sorry folks going to one post per week . It's getting too busy to keep up with the renovations right now. I' ll post on Sat. nite Al

Monday (day 186)

Good day all. God has protected Shawna through another serious operation. Everything went very well. She had a small fever which was to be expected but the incision has remained infection free. She was very alert yesterday and smiled for me a lot. She was tired though after 3 hrs in the wheelchair and needed a small sleep back in bed to recuperate. We have noticed some very good developments with her eyes. She can now easily look left and down and turns her eyes to catch a view of who is visiting. Her left eye now has almost the same response as her right. When I asked her if she could recognize me and see me with her left eye she blinked affirmative. That is a hugh blessing as we were told at the onset that she may never be able to see properly or the brain may not be able to interpret what she sees because her occular zone was damaged. Deb texted me that Shawna was safely back at Chedoke now and it would be a quiet day for her as she continues to recuperate. It will soon be exercize as usual. The last stage of renovations are underway at the house as contractors change our bathroom to a roll-in shower bathroom. After this everything will be in place for her to stay at home again we remain thankful to God for all the blessings we have received from his hand and continue to pray for Shawnas recovery. Thanks. Al and Deb

Thursday (day 182)

Good evening all. Well Shawnas skull flap reinsertion was a success so far. Now we have to wait and pray there will be no infection. There is a 5 to 10 % chance of that happening. If it does the skull flap will have to be removed immediately and discarded. They will then have to fabricate a cage like device from titanium and use that instead. We will continue to pray that no more operations on her skull are necessary as she is very tired and in some pain. When we were waiting in the waiting room all the memories of that first night came flooding back. It was a bit overwhelming but when we remembered psalm 23 which Deb spoke to Shawna about just prior to her operation we were comforted and assured of God's great care and mercy. For we will fear no evil for He is with us. Shawna may end up staying at the General again till Sunday unless they need a bed. Right now she is resting comfortably and relaxing after receiving some pain meds. She looks beautiful ( I always said she did anyways). In 10 days they will remove the staples. And in 3 or 4 days we can carefully wash her hair again. They did a beautifull job again(at least what I can see) of saving her hair and disguising the incision. We remain so thankful for the advances of medicine and the blessing of skilled surgeons. Above all we again are thankfull for God's providential care and mercy on us His children. Thanking you again for your prayers and support. Al and Deb

Monday (day 179)

Good morning all. We had a beautiful weekend together. Shawna really enjoyed her stay at home. Her smiles were very evident and large. It was very hard to bring her back to chedoke Sunday night and even for shawna as we said goodnight her smile was weak and looked forced. Shawna's skull cap reinsertion surgery is planned for thursday this week and she will spend the night probably in the General and the next couple weekends at Chedoke as they monitor the incision site for infection. They have assured us that Shawna will be right back at it with the therpapy on monday as there is no muscles to be cut etc and they will just be a bit more careful with her. We are very thankful to God that Shawna could witness with our congregation her sister Jessica's profession of faith. The next major event we are hoping she will be ready for is her brother Wil's wedding on Aug 7. It has certainly been a busy 6 months. We continue to rely on Him for strength and pray for His continued guidance and care in the life of our daughter. Thankyou for your prayers and support. Al and Deb

Friday (day 176)

Here is a small beautiful poem I was given and would like to share with readers

Watching the great Physician

Oh Lord, show us Thy mercy, on who before us lies.
Our hearts are nearly breaking to see how hard she tries.
Let her not lose her focus as she works on and again,
To open up new pathways in her damaged brain.

Her deep, blue eyes so trusting, sometimes fill with tears.
It is as if she really knows, it could take many years.
Each day seems like the last one, the progress very slow.
Lord, let the pathways she is making, multiply and grow.

Each movement is a tiring effort, a battle to be won.
Will you bring to full fruition the work You have begun?
In all this, she knows, we pray Thy will be done.
Let her gain her youthful vigor, to talk, to walk, to run.

Watchers leave with leaden hearts, do not weep and yearn.
We are there to help and serve, we are there to learn.
To see the miracles He's done, the care shown day by day.
To Hold your breath each time you come, what will He do today?

We are so weak and so short lived, our patience quickly flies,
So send your prayers heavenward, let praises fill the skies,
For all the work He's done so far and all there's still to do,
He is our loving, great Physician and He will help her through.

