Gratitude and prayers
Kevin and I have asked so many of you for prayer for Catie. We are grateful for all the notes, card, e-mails and calls that we have received. We know you are all still praying for us but I wanted to update you with Catie’s progress. At this point things are changing from hour to hour. We will try to send out any milestones each night after we have Catie asleep.
I am sure that you know all of this. If I am wrong or if you have any questions please let us know.
Catie went into surgery at noon on Thursday. By 6pm the surgeon came out and told us he was able to remove the entire tumor (that was in some question prior to surgery) and that he was pleased. Catie went to recovery and stayed there until midnight. She was transferred to Pediatric Intensive Care, where she remained throughout most of Friday. On Friday she had another MRI to ensure the entire tumor was removed. Now Catie is resting in the main floor of Pediatrics. She is able to feel and move all of her limbs. She is weak. She needs us to feed her, help her in the bathroom, and she cannot walk or dress herself. Something as simple as itching your nose is a request for help for Catie. So she has a long road ahead of her. She begins physical therapy tomorrow. So much for Sunday being a day of rest…
Milestones from today…Catie ate three meals, she got out of bed, went to the bathroom (with our assistance) on her own, took three trips outside in a wheelchair (Hershey Medical Center has a lovely outdoor garden area and playground. We were able to wheel the wheelchair up the playground ramps. Catie stood outside for a minute or two.) Catie has been taken off the IV. Her pain medication has been reduced to Tylenol with Codeine.
What’s ahead…Pathology due in next week. Physical therapy. We are not sure when we will be home.
At this point we are amazed at the timeline. We are thankful that Catie is out of most of her pain. We are praying for a positive outcome from Pathology. We are thankful that the other five children are healthy and being cared for by my mom and dad. Each day we awake to Catie in some little pain but she is with us. We thank God that has given us the blessing of so many people to share our lives and our faith with each day. All of the love and support from those around us sustain us and strengthen us. Please pray for us and we will keep you informed.
God Bless,
Christine and Kevin
