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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Amazing Grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ




Below is a recent update sent to thank our loved ones and give all the glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Seth recently learned "Amazing Grace" on the piano so every time he walks by a piano he can't keep himself from playing it.  It is a beautiful reminder to hear multiple times a day in our home....


Hi, Friends & Family!

Thanks once more for all the love, prayer, and care you graciously pour out on our family!  Here is an update on all that you have taken before our Father's throne on our behalf:

Mark....

I was waiting for Mark to recover and have a few spare moments to write an update in his own "voice", but he's been swamped with some business trips (flying back from Dubai as I type this :) as well as putting all his extra energy into caring for the kids and me.  :)

Mark's surgery was a great success!  A golf ball sized mass was removed from his thyroid, along with one lobe of thyroid and a lymph node.  Also, the mass on his clavicle was removed.  After thorough testing of the mass on thyroid, lobe of thyroid, and lymph node, Mark gets to keep his thyroid!!!  This is such a blessing and he will NOT need any radiation or to be on thyroid replacement for the rest of his life.  We are praising the Lord that all of this was discovered BEFORE the cells became cancerous!!!  The most beautiful blessing is to see God's caring hand through all the specific details.  Mark only had the original MRI because of the mass on his clavicle.  If he had not had that, it would have been a long time before the mass on his thyroid was found!!!  Praise Jesus!

The mass removed from his clavicle was also tested and what was originally thought to be only fatty tissue proved to be more than that.  I hope I am explaining this correctly (When Mark gets back he can correct whatever details I don't quite have correct. :) and the mass had some cells that were growing as well as bone in it.  The doctor said to keep an eye on that area for regrowth.  If a mass grows back they will have to look at more options.

Adam...

Yesterday, I had another thorough ultrasound (see pics attached :) and saw the high risk OB specialist Dr. Lorraine Stanco.  Dr. Stanco was AMAZED at what is going on.....or rather NOT going on in Adam's little world right now!  I give God ALL the praise and glory! Here's what she found....

-Placenta  Previa and/or Placenta Acreta are NO longer an issue.  Thus (at this point) she does not believe there will be any need for blood donations for a transfusion at delivery.  (Thanks so much for those of
you who so graciously offered to donate your own blood! :)
-Preterm Labor is being put off by my "strict" bed rest, weekly progesterone shots, and MOSTLY God Almighty! (I'm still having contractions here and there, but nothing regular or serious right now!)
-Adam is sitting very low for 30 weeks, but he's holding steady there. :)
-The section in the womb that was bleeding continuously for 6 weeks starting on December 30th, is still there, but is now only 4 cm!
-Still the umbilical cord is attached at the side of the wall of the uterus (marginal cord insertion), BUT it is NOT affecting Adam's growth so far! Praise the Lord!
-Adam weighs 3 1/2 lbs. right now!  (He made up for the little dip in his growth rate since the last ultrasound.)
-Adam is still scheduled to be born via C-section on May 22nd at Noon!

What does this all mean?  I'm still on quite strick bed rest....getting out of bed only when necessary. However, I've been given "permission" to go down/up the stairs once a day!  This is HUGE since I've only been "allowed" to go down for once a week doctor visits. It may sound silly, but I'm sooooo thrilled with this little bit of freedom!!! :)

We are so grateful for the way the Lord has spared Adam's life when all seemed lost 14 weeks ago!!!  Thank you, Jesus!  We are also so grateful for the way the Lord provided YOU to be His hands and feet on earth as you have blessed us with meals to keep us afloat, rides for kids, errands, grocery runs, stopping by to tidy messes/throw in a load of laundry, fresh flowers to brighten my room, encouraging emails/snail mail, and the list goes on and on and on...thanks to you!!!!

The home stretch is upon us as we will meet Baby Adam face to face in a little more than 5 weeks.  We thank God for all the prayer in which you have bathed our family on this journey.  The Lord is sustaining us
through you!