 48 hour period, her chest was closed, her ventilator replace with just the nasal canula, her drainage tubes removed, and she is now getting weined off of several medications. She is playing with her hands, grabbing our faces, and starting to make some of her cooing sounds that we love to hear so much! The doctors are amazed at her speedy recovery and their concern has quickly subsided and turned into joy! Oh, and what might be one of the best parts of all of this is Grace seems to have lost her chronic cough that has caused her so much discomfort! Please thank the Lord for how he has seen her through all of this and how he is continuing to use Grace for His glory and expand His kingdom! Our God is an AWESOME God! Also, continue to pray for Sherry and I to be able to balance all that we have going and still be able to love eachother and pull one another even closer together during this time! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| May 29, 2009 | Grace has been moving forward very quickly! Because of this, it has been a rough couple days for her! (and us!)
She has been coming off of several of her narcotics and medications, had several lines taken out, been weined off of helium and nitrus oxide, starting to digest breast milk and lerning to feed again....ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!! ;o) She has not been too happy about all of this! But in the midst of her vocal discomfort, she will have her moments of smiles, leg kicking, cooing sounds, and playing! These moments make it a little easier to not go crazy when she is fussy. It is the toughest thing to do, seeing your baby in pain and not being able to figure out what is the cause nor the solution! Please pray that the next day or two be just as miraculous as the other night and we can have our little girl back to the happy little angel we are acustomed to seeing before surgery. One amazing thing happened the other day! Grace has not fed from a bottle in probably 6 weeks and yesterday she decided to drink 25ml one hour and 27 ml the next! We were amazed! She is now struggling to regain this form, so please pray it was not a one time incident and that she remembers how to latch on and drink her milk like she used to, or even better than before! For those of you that have been following along since the beginning of Grace's journey, you will be glad to know that Baby Jianni's parents, Justin and Stevie, were back in San Diego to celebrate Jianni's short but impactful life! Childrens Hospital of San Diego has a service to remember those children that passed away and Justin and Stevie were hear in rememberance and celebration of their little angel Jianni. Sherry and I were so happy to see them and even happier to find out that this whole experience had pulled them even closer to the Lord and they are now born again Christians! How great is our God!?!?! Please thank the Lord for how he is continuing to use Grace for His glory and expand His kingdom! Please continue to pray for Sherry and I, for our finances, for our mental health, and for our marriage to be stronger than ever! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| May 31, 2009 | Grace has had a great couple days and is acting like our little girl again!
She is off of almost all of her meds (minus the ones the has always been on) and is full of smiles, leg kicking, cooing sounds, and playing! She still has her fussy and uncomfortable moments, but her smiles make it a little easier, knowing that she is getting better and she is happy! Please pray that her cough stays gone and that her discomfort goes away. Pray that over the next couple days, the doctors are able to figure out the correct amount of medications to get her to stop retaining too much fluid so her lungs stay nice and dry. Unfortunately, Grace has not taken from a bottle since the other day when she was feeding like an all-star! This may be because she is being constantly fed and is never hungry anymore. We are going to try and get her off of the constant feed and have her feeds be every couple hours like she would if she was home. Please continue to pray for her to remember those natural instincts God built in our babies to want to drink their mother's milk by mouth! Please thank the Lord for how he is continuing to use Grace for His glory and expand His kingdom! Please continue to pray for Sherry and I, for our finances, for my job situation, for our mental health, and for our marriage to be stronger than ever! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 2, 2009 | Grace is still doing well, but keeps taking two steps forward and one step back! She is now moving the food through her system like a champ, so much so that her feeds were increased. Well, that made her fluid intake greater than her fluid output and now her lungs are too wet. So now, they have to boost up her oxygen and medication so she starts peeing more! Please pray that her lungs dry out and that her fluid levels get balanced so she can get the nasal canula out of her nose and just breathe room air!
