Update 12/07/2009

It's been a couple weeks since the last update. Amazing how time flies when we're either busy or things are going about as good as you can hope for, especially in Emily's case.

She's back in school and there was only one matter of concern on her first day back, at least from the teachers. They didn't want to risk anything given what she's been through and we're thankful for the attentiveness. But anyway, she had complained of her side/hip hurting after getting up from a nap and they called us. Maria Marcela went to pick her up about 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled time.

She was fine, just a little sore. She has not had to have any pain medication for the last several days, which is great.

Now we just go through the process of every 6 months getting the rods either lengthened or replaced with larger ones.

We're hoping we don't have any complications of the spinal cord to resurface. That still remains our chief concern at this point.

She and Maria Marcela plan to travel to Boston next week and will be staying 3 weeks.

Thank you everyone praying for Emily and the whole family.

X-Rays Pre and Post Veptr

These x-rays show somewhat the difference that the veptr is already providing. At the very least, you can see the two titanium rods directly screwed or bolted to her spine and ribs, which makes just now think, Maria better take the x-ray with her upon checking in at the airport next month going to Boston.

Anyway, you can follow the spine in both and see a contrast.

At this point, Emily is suffering a lot of pain in her right arm due to the surgeons having to literally remove her scapula to insert the outer brace. She's prescribed pain medicine every 4 hours. Otherwise, she's walking around, getting in and out of chairs...slowly.

It is important to report that these braces have added a full inch to her height. She's now at 35 1/2". This still puts her at about 3-4 inches under average height for her age.

Day 5 @ Scottish Rite

We're relieved to report that the surgery went as hoped for and there were no complications other than some work done on her shoulder that we were unaware was going to take place, apparently done in order for them to have access to the upper rib section.

We were warned that there could be trauma to the lungs during this ordeal, but again, there wasn't, thankfully.

As of today, all the tubes have been removed, one being through her chest, which I'm thinking to be glad I never got to see. Emily is in much better spirits, but without fail, seeking sympathy wherever it's to be had. :)

According to the surgeon, there will be one more evaluation tomorrow morning and they suspect that she will be released shortly after.

You'll probably be able to determine the before and after surgery pics to the left.

Dual Veptrs are in Place

After a long day of checking in on Monday, x-rays, photos, blood taken 3 times, visits with the anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, Emily and Maria Marcela finally got settled in their room for the night.

The next morning, Tuesday, Emily went into surgery around 9:30 and thus began the wait. After about 5 hours, we got the news that the surgery went as well as could be expected with no complications. I say that because, earlier that morning, we were told that there could be a possibility of disturbing the lungs and thus creating a new problem. But thankfully no.

As of last night, Emily was mainly feeling discomfort from the breathing tubes in there just for precaution and surprisingly, she wasn't even agitated about her back.

I'm hoping to hear that last night was a restful night and to start hearing confirmation of them coming home this Friday.

The Day We've Been Waiting For...with trepidation.

Well, we sure would appreciate everyone's interceding prayers for Emily and the family this week. I will be taking Emily and Maria Marcela to the Children's Scottish Rite Hospital of Dallas today for the pre operation procedures which will include check-in, scans/x-rays, etc. to prove her readiness for the surgery tomorrow.

Maria Marcela will be staying with Emily this whole week which we're being told to expect a release by Friday.

Andrew is in school, while I'm working and taking a training class, among other things.

For details on Emily's surgery, you can peruse a previous post.

http://emilymeisnyder.blogspot.com/2009/03/plans-for-next-surgery.html

Kidz World - With Friends

Typical day in school with her friends. Teacher says that her interest is in singing.

Scoliosis Initial Surgery Scheduled

We just received a letter today, after a lot of badgering I might add, from the Scottish Rite hospital to go ahead and schedule Emily's surgery. I can't say we're looking forward to the surgery itself, but more to getting what needs to be done, done.

