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. 

Never A Dull Moment

 Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Update: Wayne is out of the hospital. He didn’t
have a stroke (praise) and his scan is still clear
(praise), but no one has answers for this sudden
increase in seizures. We are working with our doctor
in Chicago to schedule a 2 day EEG and see a
specialist who works with brain cancer patients

experiencing seizures. 

There is never a dull moment at our house. I know I haven't posted in a long time and it has been on my to-do list for months. Life has been chaotic with all the kids. Joella had her tonsils out in September and Grace tore her ACL and had to leave Life Action Ministries to have surgery. I'll have to post an update later during the holiday season for the summer and fall months. For now, I wanted to give a current update. 

Wayne left with Sophia and Shan on Wednesday to head to Sanford, FL for us to serve for two weeks with Ethnos360. They arrived Thursday afternoon after discovering an hour from their destination that Wayne's back tires were literally falling apart on the inside. God protected them and got them safely to their destination. 

I left Thursday morning after Grace's follow up orthopedic appointment. The girls and I didn't arrive in Sanford until 1:00am. It was then that I realized that my backpack, with all my contacts and glasses, was left at home. God worked so many details out! I was able to see a local eye doctor, who never has openings and just happened to have a cancelation 30 minutes before I called. I was able to get a couple pair of contacts to hold me over until my parents were able to overnight my bag to me, which probably cost me a kidney.

We spent Friday evening at Christmas in the Country with our friends that live in the area. It was wonderful to spend time with the Beck, Hartman, and Edwards families. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time.

Saturday was Shan's 16th birthday and we spent the day visiting manatees at Blue Spring State Park and driving to Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse. Wayne has wanted to re-visit this location after seeing tortoises there ten years ago. Shan Chen chose to eat at Culvers for his birthday. That kid can't get enough of that crazy restaurant! We had a great day making memories as a family and ended the day with the Edwards family.

On Sunday morning, Wayne and I woke up and were talking and relaxing before we were to get up for church. Suddenly, Wayne experienced a focal seizure in his right leg. I gave him a lorazepam under his tongue to end the seizure. His seizure ended and we thought we were good. About 7-10 minutes later, he lost complete sensation in his right arm. Then his face went numb and he couldn't speak. I quickly realized this was something we needed to be seen for. It was unlike anything we have seen since his initial diagnosis. So, I packed a backpack and headed to a local ER to be evaluated. They quickly did a CT to make sure he didn't have a stroke. The initial results show no stroke, but they are admitting him to be evaluated over night. He is currently getting an MRI and then will have an EEG in the morning. I have tried asking questions about what could be causing these issues. The last six months we have seen an increase in focal seizures, after months and years of not having seizures. He also has been experiencing an increase in right side weakness and some other symptoms. No one seems to have answers for us. Hopefully, between this team of doctors and our doctor in Chicago, we can come up with a plan and try to figure all of this out. 

I also have the privilege of volunteering this weekend with Inheritance of Hope for their Hope@Home Weekend Retreat. God's timing is perfect! In light of what is going on today, I know that God has this amazing group of people to surround me on this hard day.

We appreciate prayers for wisdom for the doctors and guidance as we move forward. Please pray that our new tires arrive quickly and that God moves mountains and opens all the doors that we need to get back home. We love all of you!