Pray for Collin

Our thoughts and prayers go out to a very special little guy and his family. Collin is in Austin's class at preschool. He and his mother and brother were in a terrible car accident on Tuesday (2-17). His mother is recovering from surgery on both legs and he was supposed to have surgery today to repair spinal injuries sustained in the crash.

This video shows him telling that it is Austin and Kaison's birthday. This was the day we celebrated Austin's birthday at preschool. Austin, Collin and Kaison are in class together. Please pray for healing for this little boy and his family.


Pray for Collin from Lynne on Vimeo.


http://www.vimeo.com/3303822

The Miracle Man

My Mom and Grammy Poe are here visiting this week. Today we went to see Grammy Poe's nephew, Wayne. He is truly a miracle. If you didn't read his story, this is what I posted on February 25th.

He suffered an aortic aneurysm and has defied every set of odds the doctors put in front of him. The doctors don't know what to make of his survival and speedy recovery. In the last 2 weeks or so he has gone from needing a ventilator every 30 minutes to needing it only 1/2 of the day to what we saw today. The oxygen has been out of his room for over a week and they have completely removed the trach in his neck.

It was great to see him. He looked wonderful for what he has been through and we pray that he continues to improve at such a fast rate. We even saw signs of his dry sense of humor.

Do You Believe in Miracles?

If you don't believe in miracles, this might cause you to think...

I posted about my mom's cousin Wayne last week. He is truly a "miracle man". On February 25th he suffered an aortic aneurysm at home. His family was told that less than 5% make it to the ER before bleeding to death.

He made it to the ER and endured 5 hours of surgery to repair it. They told the family before surgery that his chances of surviving the surgery were less than 1%. It was touch and go for a few days. He lost a kidney and the other kidney wasn't functioning. Then Thursday his vitals began to stabilize. They removed sedatives and pain medication on Thursday afternoon to try to get him to wake up.

As of this past Monday morning he was still in a coma. The staff was concerned that he had suffered brain damage during this whole ordeal. They anticipated that he would wake up in a few hours to a couple of days. The family was told to prepare to make some tough decisions on Tuesday. Wayne had other plans for Tuesday. He woke up.

Today's emails from my cousins have been much more encouraging. This morning his son David reported that although he is still on the vent, his kidney is trying to work and he has opened his eyes and is responding to cues and directions.

Wayne's daughter Kristin emailed around noon today with even more good news. He made it for about 30 minutes breathing on his own and he recognizes visitors. They had been discussing a trach, but may be able to wait on that now. He's trying to talk and is nodding his head in response to questions.

All the doctors can do is scratch their heads. They don't know how he has even survived to this point.

Please continue to keep him in his prayers.

A Prayer Request

My mom's cousin Wayne is in need of prayer. For those of you who know us personally, he is Grammy Poe's nephew. This morning he got up from his living room to head to the kitchen to get coffee and passed out. His wife got him to the hospital via ambulance and they quickly determined that he had an aneurysm in his side.

After enduring 5 hours of surgery, he is very critical. He lost a kidney and the other kidney is not functioning. Please pray for him and his family. He has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. They live here is GA and I have gotten close to them all since I moved here 10 years ago.

His daughter told me tonight that if he makes it, he will require kidney dialisys the rest of his life.

Pray for this Family

This triplet family has had an unimaginable tragic accident. Charlie was killed when his dresser fell on top of him. This story has definitely reminded us about child safety.

Please remind yourself of safety issues in you childrens' bedrooms. Here are a couple of links to read.

Kids Priority One - Bedroom Safety
Health24.com - whole house safety interactive graphic

Visit Triplets Plus of Kansas City to leave a message of sympathy.

The Loss of a Friend

I've mentioned my friend Debbie a few times on this blog. The last time was to acknowledge her birthday and ask for prayers for Jerry. He suffered a massive heart attack seven weeks ago and had been hospitalized ever since.

Yesterday, Jerry passed.

There were too many complications to fight and he decided to stop treatment. Many prayers were answered on his seven week journey in the hospital. It was a roller coaster of a battle. Ultimately, the last answered prayer was a peaceful, pain free passing.

His last day was a good one. He was in no pain, he was alert and he had no fear. He couldn't speak because of being trached, but he was able to communicate his thoughts clearly to Debbie. In many ways this was a true blessing to be able to share those last few hours together.