The pre-op is scheduled for Monday, November 16th, while the surgery, if everything checks out on the pre-op with x-rays and all, will be the next day, Tuesday, the 17th.

As I've mentioned, this should be the surgery in which she will get the veptr put in place. You may see previous posts for a visual.

In the meantime, Emily is enjoying school.

We'll keep you posted.

School Time Coming Up

Well, here we are at the end of August, school starting for everyone and Emily getting geared up for pre-K. We were concerned whether she would be permitted to attend given that she has some limitations and still the occasional bladder accidents. But it looks like she will be able to go. This will be the same school that Andrew went to for two years.

At this point, Emily is getting around much better, although she's still not back to how she was pre-op. Still doing rehab once or twice a week and has even been going to the pool on occasion and wading out to the middle on her own with floaties.

Currently, we're working with Scottish Rite to get her initial surgery scheduled asap in order to begin the straightening of her spine. We don't want to put it off any longer than we have to. As I believe I mentioned, this will involve equipping her with the veptr. You can view previous posts to view illustrations of this contraption.

Taking Steps...

Amazingly, Emily, the other day, got out of her bed on her own, and came down the stairs, sliding, that is. Quite an improvement, to say the least.

But, even more evidence to her improvement, is that she came home from rehab this morning, after having some tape strips placed across the back of her knees to support, she was able to walk across the kitchen without any assistance.

It appears that that during the course of two weeks in the hospital, she lost a great deal of muscle in her legs, so as to duplicate how she was when we brought her home from China. She is without pain at the moment, but we anticipate her having some later today with her having made these steps.

One day at a time...

one for Emily :o) - thanks to a friend

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.

A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..'

'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.

'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

3 Weeks after Surgery #2

Certainly, a week ago, we would not have thought we'd be where we're at today. So thankful, we are. Emily has started standing on her own for moments at a time, as wobbly as she is. She tells us, "I want to walk." Which means it's her choice for us to hold both of her hands as she slowly takes steps across the floor. As opposed to laying down on the floor and dragging her legs. It's amazing that she chooses to do that. Her leg pain is still there, though it seems to subside on some days. We've tried half doses of the nerve pain medicine so as to wean her off of it, but found that there are times to give the full does three times a day as prescribed.

Still...amazingly, no need for the catheter. I can't say enough of how much we're relieved not to have to do that.

I suppose we're taking it as it comes. We keep reminding ourselves of what the surgeon said of the possibility of this surgery needing to be done again. Although, he was anxious for us, at sign of her gaining enough strength to have the surgery to install the veptr as soon as possible, so as to begin straightening her spine. Otherwise, at this rate, she will never have opportunity.

We're hoping she will be able to start school this fall. The same that Andrew did when he was 3, which is a pre- pre-k to some degree. We'll see.

Amazing Progress

Emily is making tremendous improvements. Since Tuesday morning and waking up with a wet diaper, we have not had to catheter her at all. Which is huge!

Her legs still hurt and has to take nerve pain medicine. The pain, if we're interpreting correctly, is like the shock you feel in your pinky when your funny bone gets hit, except this is probably much stronger and worse. It's a shooting pain, like an electrical shock throughout her legs. We believe that by the way she has been sporadically responding to the pain.

However, today, Maria Marcela mentions that she has not complained of pain at all.

She is taking steps with the assistance of someone holding her up. She is unable to stand on her own at this point.

Thank so much for the concern. And thank you to the families who have visited, called, written, brought us meals, contributed to Emily's medical fund and, most importantly, prayed.

Quick Report - More Proof

I just got a call on my cell phone at work from Maria Marcela who handed the phone to Emily who told me she just went pee pee on the potty!!

Emily had told her mommy that she needed to go number 2, "go poop", in her words. And that's when it happened. So, we're unsure as to whether she had the feeling of the need to go number 1. We'll take what we can get at this time.

