On Monday I took Luke in to see his pulmonologist and gastronologist, I had put off these appts. for too long. On the one hand it was very encouraging and then on the other hand it was a bit discouraging. I guess we continue to ride this long bumpy roller coaster ride. Let me explain a bit more, his pulmonologist said that he seemed to be doing okay, he was a bit course when he listened to his lungs, which lately has not been the case. He told me that he doesn't need to come back for 6 to 12 months which was good news and he did not mention anything about putting the trache back in which was great to not hear. He did say that he thought we should see the dietician as his weight gain has not been so good since his last visit. This really bummed me since I know that he had gained at least 3 pounds over the summer, but because of all his throwing up for awhile he had lost 2 of those pounds. I was happy to tell him I was seeing the dietician and gastronologist after his appt.
I went on up to his next appt with his gastronologist and was told the dietician was not in, she had called in sick that morning so I was not able to see her. The gastronologist didn't have much to say, didn't even comment about us taking him off of his previcad, which had made me a bit nervous wondering what he would say, he examed him and said that he didn't think he needed to come in again for 12 months. He said that he would set up an appointment for Luke to have another swallow gram done to see if we can start feeding him by mouth, this was good news. One of the best part of these appts. was being able to say that Luke is off all Medications, one of the nurses thought it was a mistake and asked me if this was right as she was reading his record, it was great to say it was right. They don't see many kids like Luke with no medications.
So you might be saying Sue everything you've said so far has been good news, where is the bad news. I guess I left there thinking about the fact that they didn't want to see Luke back for a year, this means that they are thinking that there will not be any changes to him as is normal with his type of brain injury. I know that God is mighty and can change things quickly, but as we've experienced this past 2 years God has choosen to take us down a slower road of recover. Don't get me wrong I'm very happy that Luke continues to make progress, it's just some days it seems to be taking so very long. Yesterday was a bit difficult as Luke woke up with a fever and then threw up after his first feeding. I was crying out to God to touch him and Ezekiel who is my little prayer warrior said, "Mommy, lets prayer for Luke to get better today, maybe this is the day he will start to walk and talk again." Oh the faith of a child. Well I'm happy to say that God did answer our prayers, he began to feel better and last night when I put him to bed his oxygen levels where at 99 and his heart rate was very good again. He has been doing great without being on oxygen for quite a few nights now, which is a great answer to prayer. Though this is not the case tonight, he is back on a bit of oxygen tonight, I guess he's still not at 100% yet.
Just to let you know we began home schooling on Monday and this week has been a good week, we are getting back into a good schedule. I purposefully made Luke's PT and Natalie's Piano lesson on the same day at the same time, her teacher is flexible with me dropping her off a bit early, I'm hoping this will cut down on being out the house so often. My sister Cindy has been coming over each morning to help with Luke's feeding and doing some of his program with him, which has been very helpful. Joanne asked about his program, it is a program put together by a Neurodevelopmentalist, that includes patterning exercises, tastes of foods to help with his taste buds coming back to life again, special pin hole glasses to help him see better, lots of stimulation with toys and activities, a listening program we haven't got started yet and some other activities to help his brain reconnent. If you want more information you can e-mail me, as you can see we've put our e-mail address on the side of the blog so that any of you can e-mail us, we always enjoy hearing from you.
Here's a scripture that has really encouraged me this week, it is Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I had memorized this verse many years ago and God gently reminded me that though I may not see His answer today, I still need to believe that it is coming. I hope that you have your faith renewed today and don't ever stop believing in your miracle, with God nothing is impossible!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Luke gets an awesome report from his Neurodevelopmentalist evaluation
I want to begin by saying "thank you" for all your wonderful comments, it continues to amaze me that so many of you are still faithfully praying for Luke's recovery and reading this blog. So many of you have become wonderful friends even though we've never met in person, I just hope that someday I will be able to meet many of you face to face.
My sister Cindy and I took Luke up to Anacortes which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive for a Neurodevelopmentalist evaluation. It was will worth the drive as we received such a wonderful report. She was very encouraged by what see saw with Luke's progress. She said that he is definitely following commands, has sensation in all his limbs, is much more interested in what is happening around him, is ready to start moving with help and his muscles seemed to respond when she put him on his stomach with his arms in front of him and moved him forward. She thinks with a lot of stimulation and encouragement that Luke should begin to reach for toys very soon. When she asked him to reach up and touch my hand he actually did a few times, to say that we were excited is putting it mildly. She thinks that if we are faithful in doing the program she set up for us that we will begin to see big changes in Luke's abilities.
My prayer is that we can find some people that would be willing to help a few days a week to get Luke through all the exercises that she gave us to do with him. My sister Cindy said that she is willing to come over daily to help with Luke's feeding and program, I can never even begin to tell you how much this will help out. As I've said before it is very challenging to try to find the time to get all that needs to be done everyday, with Lily's care, homeschooling the children, keeping the house clean, cooking, going to the YMCA for PE and choir, piano lessons, Luke's PT and other appointments, you get the picture. I am really excited and hoping that this year Luke will stay healthy so that we can really get on a good schedule. I recently read in a book that said the only schedule we really need to live up to is the one that we fell the Lord is directing us toward, so I'm really praying for wisdom in knowing exactly what He wants me to accomplish each day.