This will be a huge transition for Debbie as they have been together for more 15 years. Sorry Deb, I've lost count of exactly how many. She's a strong woman and will get through it, but she'll need our thoughts and prayers.

I'm glad to say that I've made arrangements to be there as they celebrate his life. Jerry is probably looking down grinning at Clif as this will be his first solo performance with all 4 kids.

My heartfelt sympathies go out to Debbie, Jerry's daughter and his grand kids. Peace be with you in the days ahead.

Pray for a Sweet Family

Please remember a dear friend and her family. My friend Sheree is burying her first grandson today. She put it best in an email this week. "He was delivered to heaven before he was delivered to us."

Her daughter was 6 days over due when she went into labor. Baby Ashton passed shortly before they arrived at the hospital and everything points to a cord issue.

Pray for strength for her daughter Stacey and Billy as they get through this time.

I can't help but reflect and count my blessings as my three miracles approach their second birthday. We prayed the entire pregnancy for their health and well being as triplet pregnancies are so dangerous. Stacey had a picture perfect pregnancy and was hit hard by this unforeseen complication.

Elyse's Story - Can You Help Her?

I received an email from the triplet group that I belong to this week and then saw this info tonight on another triplet blog. This just breaks my heart. Please pray for Elyse and pass this information along.

A 4-Month Old Triplet Urgently Needs Your Help!

This is Elyse Yu. She is only 4 months old and the first born of
triplet girls. Elyse has been diagnosed with HLH disease, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder which occurs in only one in a million people.

She is currently receiving chemotherapy until a matching bone marrow donor is found. The most likely match will be from a donor of Korean decent.

Can you help save this little girl's life? MOST is encouraging all families to consider registering to become a donor today. Registration is free for Asian and other special populations from which donors are especially needed.

Visit Elyse's web site.

National Marrow Donor Program- join the registry.

Remembering BeeWin

We've been hearing more and more about Brian's untimely passing. He made the ultimate sacrifice.

A passerby on the beach swam out to help. There were several people trying to get to him and William. This passerby made it to them while Brian was still conscious. They had a float and Brian told the man to take the float and get his son to safety. He died a hero saving his son's life.

Clif is having some difficulty letting this sink in. It is very surreal. We have seen the Internet stories, emails, and now tonight we've seen it on the local news. Last night Clif had a dream about him. He dreams frequently of his father who passed over three years ago. This dream had Brian and his father. They were at a football game, which is so appropriate for all of them.

We decided to do something that might help in some way. This afternoon I put together a quick blog and we posted the link on the Hive (the Georgia Tech fan website). Georgia Tech football is how Clif met Brian and Kimberly. Brian was really active in GT sports and on this board. He lived and breathed GT sports.

Within 8 hours after the blog was published, it surpassed 200 hits. That tells you what kind of guy Brian was. We hope to get a fund started so that people can donate to a college fund for William.

Sad News - The Loss of a Friend

We just got word that one of Clif's friends, Brian, drowned in a rip tide in Jacksonville, FL this morning. We hadn't seen him since last fall, but had been a long time friend and was a groomsman in our wedding.

He leaves behind a wife, Kimberly, and a son, William. Please say a prayer for them. They not only lost a husband and father, but we hear that they were present when it happened.

Update: Brian and Kimberly went into the water to save William as he was swept away by a rip current. Brian died at a local hospital shortly after paramedics pulled him from the water. There are a couple of stories online on local Jacksonville web sites. This is all really hard to fathom. I can't imagine what Kimberly and William are going through and the road they will travel.

Jacksonville.com

First Coast News

National Day of Prayer

If you've been reading many Mom blogs for any length of time, you are aware of Heather's situation. Reading her story, you'll realize that it's no coincidence that her surgery to remove a large brain tumor is today, The National Day of Prayer. Kelli at Living In Grace has organized a prayer vigil for her.

The VT Shootings

I have a close friend who is a professor at Virginia Tech. And we used to be neighbors with their football coach way back when. This story is a little more personal to me. I am so grateful that I read my friend Jen's email before I heard the news. She was thoughtful enough to send a message out to friends to let us know that she was safe at home.

My day was busy and it was 2pm before I turned on the computer or any tv other than kid shows. Luckily, I saw her email before I knew the horrific details of this event. What a tragedy. All I can say is be in prayer for the families that lost loved ones and also those who have to return back to campus. She was very shaken by this whole tragedy.