I can't tell you how much of a relief this is. Maria Marcela was expressing how she felt somewhat disoriented as this was all sinking in. This is certainly a positive sign, but she's not out of the woods yet.

Thank you everyone for your prayers!

Home Again and Recovering

Saturday's rest proved well for us and it gave us all of Sunday morning to pack and clean our Ronald McDonald house room. Interesting how that program works and is available. It is a terrific program.

We got home to Frisco early evening on Sunday after stopping to eat.

Yesterday, we had a little bit of an ordeal in which we needed to fill a prescription for Emily's nerve pain with a medicine called neurontin. However, we had a little hiccup in getting it. Seems as though very few pharmacies carry it and can't get it in until ordered and received the next day. We were delayed in getting it and could have ordered it Sunday night had we known that, but we had read that there were some legal issues and repercussions of taking neurontin, which had us concerned.

Well, as you can imagine, Emily was in pain a good part of the day yesterday while we were running around trying to find the medicine. We finally found a lab that actually mixed it for us.

This morning, we have a bit of good news and are hoping it's not just a fluke to have happened. Emily woke up with a wet diaper, which indicates...yes...she emptied her own bladder without the catheter. We're excited, to say the least, and poor Emily is a little confused since we've been teaching her not to go in her diaper. We'll see how the day goes and if she's able to continue. But, we will say, most definitely, this is a step in the right direction.

We'll keep you posted.

Homestretch

It's Saturday and we're being told that we actually can take Emily home. As it is though, we're going to take today and relax, practice doing the catheterization with nursing guidance so we can feel a little more comfortable doing it on our own. It's going to be a minimum of 4 times a day indefinitely.

Good new though. Emily took 13 steps across the floor with some assistance. It's incredible considering where she's been and what her immobility has been up to now. That's certainly a positive sign of her regaining the ability to walk again.

We can only guess what the pain feels like in her legs. More than likely a nerve pain much like when you hit your funny bone and you feel that shock into your pinkie finger. We have no idea to what degree though.

The plan is to rest and check out tomorrow. She's been given a wheelchair loaner until she can be fitted with one custom to her size. Of course, we're hoping, by that time, she won't need a chair. We're loaded down with boxes of catheters, surgical gloves, lubricant and iodine swabs, as well as pull ups.

We look forward to going home and would have today, but came to the conclusion that today would be good day to rejuvenate and then start all the buzz of packing up tomorrow.

Shalom

Roller coaster of a day!

When the day began today, we were with hopes of going home soon. That was dashed as we were told that, from their meeting, that we could expect Emily to stay another week. That prompted a call to the surgeon, in which I left a message asking for some help since they're really not doing anything that can't be done at home.

Later in the day, we're unsure as to whether the surgeon spoke to anybody, but we were told that we can actually expect to take her home by Friday or Saturday.

Emily still has pain in her legs, can't stand at all, even to be braced up and is still unable to even know when her bladder needs to be emptied much less go on her own without someone using a catheter. That was my job tonight before bedtime and let me tell you, it ranks high up there as one the last things a father should have to do. I think it's more humiliating than anything, but it must be done.

But before we go feeling sorry for ourselves, I just want to mention that, inevitably, it's easy to come across a situation that someone else is going through that makes our own seem not so bad. Take for example a man and his daughter we met today on the playground. Andrew started playing with the little girl and I came over and we started sharing our stories. His name is Malmut. He and his seven year old daughter Layla are from Istanbul. They've been here in Texas since last November with the wife/mother getting treatment for their little 2 year old daughter that has an incurable cancer. They're doing everything they can to extend her life.

That's just one. We're surrounded by it.

But we're also surrounded by people who come in and volunteer, whether it's preparing meals, coordinating activities or whatever. Usually it's people that have had to go through similar circumstances with their child or relative; like a woman who has been coming her for years since losing her 21 year old son to colon cancer.

It's an amazing side of life that we don't often witness, nor want to. It's an amazing lesson.