Grace is now being fed every couple hours like she would if she was home, although she is still not showing any interest in the bottle. Please pray that she remembers that God-given instinct of suckling and she starts taking from the bottle again. Please continue to thank the Lord for how he is continuing to use Grace for His glory and expand His kingdom! Please continue to pray for Sherry and I, for our finances, for my job situation, for our mental health, and for our marriage to be stronger than ever! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 4, 2009 | Grace is still retaining too much fluid and the doctors are trying to figure out the right medications and dosages to correct this problem! When she retains too much fluid, it keeps her lungs "wet" and it is harder for her to breathe! This causes her oxygen saturations to be a little lower than they want and just prolongs her stay in the hospital. Please pray that her lungs dry out and that her fluid levels get balanced so she can get the nasal canula out of her nose and just breathe room air! They did take out the cautionary pacemaker that she was hooked up to and the wires yesterday because she has done so well, they see no need of keeping them in.
Grace is now being fed every couple hours like she would if she was home, although she is still not showing any interest in the bottle. Please pray that she remembers that God-given instinct of suckling and she starts taking from the bottle again. Grace is sooo close to being home, but yet too far! Pray that the Lord heals her quickly and she gets to come home soon! Every day she is not here, it is tougher and tougher on Grace, Sherry and me. Please continue to pray for Sherry and I, for our mental health and for our marriage! Pray that we pull the Lord closer than ever and pray the the devil stops attacking us from every angle! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 6, 2009 | Grace is still having trouble getting her oxygen saturation levels higher! She has the nasal canula out and has been breathing on her own for almost 2 days, but her sats (oxygen saturation) seem to be between 70 and 77 and they would like her over 80. They think her left lung has some partial collapse in the lower lobes and it is preventing her from breathing more deeply. Please pray that the Lord breathes in some fresh air into those lungs and opens them up completely!
Grace is now being fed every couple hours like she would if she was home, although she is still not showing any interest in the bottle. Please pray that she remembers that God-given instinct of suckling and she starts taking from the bottle again. Grace has been super happy the last two days and spends much of her day smiling, kicking her little chunky legs, making cute little sounds, pooping and peeing up a storm, and taking numerous cat naps all day! It warms our hearts to see this! Check out the new recovery pics to see her! Grace is sooo close to being home, but yet too far! Pray that the Lord heals her quickly and she gets to come home soon! Every day she is not here, it is tougher and tougher on Grace, Sherry and me. Please continue to pray for Sherry and I, for our mental health and for our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 8, 2009 | Grace is still having trouble getting her oxygen saturation levels higher! One of the complications from the surgery, and what was responsible for our scare on surgery day, is that Grace has distress in her pulmonary bed. To minimize this, she is taking a Viagra like drug which increses circulation by opening up the veins and arteries. They also think her left lung has some partial collapse in the lower lobes and it is preventing her from breathing more deeply. Please pray that Grace's lungs and circulatory system starts functioning the way they should and her saturations stay above 80!
Grace has been sleeping like a hibernating bear these past couple days! This is probably due to the drugs she is currently taking. They are going to try reducing the amount of drugs to see if that helps her become more alert. Please pray they are able to finally find the correct dosages so Grace is pain free, fully alert, and getting what she needs to get better! Grace is sooo close to being home, but yet too far! Pray that the Lord heals her quickly and she gets to come home soon! Every day she is not here, it is tougher and tougher on Grace, Sherry and me. Please continue to pray for Sherry and I, for our mental health and for our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 15, 2009 | I apologize, but somehow we lost a couple days of prayer requests and updates during the transition between servers! Sorry!