We had a great camping trip, the weather was beautiful, we had some awesome days at the beach, we ate some delicious smores as we sat around the camp fire, played some fun games and Luke stayed healthy for the most part, though he had a few rough nights. We had a few unwelcome guests the raccoons decided to get into our food, they ate a whole loaf of bread, 9 eggs and drank quite a few of our sodas, or it could of been the skunk we saw run through our campsite.
Specific prayer requests for Luke, he continues to struggle with his feeding times, he continues to gag and throw up at least once a day, today though was one of the best days he's had in a while. Continue to pray that the congestion that he deals with so often will clear up once and for all. Last but not least the same prayer request that we've been asking for faithfully all these past two years is that his legs will become limber, that his knees will bend normally and his feet will come to point forward again.
I know many of you have been praying for Gabby, as her link is at the side of this page. I just want to ask you to keep her family in your prayers as she passed away on August 31st. It's hard to know why God chose to take her home at such a young age, but we know that He is sovereign and His ways are not always what we would chose. Her mom has been a blessing in my life, though I've never met her in person her blog has really ministered to me in ways I cannot begin to express.
May God bless you and keep you in His arms of love today.
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
My sister Cindy and I took Luke up to Anacortes which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive for a Neurodevelopmentalist evaluation. It was will worth the drive as we received such a wonderful report. She was very encouraged by what see saw with Luke's progress. She said that he is definitely following commands, has sensation in all his limbs, is much more interested in what is happening around him, is ready to start moving with help and his muscles seemed to respond when she put him on his stomach with his arms in front of him and moved him forward. She thinks with a lot of stimulation and encouragement that Luke should begin to reach for toys very soon. When she asked him to reach up and touch my hand he actually did a few times, to say that we were excited is putting it mildly. She thinks that if we are faithful in doing the program she set up for us that we will begin to see big changes in Luke's abilities.
My prayer is that we can find some people that would be willing to help a few days a week to get Luke through all the exercises that she gave us to do with him. My sister Cindy said that she is willing to come over daily to help with Luke's feeding and program, I can never even begin to tell you how much this will help out. As I've said before it is very challenging to try to find the time to get all that needs to be done everyday, with Lily's care, homeschooling the children, keeping the house clean, cooking, going to the YMCA for PE and choir, piano lessons, Luke's PT and other appointments, you get the picture. I am really excited and hoping that this year Luke will stay healthy so that we can really get on a good schedule. I recently read in a book that said the only schedule we really need to live up to is the one that we fell the Lord is directing us toward, so I'm really praying for wisdom in knowing exactly what He wants me to accomplish each day.
We had a great camping trip, the weather was beautiful, we had some awesome days at the beach, we ate some delicious smores as we sat around the camp fire, played some fun games and Luke stayed healthy for the most part, though he had a few rough nights. We had a few unwelcome guests the raccoons decided to get into our food, they ate a whole loaf of bread, 9 eggs and drank quite a few of our sodas, or it could of been the skunk we saw run through our campsite.
Specific prayer requests for Luke, he continues to struggle with his feeding times, he continues to gag and throw up at least once a day, today though was one of the best days he's had in a while. Continue to pray that the congestion that he deals with so often will clear up once and for all. Last but not least the same prayer request that we've been asking for faithfully all these past two years is that his legs will become limber, that his knees will bend normally and his feet will come to point forward again.
I know many of you have been praying for Gabby, as her link is at the side of this page. I just want to ask you to keep her family in your prayers as she passed away on August 31st. It's hard to know why God chose to take her home at such a young age, but we know that He is sovereign and His ways are not always what we would chose. Her mom has been a blessing in my life, though I've never met her in person her blog has really ministered to me in ways I cannot begin to express.
May God bless you and keep you in His arms of love today.
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Praise God, Two years ago today Luke was brought back to life after being dead!
I have so much to be thankful for, as today is the anniversary of Luke's miraculous journey back to life. He seems to be doing fine not having his Previcad, this is a huge answer to prayer as I said we've tried before to discontinue this med only to have to get him back on it within a day. He is also doing so much better at taking his food, thank you for your prayers, they continue to make all the difference in the world.
I had a pretty good day, didn't even shed a tear until this evening when I began to think about this time two years ago. As you can imagine it is a very emotional memory for our family. I decided to go to church, which I'm so glad I did, it was just what I needed. We had an awesome prayer time and as I was crying out to God to complete the healing in Luke, I really felt like the Lord was telling me that He would be doing a awesome work in Luke soon and the healing process would sped up. I was very encouraged to hear this and as I continued to cry out to the Lord He showed me that just as he raised Luke up from the dead, He would also be spiritually raising up those loved ones in our church family that need a definite touch from God to begin living a holy and righteous life for our Lord and Saviour.
As I think back to these past two years I have to shout to the world how thankful I am to still have our precious Lukie with us, God could of taken Him to heaven, where I'm sure he would of been much more comfortable there, then here in his broken body.
Here is a list of things that I'm most thankful for:
Gordy - He has been and will always be my best friend, this journey we've been on has not been easy, but with Gordy by my side the whole way it has been so much easier. His love and strength are amazing!