Coming Home?

We're not getting our hopes up...who am I kidding? We ARE getting our hopes up for Emily to come home within the next few days. The neurologist was by today and was saying that they could decide as early as tomorrow to send her home. This is great news, however, it means that it will be solely on us to empty her bladder.

Nonetheless, we're looking forward to everyone being at home. I think she will make great strides in walking again, just like she originally learned with incentive to keep up with Andrew.

Andrew just hasn't been feeling right emotionally with having the family split up and all. He's refused to go over to other's houses and play. But he's doing good. He and I went to a minor league baseball game last night in which he retrieved a foul ball. It made his day and he's holding on to that ball.

Rehabilitation for Emily

Since we're really looking forward to bringing Emily home, we're having to prepare ourselves for things that she will need done and either Maria Marcela or I will have to do them. One, was having to learn how to empty her bladder with the catheter. Last night was my initiation. Needless to say, it was painful for all of us. Quite a humiliating thing to do.

Today, Andrew and I headed back to Frisco and checked on things with the house and plan to go back tomorrow.

Maria Marcela told me that Emily did good today in her first rehab treatment. She was actually able to sit up on her own without being held. This may shock some to realize that's just where she is at. It's quite a set back for a little girl who was making huge milestones with walking and then running with her existing scoliosis.

We learned from friends that there was a day of prayer and fasting for her and others last Friday. Thank you so much.

We got home to find some gifts from cousins in Boston that Emily will certainly enjoy.

Weekend's Events

Here it is already Monday morning and I haven't posted anything since last week. Since having brought Andrew over and staying with Emily, it's been quite a monopoly of time.

I was able to give Maria Marcela a break from staying with Emily 24 x 7 beginning Friday night since we got a hotel nearby and allowed her and Andrew to enjoy some time together.

Over the weekend, we had a visit from the neurosurgeon who had expressed several things. The primary concern now is her the working of her bladder. She's not even experiencing incontinence. She's just simply not able to go. Which requires 4 times a day for the nurse to administer catheritization, empty the bladder by unnatural means. Needless to say, it's not one of Emily's favorite things. But there is even greater attention to emptying the bladder since she has only one kidney and we don't want to risk long term damage to that one. The doctor seems to be optimistic that she will ultimately regain her ability to walk. She is still experiencing a great deal of pain in her legs. It's amazing how she has this long 10-12 inch scar on her back from the actual surgery and she literally shows no indication of it being of any discomfort.

She eats well and we're trying to pump her with liquids so we can flush the kidney as quick as possible. This week, they will be focusing on rehab and getting her up and moving around, trying to get those legs moving. We're also hopeful that she will regain the simple urge to go to the potty.

We had quite a few visitors over the weekend and really want to thank our friends and family for that. There's also been some very generous contributions to Emily's medical fund of which we are incredibly grateful.

The hospital staff recommended to us the Ronald McDonald house here next to the hospital as a place for us to stay since we don't really know how long Emily will be in the hospital. So, at this very moment, I'm in one of the rooms they assigned to us, while trying to work my job doing a few tasks, etc. The option of staying here has relieved quite a bit of pressure from us since obviously a hotel stay can add up, but also the convenience of being right next door.

Andrew is enjoying it all since he loves staying in hotels.

The outlook: We're hoping she can go home in the next few days, but it means us administering the catheter to relieve her bladder. The doctor seems to think it will be a couple more weeks. He did state that, as far as he is concerned she can go home now, however, it's up to the neurologist to determine that taking into consideration her bladder problem and her legs.

Will give more updates as we learn more.

End of Day 4

This evening, Maria Marcela was saying that Emily had a better day today and was moving a little more. They are settled in the new room. The therapist came by to meet her and gave her a special small wheelchair that she can use to move around and to sit up as much as possible. She is extremely tired. So hopefully she’ll get a decent nap. She is in bed now.

