I have a lot to catch
up on in this post. I first want to
start by saying Merry Christmas! We were unable to do Christmas cards this year
so this is our official Merry Christmas to everyone!!
Carter's Best Friends...Hank and Peanut!
Telling everyone how old he is this Christmas!
Update on
Carter. He is doing ok. He was discharged from the hospital this past
Tuesday. He has continued to run a low-grade
fever and has developed a wound infection.
We are currently treating him with IV antibiotics and it is looking
better. Carter was discharged home on
TPN, lipids and NG feeds. He was still
receiving Pedialyte through his NG tube when we were discharged home. Once we got home we switched him back to
formula. He has not been able to
tolerate any formula. This morning he
started having problems tolerating the Pedialyte. So for now Carter is not receiving anything
through his NG tube. This is not ideal,
but it is ok since he is receiving TPN and lipids (IV nutrition). I actually pulled his NG tube out this morning
and I think he has enjoyed not having anything taped to his face. It seems that no one really understands why
Carter is not tolerating his feedings right now. Brandon and I are praying for wisdom right
now, not only for us, but for Carter’s many medical teams. I know we will figure all of this out, but
until then we will continue to pray.
Thank God for TPN and lipids, without it our sweet boy probably would
not be here this Christmas.
Now that Meagan has
given the update on Carter, I want to share a touching story from this week.
One of my co-workers and her classes had been studying a unit on Japan. In
their unit they read a book, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. In
the book, Sadako was a young girl that was two years old when the atomic bomb
was dropped on Hiroshima. She survived the bombing, but in her teen years she
began having dizzy spells and learns that she has Leukemia, also called “The
Atomic Bomb Disease.” Sadako’s friend, Chizuko, tells her that if she will fold
1,000 paper cranes the gods will be pleased and grant her one wish. Chizuko
folded the first crane for her and Sadako began working on the rest.
Unfortunately Sadako passed away before she folded 1,000. She was able to fold
644, however.
After reading this
book, my co-worker and her classes decided that they wanted to fold 1,000 paper
cranes for our family and especially Carter. They worked diligently for over a
month and met their goal. On Monday evening my co-workers hung the cranes in my
room and prayed that Carter would come home for Christmas and get well. On
Tuesday morning not long after reading the letter she and her class left for
me, I received a text message that we would be bringing Carter home that day.
When I could finally pull myself together, I went down to her classes and told
them how much I appreciated all of their hard work and more importantly their
prayers. I emphasized that while the cranes were awesome, it was their prayers
that brought Carter home. I want to thank each and every one that folded a
crane or allowed their child to do so. Again, I want to thank each one of those
kids and co-workers for their prayers. Prayer is powerful, especially when so
many gather to do it. Our family loves each and every student and co-worker at
Brandon Elementary School. May God bless each one of you and your families this
Christmas season.
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