Emily Sue Updates
Emily’s Updates
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Posted 6 hours ago
Tim had a great time visiting Emily over the long weekend. On Friday, everyone – doctors, nurses, OT, PT, case workers, etc. met with Tim & Emily regarding her recovery. It was a difficult and emotional meeting, to say the least.
Although Emily is making great strides at becoming more and more independent and becoming stronger, they believe that Emily has about a 1% chance of ever walking again. Shocking, right?! It seems, from their perspective, the best goal to pursue is giving Emily the tools she will need to live her life from a wheelchair. She’s learning to get in & out of the car, a normal bed, and get where she needs to go, etc.
1% seems pretty small, doesn’t it? When Tim told me they said that, it made me sick to my stomach. We’ve seen the term “paraplegic” on her medical records and that is shocking in and of itself. Emily herself is just beginning to grasp what it means and that she’s living it. Tim did follow up with the surgeon who performed her two spinal surgeries. He encouraged Tim that it takes 3-6 months at a minimum to make any real determinations. The more and more I thought about the 1%, the more excited I got as God brought a sweet memory to my mind.
Crazy statement, I know. But, I have a very real son who only had a 1% chance of being conceived. His name is Joshua and he is almost 6 years old now. After having our youngest daughter, Gabby, we were finished, so to speak. Three girls and one boy were just enough for us – and I didn’t make a great pregnant lady! However, in early 2006, I started feeling very tired and moody. I made Tim go to see a counselor with me – I seriously thought something was wrong! (Couldn’t hurt to have him tag along, right?!) After explaining my behaviors to the counselor, she asked me if I could be pregnant. “NO!” I exclaimed. I was very diligent in taking that little white pill each morning, so there was no way! After all, those pills are 99% effective!
The next morning, much to our surprise, we found out we were pregnant. Talk about an “unplanned” pregnancy. This was during one of the most difficult times we’d had and we certainly didn’t plan to have another baby. However, we both knew that God had given us a special gift – in spite of our attempt to do otherwise!
As I pondered the prognosis for Emily, I thought of my sweet Joshua. There was only a 1% chance we’d have another baby – and here he is. And, let me tell you, he is a precious gift. He came unplanned & at a time I would not have chosen – a very difficult time. And yet, my God, who knows me and loves me more than I can imagine, allowed him to come. He is the icing on the cake of our family.
So, honestly, I can say, bring on the 1%! It’s not much of a chance, but it is A chance! We will continue to ask God to completely heal Emily’s body so that she can walk again and give Him the glory for it!
Tim once again communicated our desire to have Emily moved to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta before she is discharged from RIC. The people at Shepherd told us that if she waits until she is discharged, she may be on a waiting list for out-patient rehab. We do not want that to happen. We are all also out of days off. Between school, work, & the family, our availability to be with Emily is more and more limited. She still has friends coming by to see her, which is wonderful! However, they are not able to be there consistently, nor should they have to be. For some reason, RIC doesn’t seem to be motivated to fax over the referral. This is a serious prayer request for us right now. The sooner we can get Emily back to Georgia, the more we will know how to help her and the more we can be with her physically. As I’ve mentioned before, Emily does not want to come back to Georgia, but she knows it is what she has to do for now. Continue to pray for her through this move.
Thank you again for your encouragement and prayers! We love you and are so thankful for you! Tina