Well, I am back with GREAT news....GRACE IS COMING HOME TODAY!!! She has had nothing short of a miraculous turn around and recovery! Just a few days ago, we were wondering if she was ever going to get over a few hurdles and come home. She was having lung issues, oxygenation issues, feeding issues, medication issues, etc. Well, two days ago, her oxygen levels went and stayed into the 80's, she started sucking on a bottle again, her medication seemed to get to the right levels, and she is acting and looking better than ever! Praise the Lord! Today, we ask that you give thanks to Him! Thank you Lord for answering our prayers. We know you have an amazing plan for Grace and we are so thankful that plan seems to include her finally coming home today! We pray that you will continue to use her entire life to bring you glory and bring us all closer to you. You truly are the Great Physician and anything is possible when we put it in your hands! Please pray that Grace continues to thrive here at home and we can all get back to that comfort level we had before her second surgery! The Lord has also answered our prayers about my job situation. I am starting a new job later this week! I will give you more details when the contract is signed and completed! Please continue to pray for Sherry and I as well! Pray for our marriage to stay strong, for us to really enjoy spending the night together again as a family, and that we find that perfect balance between family and work! Pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. I will have more pictures up soon and some other big surprises too! We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 17, 2009 | GRACE IS FINALLY HOME......AGAIN!!!
She did have to come home on oxygen with her nasal canula, but who cares! ;o) She is home! She is loving being back in familiar surroundings and is sleeping very well. Her oxygen saturations have come up quite a bit over the last day and ask that you please pray the pulminary hypertension that she has been battling will become a thing of the past and she can get off of her oxygen soon! We basically have to keep her tethered to an oxygen machine. Fortunately, the tubing is over 50ft, so we don't have to move the 50lb unit up and down the stairs! We just drag the tubing behind us wherever we go! Grace doesn't seem to mind! Grace is taking from the bottle again! This is nothing short of a miracle! To go 6 weeks without doing that, having another heart surgery, being intubated again and then to pick it up right where you left off is unheard of! The occupational therapist nurse said she was shocked and almost never sees that happen! Thank the Lord for answering our prayers! Please pray that Grace continues to thrive here at home and we can all get back to that comfort level we had before her second surgery! The Lord has also answered our prayers about my job situation. I am starting a new job later this week! I will give you more details when the contract is signed and completed! Please continue to pray for Sherry and I as well! Pray for our marriage to stay strong, for us to really enjoy spending the night together again as a family, and that we find that perfect balance between family and work! Pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. I will have more pictures up soon and some other big surprises too! We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 20, 2009 | We are loving Grace being home!!!
Her oxygen levels seem to have stayed around 80-84, which is right where they want them to be. We hope to have her off of the oxygen within the month and have her stay in the low to mid 90's. Please continue to pray the pulminary hypertension that she has been battling will become a thing of the past and she can get off of her oxygen soon! While it is still sporadic, Grace is taking from the bottle again! She sometimes drinks pretty well and other times she is not interested. The good news is, for the most part, she is enjoying the bottle, whether drinking from it or just playing with it! Thank the Lord for answering our prayers! Grace spends most of her day smiling, kicking her legs, and making the cutest little cooing sounds you have ever heard! Unfortunately, her cought that went away in the hospital after surgery is back. This is not easy to see (or hear) her do. It breaks your heart! Please pray that her cough will disappear as quickly as it did last time and stay away for good! The Lord has also answered our prayers about my job situation. I am signing a contract on Monday or Tuesday and have already started to prepare for the position! I will give you more details when it is done! Please continue to pray for Sherry and I! Pray for our marriage to stay strong, for us to really enjoy spending the night together again as a family, and that we find that perfect balance between family and work! Pray for my new job and that it bring me happiness and satisfaction and provides for my family! Pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. I have added lots of pictures and will have even more pictures up soon (and some other big surprises!) We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| June 28, 2009 | Grace continues to amaze us!! She is full of smiles almost all of the time!