The mood was quite a contrast from this morning. Andrew and I are planning on going back over tomorrow, getting a hotel room locally and giving Maria Marcela a break from the hospital room over the weekend.

Thank you again everyone.

Day 4 - Sobriety Settles In

Yesterday afternoon, Andrew, Maria Marcela's mother Beatriz and I drove over to visit and we found Emily in somewhat of a sober state. She managed to be entertained by Andrew's and Daddy's antics, but those were quickly dissolved when it came time to empty her bladder. Since she will or cannot go on her own, they use a catheter. She needed to go so bad it was hurting her tummy.

During the visit, we learned that the doctor has recommended her go into rehab today at noon, which means going up to the 6th floor. She is unable to stand on her own and we're still in the dark as to the severity of her nerve damage, particulary affecting her legs.

After speaking to Maria Marcela this morning, she described a rough night of waking up or being awoken to empty Emily's bladder, she went on to say how bleak the outlook really is. The doctor paid a visit and was more sober with his diagnosis. He admitted that Emily is a special case and her condition is serious. He believes that the very problem he did surgery to correct could very likely return and be an ongoing problem.

I suppose we can admit that we always knew the propensity of Emily's condition, but somewhat denied how grave the situation actually is.

It is interesting, that upon receiving this news, a couple days prior, a old friend had inquired about whether there was a fund set up for Emily and her medical bills. I didn't really want to think or admit that it could come to something like this, but it may be just what we're being shown to do. I suppose I'm a bit proud to have wanted to do this, but at the same time, I've never been one to want to close doors that are being made evident.

I have set up an account for Emily in which contributions can be made easily through PayPal if one chooses to. I can't stand asking for money. I will state neither that we need or don't need the money, but rather put it in our Father's care. I cannot see what is ahead, but have an idea of the potential financial burden that it could be. If one chooses to, you may send funds using emilysnyder@laydownlife.net at paypal.com.

To send a check via mail please ensure that her account number is listed on the check and mail to the address listed below.

EDSCU
PO Box 259059
Plano, TX 75025

If you would like to wire money to her account below is the information:

Please give the initiating institution the following wire instructions:

To credit:

EDS Credit Union
5640 Democracy Drive
Plano, TX 75024
ABA 311079474

For final credit:

“Insert Emily Snyder - Savings”
“Insert her account number: 14393223-Share Type 8”

We appreciate moreso, everyone's prayers and concern.

Day 3 - Improving

Spoke with Maria Marcela this morning and she said they both rested much better last night. Emily is still complaining of her upper legs hurting indicating it's closer to her torso, we still think that it may be the soreness from the work done around her spinal cord.

Definitely more pain and discomfort compared to her surgery back in October.

We hope that she will not have to stay much longer in the hospital.

MRI Results

Came back normal. Huge relief. Hoping for a restful night's sleep. Andrew and I will visit tomorrow.

Day after...

Maria Marcela saying Emily is not complaining about her legs now. Just the burning of the pain killer as it goes in intravenously. Rough night though.

The surgeon came by and has ordered an MRI to determine whether there has been any nerve damage, specifically to the legs. Will hopefully know something a little later today. She's currently on the IV to be fed since she has to stay on her back, but their hoping to take her off and sit her up soon.

Planning to take Andrew and Maria Marcela's mom over there later today to check in on them.

After Surgery Number 2

What a grueling day. Got up at 5 a.m. to be in Ft. Worth by 6:30 a.m. for an 8:30 surgery time. We were told it was going to take 2 hours. 6 hours later, the surgeon comes out and tells us to go into a private room.

He explains to us what he had to do; describing that the cause of the spinal fluid collecting was because of scar tissue building up from the first surgery. Going on to tell us that he's concerned that she's not showing any signs of movement in her left leg, but it's too soon to draw any conclusions. He told us he had to be very aggressive in clearing the area around the cord and had to touch it several times, which is absolutely what they want to avoid. His words, "the spinal cord was very angry with me today."