Daniel - He continues to bless my life, I'm so thankful that God has brought him through these past years a stronger and mightier man of God.
Amy - Wow, where do I begin. I was just telling a friend of mine yesterday, I don't know what I would of done without my older girls help during these past two years. Amy has been an amazing example of God's love and has gone above the call of duty more than I can even begin to tell you about.
Natalie - She has been a constant help without any words of complaint coming out her mouth. She is my right hand so often, I constantly have to guard against taking advantage of her and her servants heart.
Isaiah - He loves to give wonderful hugs and is getting to be more helpful all the time, I'm thankful that he is such a sweet boy.
Ezekiel - He is my little prayer warrior, he prays almost everyday that this will be the day that God will heal Luke, he has such a compassionate heart.
Luke - He has taught me more than I could of learned in 50 years. He is so precious to love on and his smiles keep me going on the rough days.
Lily - She has been such a joy and I'm so thankful that God blessed our family with her sweet kisses and hugs.
I continue to be so thankful to my family, they have been a rock to lean on, without their support this journey would of been almost impossible to continue on. I am so appreciative of all our friends who have stood by us with a helping hand and of course, I know that we could not of made it without all the prayers from our faithful blog followers.
I thank my precious Heavenly Father the most, without his help and support I would of never been able to make it through these past two years. God is my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. I've grown closer to Him then I ever dreamed was possible and have learned that I can trust in the Lord with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding.
I hear all the time, Sue I read Luke's blog all the time I've just never commented on it. It would be so wonderful to get a comment from all of you today just to encourage us that you are all still praying for Luke's complete restoration. It's also fun to see just where Luke's blog is reaching across the world, please take a minute today to jot us a note. You are appreciated more than you can imagine!!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
I had a pretty good day, didn't even shed a tear until this evening when I began to think about this time two years ago. As you can imagine it is a very emotional memory for our family. I decided to go to church, which I'm so glad I did, it was just what I needed. We had an awesome prayer time and as I was crying out to God to complete the healing in Luke, I really felt like the Lord was telling me that He would be doing a awesome work in Luke soon and the healing process would sped up. I was very encouraged to hear this and as I continued to cry out to the Lord He showed me that just as he raised Luke up from the dead, He would also be spiritually raising up those loved ones in our church family that need a definite touch from God to begin living a holy and righteous life for our Lord and Saviour.
As I think back to these past two years I have to shout to the world how thankful I am to still have our precious Lukie with us, God could of taken Him to heaven, where I'm sure he would of been much more comfortable there, then here in his broken body.
Here is a list of things that I'm most thankful for:
Gordy - He has been and will always be my best friend, this journey we've been on has not been easy, but with Gordy by my side the whole way it has been so much easier. His love and strength are amazing!
Daniel - He continues to bless my life, I'm so thankful that God has brought him through these past years a stronger and mightier man of God.
Amy - Wow, where do I begin. I was just telling a friend of mine yesterday, I don't know what I would of done without my older girls help during these past two years. Amy has been an amazing example of God's love and has gone above the call of duty more than I can even begin to tell you about.
Natalie - She has been a constant help without any words of complaint coming out her mouth. She is my right hand so often, I constantly have to guard against taking advantage of her and her servants heart.
Isaiah - He loves to give wonderful hugs and is getting to be more helpful all the time, I'm thankful that he is such a sweet boy.
Ezekiel - He is my little prayer warrior, he prays almost everyday that this will be the day that God will heal Luke, he has such a compassionate heart.
Luke - He has taught me more than I could of learned in 50 years. He is so precious to love on and his smiles keep me going on the rough days.
Lily - She has been such a joy and I'm so thankful that God blessed our family with her sweet kisses and hugs.
I continue to be so thankful to my family, they have been a rock to lean on, without their support this journey would of been almost impossible to continue on. I am so appreciative of all our friends who have stood by us with a helping hand and of course, I know that we could not of made it without all the prayers from our faithful blog followers.
I thank my precious Heavenly Father the most, without his help and support I would of never been able to make it through these past two years. God is my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. I've grown closer to Him then I ever dreamed was possible and have learned that I can trust in the Lord with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding.
I hear all the time, Sue I read Luke's blog all the time I've just never commented on it. It would be so wonderful to get a comment from all of you today just to encourage us that you are all still praying for Luke's complete restoration. It's also fun to see just where Luke's blog is reaching across the world, please take a minute today to jot us a note. You are appreciated more than you can imagine!!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
Saturday, August 26, 2006
We are weaning Luke off his last Prescription Med
I meant to sit down and write a few days ago to let you know that we have finally decided to wean Luke off his last med. He has been taking the equivalent to Zantac since his accident and then it got bumped up to Previcad, which is much stronger. Anyway we've known for some time that it is not good to take this on a regular basis, since it basically kills all the good stomach acids. Stomach acids are important for breaking down your food and helping it to go where it needs to go. Every time we've tried to stop his Previcad before he would get really congested and need a lot of extra suctioning. This time he has been doing much better and we are actually on his 3rd day without his Previcad.