While she is still on oxygen, she seems to have stayed around 80-84 with her oxygen saturation level, which is right where they want her to be. There is no time table for getting her off of the oxygen and the doctors tell us to look at it as though it is another medication. She could be on it for weeks or even months, but it is better to have her home on oxygen than to have her in the hospital without! Please continue to pray that the pulminary hypertension she has been battling will become a thing of the past and she can get off of her oxygen soon! Not only is Grace full of smiles, she is now starting to laugh!!! Her first laugh came on Father's Day and what a present it was! Grace is still eating sporatically from the bottle and now we have incorporated baby food into her diet! She is now over 15lbs, so whatever we are giving her, it sure is working! Despite multiple procedures, several surgeries, and two heart surgeries, she is right at the 50 percentile in weight and height! We are not talking babies with heart abnormalities, we are talking all babies! Thank the Lord for keeping her big, strong, and healthy during a very dangerous time for all babies, especially ones with her challenges! Her cought that went away in the hospital and came back after a couple week, seems to be a little less, so hopefully she is starting to get over it. It breaks your heart when she is coughing, wretching, and choking! Please pray that her cough will go away and stay away for good this time! The Lord has also answered our prayers about my job situation! I am starting my new job with the Fountain Media Group on Monday! I am the new advertising sales executive responsible for selling the advertising in The Fountain (San Elijo Hills paper), Back at the Ranch (Rancho Bernardo/4s Ranch paper), and My Hometown Magazine! (EastLake and Otay Ranch in Chula Vista) Sherry is also going back to work on Monday! While she is not thrilled to have to be working and not being able to take care of Grace full time, we feel blessed that we are both home based and can make sure Grace is well taken care of. Please continue to pray for Sherry and I and for our jobs! Pray that I learn my new job quickly and have a major impact with the growth and success of our company. Pray that Sherry finds a renewed passion for her job and is able to still spend good quality time with Grace. Pray for us to find that perfect balance between family and work! And pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our lives and our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! P.S. I will have more pictures up soon and some big changes and surprises to the website! Stay tuned! |
| July 18, 2009 | Sorry for the little hiatus in posting prayer requests and updates! I have been making many structural changes and additions to the website to enhance the overall experience and the website's ability to be seen by search engines! More changes and improvements are coming!
Grace is the happiest little gorl and is full of smiles all of the time! She is now laughing on occasion and making some of the most cute (and unusual) sounds you have ever heard! She is still on oxygen, but we have an appointment with the cardiologist this week and he may add a medication and take her off of the oxygen! Please continue to pray that the pulminary hypertension she has been battling will become a thing of the past and she can get off of her oxygen this week! Grace is still eating sporatically from the bottle and by mouth with her baby food! She is now over 16lbs, so whatever we are giving her, it sure is working! Thank the Lord for keeping her big, strong, and healthy during a very dangerous time for all babies, especially ones with her challenges and pray that she eats by mouth more and more so we can become less reliant on feeding her through her G-tube. Her cought seems to be getting better and better! She seems to cough only when her belly is full of air and food, so we know how to try and prevent it more! Please pray that her cough will lessen and lessen to the point where we won't even notice it anymore! The Lord is also continuing to answer our prayers about my job situation! There are more revelations and changes happening and I will keep you all up-to-date on that! Sherry is back to work now and is struggling with not being able to take care of Grace full time. While we both feel blessed that we are home based and can make sure Grace is well taken care of, we both wish we lived in a dream world and could just be with eachother and Grace 24/7! Please pray for us to rely on the Lord's plan and know he will see us through all of this and keep us all together as a happy family! Also, please continue to pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our lives and our marriage! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| July 27, 2009 | Grace got to go to her first concert on Saturday! With earplugs in, she got to rock out to some of the best Christian artists in the world at the FishFest 2009 in Irvine, CA.
