Update 1/6/11

Lydia here! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as our family goes through this time of unknowns and ups and downs. Thank you for lifting us up to the One who knows all and who has the perfect plan. A master plan. A plan in which every moment that Dad is left on earth simply means that his work on earth is not yet done and that there is more glory that he can bring to his Lord.

I know so many of you are faithfully praying for us. So many of you have asked what you can do to help our family in this time of need. We need your prayers! I would also like to ask you to feel free to email my parents with words of encouragement or drop a card in the mail. I am checking my parents mailbox on a regular basis and would enjoy taking them something besides bills:)

Here's what is happening so you will know how to pray:
Dad's white blood cell count continues to rise and we don't know why. The hospital staff is doing what they can to find out. While I was at the hospital today, they opened Dad back up and it appears that the cell-count issue is not related to last week's surgery (colostomy). There doesn't seem to be any infection at the wound site. Because Dad has been on blood thinners, he is bleeding a lot and his hemoglobin is very low.Right now his counts (hemoglobin) are sitting at 8.5, once it drops to 8, he will need to receive a transfusion. Dad is very weak, sleeping around the clock (except when he's being poked and prodded), and his color isn't good. He is completely immobile, whereas only this past weekend, he was able to walk around some. A lot needs to happen before he can come home from the hospital.

Here's what you can praise God for: Dr. Canon is the surgeon who did the colostomy last Wednesday. Now, I've been around the medical community enough to know that this doctor is a rare find indeed.He has already been by Dad's room THREE times today. I really appreciated his bedside manner, he seems to really care about Dad and expresses interest in our entire family. The nurses have all told us how "lucky" we were that he was on call when we came into the ER last week. We know that luck had nothing to do with it:)
I'm also so thankful for my parents' church family. I have a dear friend in their congregation that I can call at the drop of a hat and she will see that things get done. Sometime over the next couple of days they are going to take care of some things for Mom and Dad- big jobs, not little things by any means! Although, having said that...even the little things are HUGE. Cards, emails, FB messages, it all means so much to us right now and is so encouraging- THANK YOU!!!!

Well, I'm at my parents house as I write this and the laundry's almost done and the house is tidy, so time to head back to my little (HAH!) family and take care of things there. Thank you all for your prayers!
~Lydia