We are blessed to have a friend who happens to be a Chiropractor/Naturiopathic Dr. He has been helping us by giving us some recommendations on what supplements to try to help Luke get his stomach acids working again. We had him and his wife and ten children over for dinner on Tuesday night and he went through a lesson on digestion for Gordy and myself so that we could learn exactly what is probably happening to Luke's little body. The kids had a blast playing with his children and Isaiah asked me if we could have them over again next week, I said we would very soon, but probably not next week, as we are getting ready for our last camping trip of the summer.
For years now we have taken the first week of September, after the schools get going to go camping since the weather is awesome and the campgrounds are pretty empty. We will leave on August 31st and get back on Sept. 6th. Though Daniel will be returning even sooner since he has to get back to work. He began a new job of interning with an electrician, a man from our church who began his own company about 6 months ago. He has not given up on his dream of owning his own music studio, he has just come to the realization that a studio will not bring in enough money to support him. He is enjoying his new job, he had a real peace about the change and if all goes according to plan he will be an electrician within 2 years time.
I know so many of you love to get specific prayer requests for Luke, so here they are: Pray that all will continue to go well with his medicine change, that he will stop throwing up, though he has been doing a little better with this, that he will stay healthy during our last camping trip of the season, that his legs will continue to get a good bend and last but not least that his brain will be completely restored.
Please be praying for me, this is an emotional time for me and at times the grief I feel chokes me with tears always on the surface. I'm so thankful for all that God has done these past two years, I'm especially thankful for so many of you that have lifted Luke and our family up in your prayers so faithfully. I mention this often, but you will never even begin to understand how much it means to us to have you praying for us. I give thanks to the Lord for each and everyone of you, I was thinking recently about the fact if Luke's accident had never happened I would never have gotten to know so many wonderful, caring people. I wish there was a way of contacting each and everyone of you personally, just know that your comments and e-mails to howslukesdoing@yahoo.com are read and reread and are cherished beyond what I can even express.
Once again this blog is way too long, I don't purposefully do that it just seems to happen. May God richly bless you today in ways you can't even begin to imagine!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
We are blessed to have a friend who happens to be a Chiropractor/Naturiopathic Dr. He has been helping us by giving us some recommendations on what supplements to try to help Luke get his stomach acids working again. We had him and his wife and ten children over for dinner on Tuesday night and he went through a lesson on digestion for Gordy and myself so that we could learn exactly what is probably happening to Luke's little body. The kids had a blast playing with his children and Isaiah asked me if we could have them over again next week, I said we would very soon, but probably not next week, as we are getting ready for our last camping trip of the summer.
For years now we have taken the first week of September, after the schools get going to go camping since the weather is awesome and the campgrounds are pretty empty. We will leave on August 31st and get back on Sept. 6th. Though Daniel will be returning even sooner since he has to get back to work. He began a new job of interning with an electrician, a man from our church who began his own company about 6 months ago. He has not given up on his dream of owning his own music studio, he has just come to the realization that a studio will not bring in enough money to support him. He is enjoying his new job, he had a real peace about the change and if all goes according to plan he will be an electrician within 2 years time.
I know so many of you love to get specific prayer requests for Luke, so here they are: Pray that all will continue to go well with his medicine change, that he will stop throwing up, though he has been doing a little better with this, that he will stay healthy during our last camping trip of the season, that his legs will continue to get a good bend and last but not least that his brain will be completely restored.
Please be praying for me, this is an emotional time for me and at times the grief I feel chokes me with tears always on the surface. I'm so thankful for all that God has done these past two years, I'm especially thankful for so many of you that have lifted Luke and our family up in your prayers so faithfully. I mention this often, but you will never even begin to understand how much it means to us to have you praying for us. I give thanks to the Lord for each and everyone of you, I was thinking recently about the fact if Luke's accident had never happened I would never have gotten to know so many wonderful, caring people. I wish there was a way of contacting each and everyone of you personally, just know that your comments and e-mails to howslukesdoing@yahoo.com are read and reread and are cherished beyond what I can even express.
Once again this blog is way too long, I don't purposefully do that it just seems to happen. May God richly bless you today in ways you can't even begin to imagine!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
Friday, August 18, 2006
We continue to rely on God's gift of perfect peace
I was going to begin this blog by saying we've had a busy few weeks, but then I guess I say that just about every time I write, so I'll skip saying it for now. Luke has been doing okay, though he has been sick off and on these last few weeks. I'm not sure what is going on with him, he just seems to be more congested at times and has needed a little bit of oxygen every night lately.
I took Luke and the girls to visit my sister, Lori and her husband, Lonnie in Eastern Washington last weekend and he got really sick on Sunday. I knew he wasn't doing well so I hooked him up to the oximeter and sure enough his heart rate was up to 180 and his oxygen levels were very low. I began oxygen and finally had to take it up to 3 liters to get him into the low 90's. We prayed for him and I immediately gave him tylenol, within an hour his heart rate was coming down, but he continued to be on oxygen all day. I was able to turn it down to where he was only on 1/4 of a liter when he went to bed that night. It was another one of those roller coaster ride days for me, I had so looked forward to going to church with my sister in the morning, but ended up staying home with Luke. Just as Lori was leaving she put on a CD for me to listen to and the first song I heard was Blessed be the Name of the Lord, it was God's way of telling me once again to bless Him in the good times and the hard times. What I had looked forward to as a relaxing weekend ended up being at times quite stressful. I had let Natalie drive over and back, she's still learning to drive and needs more experience until she ready to get her license, she did an awesome job, but it is stressful at times teaching someone how to drive. On the way home what usually would only take 4 1/2 hours at the most to get home ended up taking 8 hours because we got stuck behind a horrible accident. Needless to say we were all very happy to get home!