We had VIP passes, so we got to go back stage to meet our favorite artist. Well, with all of Grace's equipment and the extra time it takes to get packed up......OK, I'm using her as an excuse......we were running late, so we could not get the back stage passes to see MercyMe. And then we had a couple angels by the names of Katie and Tracy come to our rescue! Not only did they get the artists to come up the stairs to see us and meet Grace, they were able to get us to meet pretty much every artist! It was amazing!! The last group of the night was our favorite, MercyMe! After signing what seemed to be hundreds of autographs, when everyone cleared out, they came over and hung out with us for a good 10 minutes. They got to hear some of Grace's journey and how many lives she has touched in her short amount of time. We got to hear about the bands kids and about Bart's (lead singer) son is doing with his type 1 diabetes. They are all first class Christian men and you could not ask for a better group of guys doing the Lord's work with their amazing God-given talents! We got a couple great pictures and are posting them in the Grace@Home section of her pictures! So as if that wasn't special enough, in the middle of the concert during a segway where Bart has a great message, he mentions that they got to meet a 7-month old little girl named Grace who only has half a heart. The message he got accross is that we have a great God who loves us, and even when times are tough, our God is good and we have to use His strength to get through those times! He later talked about Grace changing the world and devoting her entire life to serving the Lord. AMEN to that! Click HERE to listen to his message. (minus the first mention of Grace since I was slow to hit record!) Then the Lord started working even more. Outside of the ampitheater, somehow (we know how!) we came accross a couple people who asked "Is this THE Grace?!" and proceeded to tell us they had prayed during the concert that they would find us and be able to pray over her! God is so amazing! In honor of our special friends MercyMe, I am going to put all MercyMe songs in our MP3 player built into the website. If you haven't noticed it, it is on the left side under the navigation bar! If you love their music like we do, we will be selling their CD's in Grace's Web Shop soon! As for Grace, she got her first tooth in a few days ago! It is tiny, but it is causing her some discomfort! She is also still on oxygen! Please continue to pray that the pulminary hypertension she has been battling will become a thing of the past and she can get off of her oxygen this week! Her cought seems to be getting better and better! She seems to cough only when her belly is full of air and food, so we know how to try and prevent it more! Please pray that her cough will lessen and lessen to the point where we won't even notice it anymore! The Lord is also continuing to answer our prayers about my job situation! An opportunity has presented itself with Monster Cable (the overwhelming leader in high-end audio/video cables and power protection) and I have been working with them on a contract basis. Please pray this position becomes permanent and the Lord will use this opportunity to provide more than we could ever imagine for our family! We are still so blessed to have the help given by family, friends, and our church family! They are so loving and quick to help out with Grace. Thank you for your love and support! Also, please continue to pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our lives and our marriage! We are so thankful that the Lord has used this experience to bring Sherry and I even closer together! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so thankful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| September 15, 2009 | Grace is progressing mentally and physically by leaps and bounds!!!
Her cough, which she has had since she was born, is gone! She is drinking milk from the bottle almost effortlessly now! She is even eating some baby food with a spoon! Please pray that she continues to get better at these so we can hopefully get her G-tube (feeding tube) out in a few months! She is doing amazing physically, especially considering she spent 3 out of the first 5 months of her life in a hospital bed on her back. She can sit up and stay there stable for extended periods of time. She is jumping in her jumper like a kangaroo! She LOVES to stand up and be a "big girl!" She has even learned to wave hi and goodbye, always with a big, proud smile on her face! (It is the cutest thing you have ever seen) Grace is still on oxygen, but we are hoping to get that removed very soon! Her oxygen saturation levels usually run between 85-90 now!!! They put her on a new medication which helps increase the blood flow, in hopes it will help her get off the oxygen quicker. We will be closely monitoring her sat levels and if all goes well over the next few weeks, she will probably be able to come off the oxygen! This would be a HUGE relief, not only for Grace not having to have a nasal canula always taped to her face, but for us having to lug around oxygen tanks everywhere! Please pray this goes well and she can finally have nothing on her face, although I have to tell you, the little heart stickers we use to keep the oxygen on her face has been such a blessing! It stirs up so many amazing conversations we we go out. We have been able to share Grace's life with hundreds and hundreds of people and show them how GREAT OUR GOD IS!!! If she didn't have the oxygen and those stickers, she would look completely "normal" and no one would know anything is wrong with her! So, once again, God knew exactly what needed to happen to use Grace to glorify Him! Thank you Jesus! Sherry and I are still