Sjanie Bethlehem 2008

Thursday (day 175)

Good evening all. Well Shawna's skull cap reinsertion was postponed to next week Thursday. We were expecting something of that sort but the doctor and physiotherapists at Chedoke were not and they were a bit upset because a few other items had been arranged to be done at the same time. Now those procedures will have to be rebooked hopefully for next week as well. Shawna continues to train on the bike and steadily progresses. She has acclimatized to the new drugs and is back at the level before the drugs were administered. She also continues to do well in the standing frame and sitting on the edge of the bed. Today for swallowing they gave her thickened grape juice. Imagine finally tasting something besides toothpaste for six months! (Except when I slipped her some chocolate milk which apparently was a big no-no) I wasn't here so I can't tell what her reaction was but she swallowed successfully and we've been here for over an hour and she hasn't coughed! We may be able to take Shawna home from friday night to sunday night to stay for two nights. That would be fantastic. It is God's providential care that Shawna will be able to come to church on Sunday afternoon to witness her sister Jessica's public profession of faith. If she had the operation today it would have been too early to take her home on the weekend. Again we can see the mercies our Lord is giving our family and Shawna as she continues to recover. We continue to thank you for your prayers and support. Al and Deb

Monday (day 172)

Good morning all. It was a beautiful weekend. Firstly Shawna had a good physio day on Friday with a good session standing and sitting as her casts were taken off. There is some concern though that she will have to be operated on to loosen the tendons of her ankles to get her feet back to neutral position as the serial casting has not been having the desired effect. On Saturday Shawna was home. Jess worked quickly on curling her hair and we went to her cousin Michelle's wedding. She came back home to bed for a few hours and then came to the reception. She really enjoyed the events and was very animated trying to talk several times. He managed to stay fully awake till 1100 pm and went home for a good nights sleep in her own bed. Sunday morning she was wide awake at 800 am and smiling. When I asked her if she liked her new room she blinked affirmative. Sunday afternoon she attended the inaugural sermon of Rev Huijgen in Attercliffe which was followed by several of her friends coming over to visit till she had to return to Chedoke. Again when we got her back at 1000pm she was still quite awake and alert. This is definitely another change as the medications continue to awaken her. She didn't want me to leave as the nurses put her to bed for the night and after this weekend it was very hard to leave. We enjoyed a sort of normalcy which hasn't been in our home for half a year and that was a huge blessing which we received from God's hand this week. We continue to be blessed by His hand and continue to receive support and help from the communion of saints as we continue on the path laid out for us. Thankyou for your continued prayers and support. Al and Deb

Thursday (day 168)

Good day all. Its been a mixed bag week with a trip yesterday for Shawna to have her feeding tube relocated from her lower intestine to her stomach. Due to a miscomunication about the type of feeding tube it was the procedure could not be done. Instead Shawna will have to have a small operation to do it. This will require her to be off blood thinners for a day or two. Next week on the 17 Shawna will tentatively have her skull cap reinserted. They consider it nonessential because she can "live" without it and therefore it could be bumped for more serious procedures. The doctors have increased some of her meds to combat tone but Shawna has stayed awake most of the day. She continues to move her left hand and arm slightly and is now trying to point at objects with her right hand. Still no talking but some noises once in a while when she's not concentrating.
This weekend Shawna will attend the wedding of her cousin Michelle Linde to Chris Weirsma and hopefully the party and then spend the night at home in her own room. Again we can see the many blessings we receive from the Lord's hand and continue to lay our needs before His throne of grace. Thankyou again for your prayers and support. Al and Deb

Monday (day 165)

Good evening all. We had another successful weekend taking care of Shawna in the ADL apartment and were also able to take her home on sunday for 8 hrs. They have given Shawna some meds to stimulate her brain and others to combat "tone" as her muscles start to function more. As a result Shawna was very sleepy throughout the week but she seems to have leveled out again and was very alert on Sunday. She even elevated her left arm and wrist twice, a totally new develpment! Hopefully everything continues to flow at home so she can be home on Saturday night with us. Again more blessings from His almighty hand. Thankyou for your prayers. Al and Deb

Thursday (day 161)

Good Evening all. There isn't much to write about as the therapists are on rotational holidays and the therapy isn't quite as intense this week. They are giving Shawna some medicine for "tone" to make her muscles relax especially her right leg. Well it's not making her leg relax much and it seems to have slowed down progress on her left side. Just something we have to talk to the therapists about on Monday. This weekend we will again be staying with Shawna in the ADL apartment in order to facilitate her coming home for an evening or two (July 12 and July 19). Her bed and lift are being set up in her room this coming Tuesday. We seem to have hit a bit of a lull in the activity but there is still some good progress especially with her head movement and balance and eye tracking. We remain thankful and are getting a bit excited about having her come home overnight! Daily we receive mercies from God's hand and we continue to pray for Shawna's recovery. thank you again for your prayers and support. Al and Deb