I took Luke to HBOT and PT on Wednesday and his legs are looking better all the time. His PT had him sitting and then standing and the bend in his legs is looking so much better. Luke continues to be more alert and responds to touch more and more all the time. I was playing with him last week, on one of the hot days and put a ice bag in his hand, he did not like holding it so I told him to open his hand and let go and he did this about 4 or 5 times. It is so good to see him responding more to commands and finding him more responsive to the touching of his hands and feet. He smiles all the time when you play with him, he especially likes to have his legs and hands moved very quickly.
Some specific prayer requests for Luke at this time are that he will continue to get a better bend in his knees and that all of him will become more flexible. That he will continue to gain better control of his neck muscles so that his head will not fall so easily. Also that we will be able to figure out what causes him to become congested every time he eats and that he will not have anymore reflux problems. Last but not least that whatever is causing him to have this extra oxygen each night will be cleared up once and for all.
Please also keep us all in prayer as this time of the year can bring back so many memories. I find myself thinking about how different our lives were two years ago and though I am extremely grateful for the progress that Luke has made, I still grieve the fact that he has had to suffer for these past two years. Sometimes the stress of taking care of Luke with alarms going off at all hours of the night, making sure he gets all this meds and feedings on time each day, getting him to his appts., making sure all the other kids don't feel less important, never feeling like I can get all the things I need to get done in a day done, take a toll. I know that God is my refuge and strength and I do go to him on a daily basis, it is only because of His faithfulness that I'm able to go on somedays. Remember, you to can go to the Heavenly Father and find perfect peace to get through your toughest days, He loves you so much and is just waiting for you to ask Him for help.
May God bless each and everyone of you!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
I took Luke and the girls to visit my sister, Lori and her husband, Lonnie in Eastern Washington last weekend and he got really sick on Sunday. I knew he wasn't doing well so I hooked him up to the oximeter and sure enough his heart rate was up to 180 and his oxygen levels were very low. I began oxygen and finally had to take it up to 3 liters to get him into the low 90's. We prayed for him and I immediately gave him tylenol, within an hour his heart rate was coming down, but he continued to be on oxygen all day. I was able to turn it down to where he was only on 1/4 of a liter when he went to bed that night. It was another one of those roller coaster ride days for me, I had so looked forward to going to church with my sister in the morning, but ended up staying home with Luke. Just as Lori was leaving she put on a CD for me to listen to and the first song I heard was Blessed be the Name of the Lord, it was God's way of telling me once again to bless Him in the good times and the hard times. What I had looked forward to as a relaxing weekend ended up being at times quite stressful. I had let Natalie drive over and back, she's still learning to drive and needs more experience until she ready to get her license, she did an awesome job, but it is stressful at times teaching someone how to drive. On the way home what usually would only take 4 1/2 hours at the most to get home ended up taking 8 hours because we got stuck behind a horrible accident. Needless to say we were all very happy to get home!
I took Luke to HBOT and PT on Wednesday and his legs are looking better all the time. His PT had him sitting and then standing and the bend in his legs is looking so much better. Luke continues to be more alert and responds to touch more and more all the time. I was playing with him last week, on one of the hot days and put a ice bag in his hand, he did not like holding it so I told him to open his hand and let go and he did this about 4 or 5 times. It is so good to see him responding more to commands and finding him more responsive to the touching of his hands and feet. He smiles all the time when you play with him, he especially likes to have his legs and hands moved very quickly.
Some specific prayer requests for Luke at this time are that he will continue to get a better bend in his knees and that all of him will become more flexible. That he will continue to gain better control of his neck muscles so that his head will not fall so easily. Also that we will be able to figure out what causes him to become congested every time he eats and that he will not have anymore reflux problems. Last but not least that whatever is causing him to have this extra oxygen each night will be cleared up once and for all.
Please also keep us all in prayer as this time of the year can bring back so many memories. I find myself thinking about how different our lives were two years ago and though I am extremely grateful for the progress that Luke has made, I still grieve the fact that he has had to suffer for these past two years. Sometimes the stress of taking care of Luke with alarms going off at all hours of the night, making sure he gets all this meds and feedings on time each day, getting him to his appts., making sure all the other kids don't feel less important, never feeling like I can get all the things I need to get done in a day done, take a toll. I know that God is my refuge and strength and I do go to him on a daily basis, it is only because of His faithfulness that I'm able to go on somedays. Remember, you to can go to the Heavenly Father and find perfect peace to get through your toughest days, He loves you so much and is just waiting for you to ask Him for help.
May God bless each and everyone of you!
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
Friday, August 04, 2006
Thank you once again for your prayers, PLEASE don't stop praying for Luke's complete healing, God hears your prayers!