Helping Heather

Please take a couple of minutes to read about Heather. If you don't already know, she has a brain tumor and is having to go to Mayo Clinic. I don't think I've ever personally witnessed a more together person. She has already had to endure a life-threatening situation with her daughter that is on-going. It's worth your time to read about Heather and her daugher Emma. You will be touched by her strength and blessed by her spirit.

BooMama is organizing a funraiser to help defray their costs. The minimum donation is only $1 and will be done through PayPal.

Here's a paragraph from her BooMama's blog:

So on Wednesday, April 18, we’re going to have an opportunity to love on Heather and her family. Heather and her husband Mark will be leaving April 25th for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota - the number one neurosurgery hospital in the country. I’d love for us to give Heather and Mark a love offering before they leave for Minnesota, to be able to take care of some of their financial obligations so that they can focus on the most important aspect of their trip: getting the absolute best treatment for sweet Heather without worrying about how they’re going to pay for it. If you would like to help, please click here. Hope to see ya'll on the 18th!

Austin's Top 10 God Blesses

My little enthusiastic prayer child, Austin, is learning to say God bless ....(fill in the blank) after his night time prayer. Mommy and Daddy have been encouraging that he remember his siblings, grandparents, and other members of the family and friends. Each night we mix it up a little so that he can figure out on his own who needs to be blessed.

It didn't take long for him to take over control of who he blesses because, well, he's 3. He is in the "me do it" phase of his pre-school years. Tonight I have Austin's first top 10 God Blesses.

1. God Bless Bailey (my parents' dog)


2. God Bless Nana (my mom)


3. Bod Bless bananas (maybe the rhyming thing?)


4. God Bless Granddad (my dad)


5. God Bless Mommy


6. God Bless Mommy (I guess I needed it twice)


7. God Bless Daddy


8. God Bless John, Lauren, and Tyler (once a group, always a group)


9. God Bless Grandma (Clif's mom)


10. God Bless Tommy (our next door neighbor; Austin is his biggest fan)
    

Going Home!

Austin and Elmo got to take a wagon ride to the car. We are on our way home!

Hospital visit for Austin

Things went down hill fast this morning. Austin is having to spend the night in the hospital getting fluids. He is sleeping and I'm passing time trying to type on this silly phone. He is asking for fries & a cheeseburger. That is a good sign!

Getting Some Perspective

Ready to type a post about how sick we all are again, I got an email that put everything into perspective. The contents of that email washed away all of the troubles of the day, well my troubles.

It doesn't matter any more that all we have done all day long is change stinky (nasty) diapers and vomit. My husband hasn't gotten much done work wise, but neither of us are complaining. My dream of the Calgon truck showing up in my driveway with a year's supply of "take me away" bubbles is frivolous. (I even had to take a break from this post to go clean up after Austin during his nap and bring him down on the couch next to me.)

The triplet email group I belong to is wonderful. Every day emails come in about dealing with multiples. Many of the suggestions come right on time for me. And now with about 18 months experience I'm able to contribute. Occasionally (I think only twice since I joined in May '05) we get a very sad email. Today, it was about the Beall triplets.

The Bealls are completely unfamiliar to me, but I feel like I know them so well. We found out about them from a post to the triplet group in February (about 2 weeks ago). They delivered 2 boys and 1 girl at 26 weeks gestation. They all weighed under 2 lbs. They have all three struggles since their birth, especially the boys. Not strong enough for surgery, they had to have a bedside procedure to remove the infections in their abdomens from the perforations that had developed in their bowels.

Yesterday afternoon, Aidan and Andrew passed away. Their little sister Ashlyn is still fighting and has had 3 good nights according to their CaringBridge site. Please pray for this family. And pray that little Ashlyn will get stronger every day. The NICU experience is hard. These parents will have to walk into the hospital every day knowing that they lost their precious little boys there, but they'll have to be strong for Ashlyn.

This really hits home with me and I guess that's why I feel like I know them. Our triplets only spent 3 more weeks in the womb and we had a totally different experience. Tyler gave us a scare, but he pulled through beautifully and even though I didn't keep details of every day, I remember that every day we took little (and sometimes big) steps forward. After the first week, we really never looked back.

Cancel the Calgon truck because I know I can handle us all being sick again.