Tuesday, June 2, 2009

SO MANY PRAISES, SO MANY THANKS...

Hello Friends,

It has been a while since we updated the blog. So much has happened since we wrote you last. I will start with the dedication on Mother's Day.

What a blessing it was to have Isaiah dedicated back to God. This was something we never thought we would have a chance to do. God sure is good! He was very cute in his little plaid pants and golfers cap with a navy blue vest. He only cried a little. It was the first time Pastor Campbell was able to hold him. Pastor read the passage from the Bible that he read to us the day we were told our little baby had Trisomy 18, Isaiah 43:1-3, "Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou are mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior." I started to tear up just remembering where we came from to where we are today, from death to life! Isaiah is truly a miracle! He is here today because of the faithfulness of God's people praying for his healing. Isaiah is here today because God intervened on yours and our behalf!

Thank you to all the friends and family that were able to attend. We enjoyed sharing such a special occasion with you. A special thanks to my mom who travelled up from Tennessee and to my brother Doug who travelled in from Boston to attend the service. It was nice having my whole family together. Isaiah was blessed to have 2 sets of GREAT-grandparents attend also, one from each side, the Millers and the Solts. What a great legacy he has. We also had aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents from all over PA and from NJ come to our home to celebrate Isaiah's life. We all had a great time.

The day before the dedication was the Mother's Market and bake sale. The amazing women from Moms & Tots put on a great event. Their goal was to raise money for Isaiah to help with medical expenses and travel costs. I was praying for a specific amount. Wouldn't you know it that God answered my request, plus some. The amount they raised helped to cover 2 medical bills. I was only praying to cover 1 bill. Again, God is just so good to us. Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in the bake sale and market. We cannot even begin to express just how much you all mean to us. We know that there were some people who bought items just to support Isaiah, and didn't even know who he was or who we are. Thank you to you as well. I was able to take Isaiah to the Mother's Market so people could meet him in person. We had fun, and I had fun shopping!)

Isaiah is now receiving therapy at home once a week besides the weekly session of therapy at CHOP's satellite office in Chalfont. He is exercised and stretched. He is not too fond of all the stretching. Through therapy, Isaiah was discovered to also have torticollis, which is a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side, and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side. He always turns to the right. To correct the problem takes allot of diligence on our end. Both Chris and I have to make sure he is being stretched multiple times throughout the day. He is getting better, but still has a ways to go.

A huge praise is that Isaiah is now off of the Apnea monitor! No more alarms during the night! Every clinical read from the monitor was negative for episodes--he did not stop breathing or drop his heart rate below 80 bpm. It was a little scary getting rid of the monitor, but at the same time a great relief!

Another great answer to prayer is that Angelina, one of the little babies from CHOP, received her lung transplants and is doing well. You can read her story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/angelinacolman. Also, her parents are still having a fund raiser for her in which you can purchase t-shirts. I was told they are now available (earlier when I had posted this, the t-shirts weren't ready). Keep praying for her for complete healing so she can go home with her parents and big sister. The following is the info about the t-shirts:

ANGELINA LOUISE LUNG TRANSPLANT FUNDRAISER T-SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE...
IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY PURCHASED A SHIRT,
PLEASE VISIT THE LINK BELOW AND/OR EMAIL IT TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE.
http://www.angelflywear.mybisi.com/

**ORDER 3 OR MORE SHIRTS NOW THRU MAY 31ST AND RECEIVE FREE SHIPPING...REFER TO CODE FREESHIP UPON CHECKOUT.
THANK YOU, THE ANGELFLYWEAR TEAM

A couple of the other babies have also gone home and are doing well. They are Jordan, Tehila, Liya, James and Jack. Two that continue to need special intervention from God are Blake and Jaylisse. I know all their parents would appreciate continued prayer for complete healing for all of them.

We head back down to CHOP on June 1st to see Isaiah's neurologist. As of right now, Isaiah seems to be developing without any mental complications. He is reaching his developmental milestones, and has not shown any signs of delays. Hopefully, they will have continued good news. On June 24th, we see Dr. Chang again (ortho/plastics specialist) to determine what surgery Isaiah exactly needs. Surgery on his left arm is tentatively scheduled for August, along with his urologic surgery. Surgery on his right hand will not take place until he is a year old.

We love all of you so much and cannot thank you enough for standing by us through all of this. Many times you have been our strength when we felt we could not go on. Many of you met needs we had without even asking. We are truly blessed to be in the presence of a miraculous God who takes care of His children!

Thank you and God bless--"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," Philippians 1:4

3 comments:

  1. It was so good to see you at school today and to hear your testimony. The kindergarten students have prayed every day for your family and for Isaiah since well before he was born. The answers to prayer have been a life lesson for these young children.

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  2. It was wonderful to see Isaiah dedicated! It was such blessing and encouragemet!

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  3. Hi Joy-
    It was so nice to finally talk with you today at CHOP. Your boys are beautiful. I wish you all the best with this next surgery. You guys are doing an amazing job with your little guy. You are very blessed to have such a great support circle and strong faith. It totally makes everything easier. If you ever need anything or have any questions, please call me. It gets easier each day. Reading your blog brings back so many memories of Ellie's first two years. If interested, you can visit her carepage at http://www.carepages.com/carepages/EllieMook
    Enjoy your miracle baby!!! Stay well and I look forward seeing you soon.
    Best,
    Colleen Mook

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