It seems like forever since I've actually sat down to blog. Gordy has been doing all the updates lately. It's hard to know where to begin, when I wait so long to write. I guess I will begin by telling you all "THANK YOU" for your prayers for our trip. It was beyond wonderful, Luke stayed healthy and even progressed with smiling almost daily, our family had the best time together. I told Gordy and the kids that there was not really anything from home that I was missing since they were all with me. It was hard coming home and realizing that I had to pick up where I had left off with appts. for Luke and catching up with all that we had missed by being gone, but I'm finally feeling caught up.
Today Natalie and I did a deep clean in Luke and Lily's room. I had not gone through all his medical supplies in probably over a year. Needless to say we threw away two huge bags of garbage and boxed up two boxes of stuff. All day I kept thanking the Lord for the progress Luke has made. We threw away 7 old bottles of medicine and each time I would thank the Lord that Luke no longer needs that med. We also found some old trache ties and supplies, it actually brought tears to my eyes as I once again thanked the Lord that he no longer needs those things. We also got rid of old orthodics for his hands and feet. It brought more tears to my eyes when I realized how tiny his first pair of ankle orthodics where, knowing that his precious little feet have not walked or ran in just about two years. At one time today I made the comment I probably have not completely cleaned out some of the drawers in two years and then it hit me two years ago, we did not need any of these supplies because we had a beautiful healthy little boy. Once again it was a roller coaster ride of emotions for me, thanking the Lord for his progress, but also grieving the little healthy boy he was before his accident.
I had planned to take Luke in for a HBOT treatment today, but he was struggling a bit with his nose running today. He had been sick for a few days, the amazing thing about that is that this time during his sick time he did not need to have huge amounts of oxygen, as he has had happen in the past. God is moving in this area of Luke's life.
Coming into August was tough for a few days, thinking back to this month two years ago brings back horrible memories, as you know our whole lives were changed forever. God is so faithful in encouraging me, on Sunday I had a time of really crying out to God, asking Him why, He is taking so long to complete the healing process. But, as usual God is faithful and has encouraged me with His Words in the Bible and also a book that I read faithfully is a devotional called Streams in the Desert. Last night I copied about 6 pages of little post it notes and hung them up around my bathroom, they are encouraging words, one of them says, "SUE, you can trust the Man who died for you. If you cannot trust Him, then whom can you trust." That pretty much summarizes it for me, it continues to be a trust issue for me, I know deep down in my heart that God is able to reach down this second and make Luke whole once again, I guess what I struggle with is why He is choosing not to complete it today.
I have mentioned this often, but you will never know how much it means to me that a lot of you have not given up praying for Luke's complete healing. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP, I KNOW THAT GOD CAN DO IT, CONTINUE TO STAND IN THE GAP WITH OUR FAMILY IN BELIEVING FOR THIS MIRACLE.
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
PS I know that I've mentioned in the past prayer requests for some other little ones that need a touch from God and right know there is a little girl named Gabby that needs a miracle today. She has a brain tumor and without a touch from God, there is no hope for her recovery. Please keep her in your prayers today, she has a blog called http://www.gabbysmiracle.blogspot.com/
Today Natalie and I did a deep clean in Luke and Lily's room. I had not gone through all his medical supplies in probably over a year. Needless to say we threw away two huge bags of garbage and boxed up two boxes of stuff. All day I kept thanking the Lord for the progress Luke has made. We threw away 7 old bottles of medicine and each time I would thank the Lord that Luke no longer needs that med. We also found some old trache ties and supplies, it actually brought tears to my eyes as I once again thanked the Lord that he no longer needs those things. We also got rid of old orthodics for his hands and feet. It brought more tears to my eyes when I realized how tiny his first pair of ankle orthodics where, knowing that his precious little feet have not walked or ran in just about two years. At one time today I made the comment I probably have not completely cleaned out some of the drawers in two years and then it hit me two years ago, we did not need any of these supplies because we had a beautiful healthy little boy. Once again it was a roller coaster ride of emotions for me, thanking the Lord for his progress, but also grieving the little healthy boy he was before his accident.
I had planned to take Luke in for a HBOT treatment today, but he was struggling a bit with his nose running today. He had been sick for a few days, the amazing thing about that is that this time during his sick time he did not need to have huge amounts of oxygen, as he has had happen in the past. God is moving in this area of Luke's life.
Coming into August was tough for a few days, thinking back to this month two years ago brings back horrible memories, as you know our whole lives were changed forever. God is so faithful in encouraging me, on Sunday I had a time of really crying out to God, asking Him why, He is taking so long to complete the healing process. But, as usual God is faithful and has encouraged me with His Words in the Bible and also a book that I read faithfully is a devotional called Streams in the Desert. Last night I copied about 6 pages of little post it notes and hung them up around my bathroom, they are encouraging words, one of them says, "SUE, you can trust the Man who died for you. If you cannot trust Him, then whom can you trust." That pretty much summarizes it for me, it continues to be a trust issue for me, I know deep down in my heart that God is able to reach down this second and make Luke whole once again, I guess what I struggle with is why He is choosing not to complete it today.
