Harder Family

Harder Family

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Update on Wayne

 Psalm 121:1-3 "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber."

First of all, let me thank everyone who has reached out and has been praying for our family. We could not walk the last seven years without you! Your prayers sustain us and help us face difficult days like Sunday.

I wanted to give a quick update about Wayne. He was kept at the hospital overnight for observation after they ran a CT scan and MRI (12/11). They did not find any signs of a stroke and they didn't see any masses in his brain. One neurologist told us that a seizure can trigger Todd's Syndrome, a temporary paralysis on one side of the body. We don't know for sure if that is what happened, but we are thankful that it wasn't a stroke. 

Unfortunately, Wayne had two more seizures (12/16 and 12/20) and unlike before, these seizures are impacting his right side and not just his leg. Thankfully, we have an appointment with a specialist in Chicago on 12/29 and a two day EEG on 1/12 that is at our house. In addition, Wayne's neuro oncologist has moved his MRI up two months so they can monitor everything more closely. 

Despite all these medical issues, we made the most of our time in Florida. We were able to get a ton of mulching done at The Homes of Ethnos360. My upper body is very sore from mulching for 7 days. During our free time, we traveled down to the Everglades and saw numerous alligators and birds. We were also able to tag along with friends to Sea World for the afternoon and I experienced something I've always feared...getting stuck on a ride! Thankfully, we got stuck BEFORE the rollercoaster went up the incline. The negative side was that we were on Manta and were on our bellies when we had to be released and I never made it back on the ride that night.

Because of Wayne's seizures, he is prohibited from driving for a few months. This posed a serious issue for us because we had to somehow get our truck/trailer home from Florida. I have always known that the body of Christ was amazing, but once again, we have experienced love that goes above and beyond our wildest imagination. Our church flew the most amazing couple down to Florida and they are driving our trailer back to Kentucky for us. It is crazy how quickly life and plans can change. We have decided after this trip that it is best if we sell our trailer. I am uncomfortable driving a set-up so long and large. We cannot thank the Hick family and Grace Baptist Church enough for stepping in and being there for us in ways we could never have imagined. 

Despite the many hiccups on this trip, many memories were made and we are trusting God with the future. 




Micaela & Joella helped do different projects with another volunteer.



Joella wouldn't stop hugging Wayne when we got home from the hospital. Medical trauma is real.


We are on the board of volunteers. Such an amazing organization!




Working hard! We mulched for the seven days we worked.




Sea World



































































Not cute, but practical to keep the fire ants from biting me. Those little ants pack a punch!


The girls and I were invited to participate in the women's brunch. We got to meet some amazing missionaries.


Sophia loved learning how to use the leaf blower.


Hanging out with friends...



Big Cypress & Everglades Trip




Huge gators!













Christmas present from us and my parents...fan boat ride!





















We got to hold a year old gator!









Baby gators on the island...




Everglade islands - so interesting to learn the history of these islands.




John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park - cold water and lots of bugs





Saw this sign AFTER we went swimming! 




My favorite flower...orchids!! Added two more plants to my collection.



Mulch and more mulch...




Please continue to pray for us as we seek answers about Wayne. We could not continue on this difficult journey without you all by our side.