This may seem disgusting to describe, but at that moment my body seemed to just unload toxins to the point that it was disgusting even for me. I suppose it was just the stress of thinking of the possibility of our little girl being paralyzed.

Throughout the waiting to actually see Emily, I was updating my Facebook status whenever we received more information on Emily.

Needless to say, we had many people praying and a tremendous amount of relief to hear that her foot was responding to touch.

As soon as we got her situated in a recovery room, I brought Maria Marcela's belongings and headed back to pick up Andrew who was anxiously waiting since he thought it was only going to be a couple of hours.

Andrew and I are home and we just got of the phone with Maria Marcela AND Emily, who was undoubtedly in pain complaining of both of her legs hurting. She did not have the leg pain with her surgery back in October. So, there's obvious signs of the surgeon messing with the spinal cord.

They had just started administering a pain killer while we were on the phone and we're hoping for a restful night's sleep for both of them.

Thank you for everyone's thoughts, prayers and concern.

Second Neurosurgery - A setback

Today is July 1st in which Emily was to have her first surgery to install the veptr and begin her correction of the scoliosis. However, after both surgeons conferring, it's agreed that the problem of this new sack of spinal fluid needs to be addressed. Her surgery is scheduled for this coming Monday morning, first thing while the PreOp is this Friday at Noon.

We will certainly ask for prayers that they do not discover any problems and that the matter of the spinal fluid is resolved and we can move forward with procedures to straighten her back out.

Also, we ask for prayers that insurance will cover the majority of this surgery. I just received word that we're going to be responsible for 20%, which could be to the tune of $15,000. Although it wouldn't be the end of the world, we just simply don't wish to get into further financial straits here. Emily's health and well-being are certainly priority.

Latest Medical News - May 31, 2009

We had a follow-up with the neurosurgeon in Ft. Worth last Tuesday in which he reviewed the MRI taken at Children's Medical Center in Plano. His observation is that there is a new sack of fluid gathering and pushing against her spinal cord which would require another surgery from him to correct.

We are forwarding the same MRI results over to the doctor at Scottish Rite to get his opinion and we determine the next steps. Interestingly, at the same time, we finally got a scheduled surgery date for her to begin her scoliosis treatments/surgeries. The first one is set for July 1st, in which we're going to keep for the time being if the second and third opinions on the sack of fluid prove to be threatening.

The neurosurgeon mentioned that he's seen patients go on to have the spine surgery to begin straightening only to be paralyzed due to other circumstances, such as this, still outstanding.

The other thing he said was that he could not tell for sure, but he wanted to make sure that one of the unfused areas of the spinal cord to the vertebrae was not refusing itself back. If so, then that would need to be addressed as well.

So, as you can tell, this little girl certainly has a road of herself, little is she aware. She remains a happy child regardless. Stubborn and incorrigible to say the least. Everything is normal on that front. We hope to hear from Scottish Rite of their opinion and if it's opposite of the neurosurgeon, then we may be seeking a third opinion to break the tie.

Lots of praying as you can imagine.

Enough negative, let's look at Pure Cuteness!!

CT Scans Reveal Everything

You may want to sit down for this. Here's the reality of Emily's bone structure. First, the back view...
...then the front.

Plans for Next Surgery

Week before last, Emily was seen by a series of doctors at Scottish Rite hospital in Dallas where we had discussion about her condition. We were finally able to see x-rays for the first time to prove what we all had long since suspected. I suppose we were a little in denial of the fact that her ribs and spine were so malformed. The evidence was clear though. On one side, she had all her ribs in somewhat of a normal fashion. However, the other side revealed a batch of ribs, maybe 4 or 5 all fused together in one mangled mess and then at the bottom, missing about 4 ribs altogether.

