NOEL

NOEL

"Noise of everyone laughing!"

It is a good thing to be home and to hear laughter!  It has been hard, though!  I didn't realize how hard it would be.  No nurses, Dr.'s, monitors, pca's bedside-I mean, I've always wanted to finish my nursing degree.....

We are good, though. We've just been silent because we're exhausted-the adrenaline ran out when we got home.

While we go through times when life is hard,  we do know though, the goodness of God all the time.  Jake is doing well, aside from a few complications with medicine and just feeling like he was mugged and beaten to a pulp. He said it's not so much a pain feeling as just being sore all over. I'm amazed at the way he is getting around.  We went today to have his stitches removed. Yay! That meant a shower when we got home after a week of very minimal sponge baths. He is truly a new guy! The nurses were great today-said he looked so good and all vitals are right where they need to be. I mean you can't get any better than 100% oxygen saturation. BP is good but will be on medicine for that for a while to "remodel" his heart! He is also on a diuretic to keep the fluid down around the heart and an aspirin a day. He should just be on that for a time.  That's the update on Jake-we are praising God for his progress! 

I just can't let this blog go by without sharing my inadequate thank you's! 

To Bordo, Jess Terry and Travis Wisely! Words cannot express the emotion I feel for you for the Prayer Vigil you organized for Jake on his surgery day. And for the way all 3 of you loved, supported, walked beside and prayed for him before and after. I owe a debt of gratitude I cannot repay.  To all of you who stood in prayer for us that day-I heard it was a beautiful thing!

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. I will never know who prayed that day, but I do know God heard.

To all of you who came to the hospital and sat with us, you carried us through that day and the week. Talk about the loving arms of God!!!! After they took Jake from us to go to surgery-it was definitely not a shining moment for us (as you can imagine)- we turned the corner to the waiting room and there was Renae Schummann.  Renea, I'm endeared to you forever for being there and holding me up. Then we walked to the waiting room where my Dad, Matt's parents and Ann Fregia (angel on earth) were there. Throughout the day, my sister, Lori, Matt's sisters, Laurie and family, Gary and Caroline, and other sister, Mindy and Kady came. Darlene Stauffer, Stacy and Robert Beasley, Bob and Cheryl Gowens, Mike and Nancy Calvert, Nancy Howald and Kimberley Wilks, Cassie Brimberry, Erin Leeser, Ben Dawson, Melissa Anderson,  Wes Kennedy, Don and Karen Anderson, Amy Lary, Don and Helen Bryan, Gretchen Ware, Patty Dishman, Keith Perry, Dana Wright, Katie Hooper, Vanessa Foster, Chandler Lengefeld, Amy Pyer, Jess Terry, Brian Clark. Then throughout the week, Alan Dawson, Carol Goforth, Ernell and Nick Veraldi, Wes Speights, Andrew Leeser and Lincoln, Bordo, Gina and Bryce Borden, Clint Askins, John Hamilton, Shank, Bryan Davis, Cheri Pyer, Ryan Pyer, Kevin Zilinski, Tim Dunn, Kyle Pencak, David Williamson, Alex Boshart, Ryan Minter, The Parks6, Berkley Wilks and last but not least Travis Wisely (who visited everyday)!!!! I'm sure I've left someone out. If I have left you off this list, I want to know.  

Wow! This has been such a testament to our beloved church and Jake's school, by the way you responded to us. We love you so much and thank you for being in our lives. We do not take your friendship for granted. I'm sorry if this is gushy. I'm feeling very gushy towards each one of you for loving us through this and for "LIFTING UP JAKE!!

It is going to be a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!