I have mentioned this often, but you will never know how much it means to me that a lot of you have not given up praying for Luke's complete healing. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP, I KNOW THAT GOD CAN DO IT, CONTINUE TO STAND IN THE GAP WITH OUR FAMILY IN BELIEVING FOR THIS MIRACLE.
Love in Christ,
Luke's Mommy Sue
PS I know that I've mentioned in the past prayer requests for some other little ones that need a touch from God and right know there is a little girl named Gabby that needs a miracle today. She has a brain tumor and without a touch from God, there is no hope for her recovery. Please keep her in your prayers today, she has a blog called http://www.gabbysmiracle.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Quick update
Hi all, I just wanted to give you a quick update. It have been very hot here (90s) and Luke does not like the heat. So we decided to go camping close by where we could use the AC in the trailer and I could commute to work. Daniel is not with us, as he flew to Missouri to drive back to Washington with his friend Josh. Yesterday evening we went to my friend Craig and Eileens house and they leave very close to a lake. We had a great time picnicing and enjoyed playing on the jetskis and inner tubing. We were blessed to meet a couple Jay and his wife Lee who have been following Luke's story.
I know there are so many of you out there who have been following Luke's progress via the blog and I hope that someday I will get a chance to meet each of you and to be able to say thank you for the encouragement you have been to our family to keep pressing on and pray for Luke's complete healing.
I know there are so many of you out there who have been following Luke's progress via the blog and I hope that someday I will get a chance to meet each of you and to be able to say thank you for the encouragement you have been to our family to keep pressing on and pray for Luke's complete healing.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
A priceless smile
Here is a picture of Luke Smiling. I was playing with his legs and he laughed a bit of a snort. We were excited to see such happiness on his face. Before the accident Luke was a very happy little boy.
Here we are on the beach in Newport OR just a few days before returning home.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
We are home again!
We arrived home this afternoon after being gone for 39 days and over 3500 miles. WOW! So much has happened on this trip. When we started the trip both Isaiah and Ezekiel had training wheels on their bikes and now both ride fine without training wheels. Daniel learned to surf. I taught Sue, Daniel, Amy and Natalie how to play pinochle. Maybe I taught them a bit too well as I did not win very many games. At the beginning of the trip Luke would smile occasionally, and now he smiles daily. The other day I was playing with Luke's legs and he began to smile and then it turned into a big smile. At one point, we think he laughed, although it was more of a snort then a laugh. Needless to say we are very excited at this development.
We feel sooooo blessed to be able to take this vacation and had a wonderful time. I will post some more pictures in a day or two.
Thank you to everyone that has been praying for Luke and our family. Luke made it through the trip and stayed heathly. There were a few moments of anxiety, but all in all an awesome trip.
One of my favorite moments on the trip was getting a chance to be a part of the children's ministry in Mexico and to participate in their water baptisms. On the Sunday morning that we went to church in Mexico it was a blessing to see the children in the classrooms we had painted. At the end of the service Pastor Juan had us come up front along with a missionary couple and a children's pastor from another city. Pastor Juan asked the people to come forward and thank us for ministering to them. It was humbling and a blessing to have so many people express their thanks to us. I know for our entire family this was definitely one of the highlights.
Take care and we love you all
We feel sooooo blessed to be able to take this vacation and had a wonderful time. I will post some more pictures in a day or two.
Thank you to everyone that has been praying for Luke and our family. Luke made it through the trip and stayed heathly. There were a few moments of anxiety, but all in all an awesome trip.
One of my favorite moments on the trip was getting a chance to be a part of the children's ministry in Mexico and to participate in their water baptisms. On the Sunday morning that we went to church in Mexico it was a blessing to see the children in the classrooms we had painted. At the end of the service Pastor Juan had us come up front along with a missionary couple and a children's pastor from another city. Pastor Juan asked the people to come forward and thank us for ministering to them. It was humbling and a blessing to have so many people express their thanks to us. I know for our entire family this was definitely one of the highlights.
Take care and we love you all
Saturday, July 01, 2006
We are in Sunny Newport OR
We arrived in sunny Newport OR yesterday afternoon. Needless to say it seems very cool, okay cold to us. We adjusted to the hotter CA weather and now are wearing coats and sweatshirts, as it is in the low 60s. It may be cool, okay to us it is cold, but it is beautiful. It is bright sunny weather and we are looking forward to a week of nothing. Just like last year we are looking forward to no schedule and just doing whatever we want. Sue is at the beach with Natalie and Luke. Daniel is swimming in the pool with Isaiah and Ezekiel. Amy is reading at the trailer and Lily is resting. I am here at the club house blogging and looking for a cheap ticket for Daniel to fly to St Louis to visit a family friend Josh.
Needless to say with this laid back schedule, we may or may not blog the next few days :)
Take care and have a wonderful 4th of July as you celebrate the freedoms that you enjoy living in this great country. And to those of you outside the US, blessings on each one of you.
Needless to say with this laid back schedule, we may or may not blog the next few days :)
Take care and have a wonderful 4th of July as you celebrate the freedoms that you enjoy living in this great country. And to those of you outside the US, blessings on each one of you.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
We are in Santa Clarita heading for Oregon
We spent several days at Lake Perris State Park and were able to visit with our nephew Joseph and his wife Gina. We had a great time with them. The past two days we have been in Santa Clarita next to Six Flags Magic Mountain. We closed the park both nights at 10 pm. We will be leaving in the morning heading north and arriving at Newport Oregon on Friday.
