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Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Morning of Sugery and Latest Updates

We arrived at the hospital at 6AM on Friday morning with one goal in mind; to spend as much time with Jacob as we could before we put him into the hands of the surgeons. We didn't know what our outcome would be, and if it was our last moments with him, we wanted to make them special.
As we were driving to the hospital we decided that we wanted to read some scripture with him and sing some songs with him to let him know that he is in the arms of the father! We were given a little children's bible and decided to use that for our time together. On the way, we were talking about which scriptures would be good to share with Jacob. We thought of "Be strong and couragous and do not be afraid," in Deuteronomy, also we thought of "For I know the plans I have for you.." from Jeremiah, then we thought about "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" from Proverbs. We realized none of these would work because the little Bible was only a New Testament. So as Jeff dropped me off and parked the car I asked God to show me what we should read to Jacob. I opened the little Bible and it opened to Matthew 5, the section about Ask, Seek, and Knock. It reads, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened..." I thought that would fit well with the occasion, but I wanted another scripture just in case, so I closed the Bible and opened it again. Only this time it opened to Luke's version of the same scriptures, "Ask and you shall recieve, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." My eyes filled with tears. This was definately what God wanted us to share with Jacob.
As we were in the room with Jacob we shared those scriptures, and sang "Be strong and courageous," and "Jesus Loves Me." We told Jacob that there are so many people asking God for his miracle, and that he needed to ask God too. We reminded Jacob of all the wonderful things he had already done in this life, all the people he had helped, all the events that he got to participate in, and reminded him that he is probably the only kid his age that could say he flew a plane with his uncle! Our nurse that morning came over with tears in her eyes and said that she felt burdened to pray with us. So, Jacob was prayed over by his nurse and us before we left him. It was a very special morning for the three of us.


The Surgery started around 9AM and lasted about 3 hours. It was the longest three hours of waiting we have ever had to do. They called us back into a quiet room where we met with the surgeon and Jacob's attending doctor. The news we receieved was not the best news, but not the worst news either. It was still hard news to receive. When the doctors moved Jacob's liver into his abdomen and began to patch him up, Jacob's liver did not respond well and had problems with blood exiting the liver. Once the doctors saw this, they placed the liver back into the chest and immediately the liver and his vitals improved. They tried three times to move the liver and each time Jacob's response was the same. In Jacob's best interest, the surgeons decided to back out of the surgery in order to redefine their plans and do another surgery later next week when they have learned more about why they encountered problems. So, Jacob still has a liver in his chest, and has to recover from a surgery that didn't correct his structural problems, and needs to do it again later.

Upon receiving this news, Jeff and I were obviously disappointed that it wasn't as easy of a "fix" as they had thought previously. It was not easy to digest, knowing that our son would have to fight for recovery, then fight again in the coming days. It's one of those moments where a parent wishes they could take any and all pain away from their child, but are helpless to do so. We knew that recovery would be tough and there was a chance that his little body would not be able to make that fight without the help of ECMO. We were in for a long night.

15 comments:

  1. I heard your story at growingandgrowing.com. I just wanted to let you know that we will be praying for your precious little Jacob as well as you, your husband, and the medical teams that you will come in contact with. May God bless you and your family!

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  2. Dear Jeff and Julie,
    I received a brief e-mail update from Tracy Beasley late last night and immediately and throughout the night covered all 3 of you in prayer.

    I pray that God will give you His rest, His peace, His comfort and the reality of His presence.

    I pray for Jacob's entire Medical Team. I pray that God will reveal exactly what they need to know about Jacob's liver...how it should be moved and when it should be moved. I pray for the hands of anyone entering Jacob's life to meet his needs...everyone who checks a pulse, starts an IV or performs his surgery.

    I pray for Jacob. I pray that his heart and spirit continue to know how loved he is and what an amazing gift and joy he is. I pray that his liver is doing the work it needs to do now so that it can be moved in the near future. I thank and praise God for the way Jacob is already a minister and messenger to so many. :)

    I can't say it enough...we will pray and pray and pray.

    Without Ceasing,
    Suzanne

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  3. Praying that he continues to fight through recovery and that God will show the surgeons just the right thing to do next time.

    I love that scripture in Matthew...it's been my favorite since I was 7:)

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  4. Blessings on you all. We continue to pray, pray, pray. May the God of Grace and Glory give you peace, rest and comfort.

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  5. Another scripture for encouragement...love you all and are faithfully praying ...

    This is what the LORD says to you: "Do not be afraid or discouraged....For the battle is not yours, but God's....stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you..... Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged....the LORD will be with you." II Chron 20:15, 17

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  6. I'm a friend of Grace Reynolds, and my children grew up with Jenny and her sisters at Westwood. I want you to know that people here are praying for your little family and especially for your precious son. Remember that God loves Jacob even more than you do and that he is holding all of you in his loving and mighty hands.
    Nancy McNeal

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  7. Dear Jacob,
    On your Dad's side of the family you come from a long line of warriors. Remember that when your little body gets tired and you think about giving up. Your Georgia, Louisiana, and Ohio cousins can't wait to meet you and tell you all the family secrets. Give a big hug to your Mom and Dad, they need it right about now.
    With His love
    Chris & Lois

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  8. Just know you are both so very loved and I also pray for your strength as you both go through this with Jacob. I love you! Ang

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  9. We continue to pray for you all as you deal with this latest news. We pray for Jacob and his strength and for his liver to function next time it is manipulated during surgery. As a nurse, I was touched (but not suprised) that Jacob's nurse prayed over Jacob with you. Your testimony continues to inspire and touch so many of us. Thank you for continuing to share your story. And lastly but not least, we pray for your continued faith and hope because it's usually these bumps in the road that challenge our spirit most.
    With our deepest thoughts and wishes,
    Rob & Jessica Cook (from Woodmont)

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  10. praying for your precious little guy!

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  12. We have been praying and continue our prayers for your family. Thank you for sharing your story with all of us.

    Keith and Sharon Nikolaus (Woodmont)

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  13. Prayinng for little Jacob and for wisdom for the doctors and surgeons as they learn what to do next.
    amy maze

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  14. I also sang "Jesus Loves Me" to my baby, Jessica, when she was in the NICU! I will be praying for Jacob's doctors and nurses! Love, Susan Wheeler

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