The doctors are not wanting to be too hasty in proceeding I've mentioned previously, but, at the same time, it's prudent to begin correcting her crooked little body as soon as possible, particularly in this crucial growing and development stage.

According to the doctor's comments this week, he is going to try and schedule her for surgery as soon as he can fit her in, maybe within the next month. They will afix her with a contraption called the veptr. I have copied a photo a model in which the ribcage is malformed. This one does not really look like Emily's. Her's is somewhat worse. The illustration shows the veptr that will be attached directly to her ribs and spine, beneath the skin.

And thus begins the agony of correction. More than likely a surgery at 6 month intervals until who knows when.

Here's a link to information regarding the veptr:

http://veptr.com/

I forgot to mention and I had wanted to write about this right after we met with a 19 year old young woman going to Texas State University, I believe. Anyway, she and her mother came over a couple of weeks ago to discuss her going through similar ordeal and all the surgeries. I forget how many she said she had, but I want to say 34. I should ask her if she minds me mentioning her name or posting a pic of her before I do so. It was a great visit.

Status - February 25, 2009

Well, Emily had her post surgery follow up with Scottish Rite in which some x rays were taken of her back and she met with the doctor. He explained that they're not going to rush into any surgery at this time without making some calculated decisions. Which would, or at least hope to be the expected path anyway.

Her next appointment is to be seen by a team of specialists at the hospital in mid March. Scottish Rite had received the report from the doctor who performed the spinal cord surgery, so they've requested those which will help in their decisions.

One thing that seems to be of interest here is that they are wanting more time to allow the body to heal itself before performing corrective surgery on the spine. Another aspect that we didn't realize before is that there is, more than likely, malformation of the ribs due to her conditions that she's had since the very beginning of her development.

Happy 3rd Birthday

Though we do not actually know the day Emily was born, the local authorities who found her estimated a date in which they thought she could have been born...January 19, 2006.

Last Monday, Maria made a cake and had a few friends over to coincide a play group already scheduled. It was a surprise to me since I didn't really know it was going on either.

I wanted to post a pic of her in a "princess" dress that her aunt Monica got her. Emily was a bit taken back by the dress and couldn't get it off fast enough at first. But, all the sudden, a change of heart occurred and, before you knew it, she was adoring the dress and you couldn't get her out of it.

In a couple of weeks now, we set to go back to the Scottish Rite for her to receive another MRI and x-ray to determine next steps for her conditions.

Next Step

Hello everyone, some time has past since my last update. Just wanted to give some news on what's been happening.

We all made a road trip with our good friends John and Becky Elliott over winter break in which our intended destination was to be Coldwater, Michigan to visit friends. Our trip was to include a stop-over at Louisville, KY for UCG's Winter Family Weekend, then on to Lexington, KY for the independent sites Winter Weekend and then on to Michigan. Well, as it turned out, we made it to Louisville and got too comfortable with the accommodations and the opportunity to reunite with many people from the past. There appeared to be around 1000 people there. We did manage to make it over to Lexington on Saturday, but returned that evening. After it was all over on Sunday, we all were heading back home when Maria and I got the notion to turn around and head on up to Michigan, which we did.

Anyway, the trip was great, but cut short a little by Maria getting sick.

Everyone is on the mend including Emily who has developed a case of infantigo/impetigo, which sounds terrible, but apparently is quite common among kids. I recall this to a serious thing when I was a kid, but apparently the treatment today is quite effective.

Emily is scheduled for another MRI/CT Scan in February at the Scottish Rite hospital in Dallas. This will determine the next steps in correcting her spine. What we're hoping to find is that the sack of fluid on her spine is either gone or dissipating and that the spinal cord is showing no signs of fusing back to the vertebrae.

That's it for now. Thank you for every one's interest and support.

Oh, it appears that insurance has covered the majority of the hospital bill. In fact we received a small refund check so as to appear that we overpaid. However, a couple days later, we received a new bill showing new charges for the same procedure. Go figure. It may not be over.