Thank you for your prayers, Luke has been doing much better.
By the way, did I mention that it was hot at Lake Perris. I know it has been in the 90s back home in Washington, but that would be cool, it was over 100 the day we arrived. It is a dry heat compared to Washington, but it is still hot. We have AC in our trailier and I wasnt sure it was working, as the trailer was very warm. We were not sad to say goodbye to the desert.
I know I am rambling, so I will say goodbye for now. Will blog again in a couple days when we reach Newport, unless we have internet at our hotel along the way.
God's blessing on each one of you.
Thank you for your prayers, Luke has been doing much better.
By the way, did I mention that it was hot at Lake Perris. I know it has been in the 90s back home in Washington, but that would be cool, it was over 100 the day we arrived. It is a dry heat compared to Washington, but it is still hot. We have AC in our trailier and I wasnt sure it was working, as the trailer was very warm. We were not sad to say goodbye to the desert.
I know I am rambling, so I will say goodbye for now. Will blog again in a couple days when we reach Newport, unless we have internet at our hotel along the way.
God's blessing on each one of you.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Leaving San Diego tomorrow...Please Pray
We will be leaving San Diego tomorrow and heading to a state park east of LA. We won't have internet access for 5 days, so after this post it will be quiet on the blog for a few days.
The last few days Luke has struggled with his breathing and has needed oxygen at night. He has also had some problems with throwing up. Please pray that God would touch Luke in both of these areas and allow us to finish this trip in a strong way.
Many have told us of your faithfulness in reading this blog and praying for Luke and our family on a regular basis. I want to say Thank You and we appreciate you. We will be meeting a few of you on the remainder of our trip.
God Bless and we will let you know how Luke is in a few days.
Love GSDANIELL
The last few days Luke has struggled with his breathing and has needed oxygen at night. He has also had some problems with throwing up. Please pray that God would touch Luke in both of these areas and allow us to finish this trip in a strong way.
Many have told us of your faithfulness in reading this blog and praying for Luke and our family on a regular basis. I want to say Thank You and we appreciate you. We will be meeting a few of you on the remainder of our trip.
God Bless and we will let you know how Luke is in a few days.
Love GSDANIELL
Trip Pictures from Mexico - Water Baptisms
Miguel baptizes one of the children
This is at the start with Pastor Juan, Miguel and me in the deep end and the people ready to be baptized on each side.
Here we are baptizing one of the men
Here you can see there were a lot of people watching all around the pool
Group shot of all the people that were baptized. I think it was 44 people in all.
Trip Pictures from Mexico - Childrens Ministry
Miguel and family. They host the weekly childrens ministry at their home every week. That is Pastor Juan holding the hotdog :)
Isiah and Miguels daughter enjoy a mango freeze, kinda like a popsicle.
Pastor Juan enjoys a mango freeze while a couple of people watch Mexico play in the world cup. Notice the TV in the tree.
Natalie and Daniel help children make bracelets and necklaces.
Isaiah jumps right in and makes a bracelet
Who is that boy behind the painted face
We paint children's classrooms and we paint kids too :)
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Trip Pictures from Mexico - Painting Classrooms
One of the rooms before starting
Sue starts the red
That is bright yellow! Canary Yellow to be exact
Natalie starting the red on the other end of the red wall.
Finished room
Finished room
Finished room
Kids on Sunday in one of the painted rooms
Kids in one of the painted classrooms
Trip Pictures from Morro Bay
Dad, this sun is bright, I am glad we have sunglasses on, arent you?
Look Mom, I put on some sunscreen
Sunset on Morro Rock
Mom, I really like this vitamin D
Amy with Lily in the surf and a large flock of pelicans in the background
More Trip pics from Santa Cruz and San Simeon
Three little monkeys wearing their monkey shirts
I really enjoy this relaxing, especially when I can get wet!
Amy and Daniel in front of San Simeon (Hearst Castle)
The front of the castle
Now this is my kind of pool, too bad there isnt any water, a dip would be nice right now.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Trip Pictures from San Francisco
Walking down Lombard St
My this boat ride is windy!
We all made it on board the cable car
I love my brother, and I love my sister
Zeke, smile for the camera
How much longer do we have to wait for some fish and chips?
Amy wrestles the machine and WINS!!!
We are enjoying this cable car ride
Famous museum of amusement machines at the Fisherman's Wharf
Finally, we have fish and chips at Fisherman's Wharf
Trip Pictures from Santa Cruz
I really enjoy this relaxing with family and sunshine. I was needing a little vitamin D :)
Roasting a marshmellow at the group campfire
I like this hammock
Here is my bed in the trailer, that is my food pump hanging.
Daniel hangs ten for the first time at Santa Cruz
Trip Pictures from Paradise
One cool kid!
Can I make this hole in 1?
Does anyone care if I move this ball a bit closer?
Hey Mom, look I can ride a bike! Isaiah can now ride a bike without any help.
Oh, I really enjoy this relaxing, no doctors, no nurses, just family, fun and sunshine.
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