June 29, 2014 -- Last Minute Curveball

Well, we are set for surgery in just a few hours. . . 

Hope had her fifth special bath and pre-surgery scrub tonight.  She has her cross-match for blood, and her blood clotting factors blood work that was re-drawn this past Wednesday was normal.  We received a call from the surgery unit with instructions to be at the hospital at 6:30 am on Monday am to be admitted and prepped for surgery.  Hope is to be the first surgery of the day. So surgery was on as scheduled as of 7:30 pm tonight.

Just before 8 pm, we received a call from Hope's back surgeon that an emergency had happened with a 13 year old girl who fractured her spine.  She is currently at the Foothills and they want her to go to the Children's Hospital for emergency surgery.  Please pray for this little girl and her family as I'm sure that they are suffering greatly right now!  The surgeon explained that he is not sure what is going to happen, as some of the necessary equipment for monitoring the spinal cord nerves is not available tonight and so they cannot do the surgery at the Children's Hospital until tomorrow which will then bump Hope's surgery.  However, the doctors are deciding whether the girl can wait until morning or if it needs to be without the monitoring machine.

The surgeon explained that he doesn't know what is going to happen.  He was going to go to bed and be rested for whatever was ahead.  He may be doing two surgeries tomorrow back to back, which would be a very long day.  However, the anesthetists will have to be okay with staying for a very long day.  With Tuesday being a holiday, they may not be willing/able.  So with all the unknowns, the surgeon gave us the option of postponing surgery. . . however it would not be rescheduled until at least September.  He said that if we were willing to still come in as scheduled at 6:30 am and be ready for surgery, then we would just see what happened, and he would be up for getting Hope's surgery done, if everything else lined up.  Trevor took the phone call, and he made a split second decision to continue as planned, trust the Lord, and wait to see how the Lord leads through circumstances and decisions tomorrow.

These roller coasters. . . you would thing that I'd be used to them by now.  But my heart is weak and frail. . . where would I be without the strength and grace of our faithful God?!?!  My heart immediately sank with so many concerns and confusion over whether to hope the surgery will be postponed, or hope it will still happen with all this prep and leading from the Lord that surgery was medically necessary and best for Hope and her daily pain.  Even tonight as she called me in to do her last pre-surgery scrub, she called to me, "Mom, hurry come do my scrub!  My ribs are in agony!"  I really don't know what to hope for.  I don't know how to prepare my heart for tomorrow.  Will I be disappointed or relieved. . . I don't know.  We chose to not share this with Hope, as it would certainly get her hopes up that surgery would be off, and we may arrive and be rushed right into surgery.  We prayed again tonight as a family though for God's continued grace and strength, fervor for healing, and for God's clear leading through the decisions and circumstances of tomorrow.  We also prayed for the 13 year old girl and her family.

We had one of our wonderful seminary students at our church preach today, and what a timely sermon it was for our hearts and situation going into tomorrow.  Jon preached on Deut 31:1-6.  Facing the unknown, we can. . . 

Be courageous, God has a plan (verses 1-3)
Be courageous, God fights for you (verses 3-4)
Be courageous, you have work to do (verse 5)
Be courageous, God is with you (verse 6)

He spent some time in Romans 8 as well, and Hope recognized the verses right away.  So I wasn't surprised when she shared them in her message to you early this evening.  As we face the unknown, we can. . . 

Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Thank you for your precious prayer and notes of encouragement, dear ones!  I will be reading them all to Hope tomorrow morning as we wait to see what the day will hold, and as we share what is going on with her surgery. . . to be or not to be?  God is sovereign and He is in perfect control to accomplish His plan and purpose tomorrow in Hope's life, and through the circumstances and decisions that await us tomorrow!  I am so thankful for the rich powerful truth of God's Word, that is ever so timely, and always a fit to exactly what our hearts need!

We will keep you all posted tomorrow, dear ones!

Will leave you with this picture of our precious church family praying over Hope at the end of the church service this morning. . . what a treasure!