struggling financially with all of the medical bills, especially with this all coinciding with my job change. The bills never seem to stop and we keep wondering if we will ever reach out annual "maximum!" We don't understand it all and we have a couple people looking into why we are paying so much, but it has really made it a struggle to pay everything. I'm not sure how we are doing it, but we have complete faith the Lord will provide and see us through all of this and we will be stronger and even financially better in the long run! There is no doubt in my mind! That being said, if you feel it in your heart to donate some money and help out with Grace's medical care, please click on the donate button that is on the top left side of every page on this site! Everything given is used only for Grace's medical costs! We are so blessed to have friends and family coming down to help out with Grace's day-to-day care while Sherry and I are working! This has been a huge help to us and has reduced our stress load greatly! Although at the same time, it is tougher for Sherry and I to find that quality alone time! Please pray the the people helping out with Grace will know they are loved and appreciated, and that Sherry and I will find the time to be alone as a family and will cherish every second of it! We are working on putting together a charity concert event, quite possibly to be held one of the biggest and best churches in america, Saddleback Church, with quite possibly the biggest and best Christian bands in the world, MercyMe! WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS BIG TIME ON THIS! We ask that you pray this is God's will and not our own. We pray that this will all work out and we will be able to celebrate the glory of God with thousands of people, share how He has used our little girl's life to glorify Him, and raise money for Grace, heart research, and other parents who are going through tough times financially because of their children's medical needs. We will very soon have some absolutely amazing shirts made by one of the premier Christian clothing companies available for sale! This may turn in to something even bigger, maybe even an entire line of Heart of Grace clothing, so please pray about that as well. These shirts are unlink anything most people have seen and will blow you away! I can't wait to be able to show you a preview, so stay tuned! Please continue to pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our lives and our marriage! We are so thankful that the Lord has used this experience to bring Sherry and I even closer together! We have our tough days, but I am so thankful every day for my beautiful wife and daughter! I am sooo blessed! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so grateful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
| January 11th, 2010 | Wow, where does the time go?! This is way too long to go without updates! I apologize to all of you who visit Grace's website for updates! I will try to not let this happen again! Grace celebrated her 1st birthday last month and got to enjoy her 1st Christmas as home! As for her health, she is doing AMAZINGLY well! The Lord has truly answered all of our prayers and Grace is progressing by leaps and bounds! She eats EVERYTHING in sight and we have not had to feed her using her G-tube in about 3 months! Hopefully, she will have it removed in the next month or two! Grace crawled for the first time on her birthday! She is starting to get the hang of it and if she isn't crawling around, she wants to hold your hands and have you help her walk around the house! She is now in the screaming phase and yells at everything because she doesn't know how to tell us yet! Please pray for patience for Sherry and I, to help us not let Grace's screams get underneath our skin! Grace loves to blow kisses and give big kisses to us and the Grandparents! She loves it when people ask how old she is! She proudly nolds up her hand with her tiny, little finger stretched out to show the world she is 1 year old! It is very cute! As for Sherry and I, everything is going pretty good. Sherry's job is even bette,r now that they have her doing the job she did before her pregnancy. She is enjoying not being tethered to a phone all day and she gets to go out in the field more, where she really excells! We are still working on putting together a charity concert event, quite possibly to be held one of the biggest and best churches in america, Saddleback Church, with quite possibly the biggest and best Christian bands in the world, MercyMe! WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS BIG TIME ON THIS! We ask that you pray this is God's will and not our own. We pray that this will all work out and we will be able to celebrate the glory of God with thousands of people, share how He has used our little girl's life to glorify Him, and raise money for Grace, heart research, and other parents who are going through tough times financially because of their children's medical needs. Our other event we are working on is a HUGE (God willing) motorcycle ride up and down the entire coast of California! More details to come, but we have come accross several people who know LARGE groups of bikers who love to ride for charity! Should be a blast and will probably be sometime in early May! Please continue to pray that we keep Jesus as the center of our lives and our marriage! We are so thankful that the Lord has used this experience to bring Sherry and I even closer together! We have our tough days, but I am so thankful every day for my beautiful wife and daughter! I am sooo blessed! Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. We are so grateful to have amazing friends and family following Grace's journey and praying for her every day! |
