Prayers Needed!!

Prayer Warriors near and far...

Dana's journey continues with her ongoing sickness. We are just in amazement that it has been 9 weeks in the ICU with her being so sick. This week especially has been a test of our faith.

At some point, I will update the blog on the entire illness, but past entries can fill you in on the details.

We traveled to Waco from Friday-Sunday after Christmas. Dana was holding steady at that point. We got home Sunday night and woke up Monday morning to some bad news. Her white blood count had increased which showed worsening infection. Also, her heart was having trouble and was weakening. Chris traveled to Waco shortly after lunch and I headed up behind him with the boys.

I stopped along the way to pick up my mom at the lake and got there around 9. I was able to see her and tell her how much I love her that night. Tuesday morning, we were woken up by a phone call at 3:45 from Chris' dad saying that the time was near. We rushed to the hospital and were able to talk to her and love on her. She was lucid and able to respond to us. It was a very difficult time as we all thought that the end was nearing. At about 7, we were told to go back to the hotel and rest. We did not know how much longer things could go on.

Dana's cardiologist mentioned that one possibility of her weakening heart could be a toxic reaction to a drug she was on. The other doctors highly doubted this and thought that she was tiring out.

Around 12 noon on Tuesday, we were called back to the hospital. Her heart had weakened further and was very irregular. This time, we read the Bible, sang her favorite hymns and talked and comforted her. She was sedated most of this time so that she would not be anxious or worried.

Around 2:30, we started to see a change on the monitor. The heart was increasing in regularity and strength. We were witnessing a miracle. The tone in the room changed as we began to encourage her to hold on and fight. We saw before our very eyes how God worked a miracle on Dana at that moment. She was hanging on when doctors felt it could not be possible.

The 6 reported cases of this particular drug being toxic left a VERY small chance that that was the case for her. However, as her heart began to turn around, it was evident that she was the 7th case of this. She was doing better.

Tuesday night, a friend of the family and a confirmed "prayer warrior" visited Dana's room to symbolically wash her feet and annoint her with oil. The next morning, she came and met the entire family around her bedside to take communion and pray over her.

Chris and I left for the lake Wednesday afternoon. We felt comfortable with her status at that point and knew she needed to rest.

Thursday brought continued good news. Her heart was holding strong, her infection levels were down a bit and she was resting. The main concern was an increase in her kidney levels, so they were watching that. At that point, the cultures were not showing any infections. This was great!

Friday morning, Chris received a phone call that her infection levels had risen, her kidneys had worsened and he decided to head back to Waco. We spent the day once again in constant prayer. We wanted so badly for God's timing to be NOW- to start the healing process NOW!

Today, the news was better. Her infection levels have dropped- GLORY TO GOD!! They still cannot culture anything, so we are grateful and hopeful that God has taken those stubborn infections and gotten them out of her body for good. The issue of most concern is still the kidneys today. If she absolutely needs to, they will start dialysis, but we hope this will not be the case. We are hoping that they will begin to work more effectively without the need for dialysis. The cardiologist has said today that he thinks her heart is still holding strong. How amazing!!

We are so confident in God's power to heal and we believe with our entire heart that he will. She has great work to do for the Lord and we feel that He will heal her to allow her to do just that. What an amazing witness of God's power, strength and goodness. We have witnessed a miracle firsthand watching her heart recover from the toxin. She has persevered and has the will to continue the fight.

Please join us in praying for her full recovery. Pray the God's timing would begin NOW. She has been through such a long ordeal already and we are begging for each day to be better than the last. God has been so good to us and to her already and has shown us so much in the last 9 weeks. His Word has been so powerful and filling to us as we lean entirely upon Him for wisdom and understanding. We give all glory to Him for each and every step of this journey. Thank you all for your prayers.