So Long Farewell

We wanted just to send a final update as to where we are at the end of 2009 and call it quits on the blog. You can always feel free to email or call.

Thank you so much again for all of your prayers and kind notes and gifts over the past few months. Tomorrow (December 20) Grace turns 26 and it will be exactly 10 weeks since the fire at our house. We are sooo thankful to our Lord and Healer and how He has brought us to this point after a scary few weeks at the beginning. We hope that this blog and the communication we've been able to have has been an encouragement to ya'll in case you ever have to go through something like this. There will be troubles in this world, but if you know Christ you have a rock to cling to.

Grace is doing really well, she has full use of her feet again in terms of walking anywhere, riding a stationary bike, and even driving again!! Her breathing is totally fine as I know that is a question I get a lot. She has a little rasp in her voice but it's getting better each day and doesn't sound bad at all. She has enjoyed being able to sing a little more each day and get the ability to hit different notes back. Last week she got passed from weekly check-ups to every 3 MONTHS!!! We are so thankful for that and she is getting ready to head back to work at HOPE International here in the new year. As you know she will wear the pressure garments on her feet and shorts (like biker shorts) for a year. That is mainly for the scaring so it doesn't happen.

Thank you again so much for your thoughts and prayers through all of this!!!! Here are some pictures of what her feet look like after many weeks of healing already. The pictures were taken just last week. We'll also have some pictures since outside right now it's a BLIZZARD!! We are getting snowed in on Grace's b-day weekend! Pretty fun!!

Our email is lamarandgrace@gmail.com

Love to all!

Stay Tuned...

Final update coming soon...with pictures and all...

Thanksgiving

Hi all,

Hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving this past week! What a blessing to enjoy this holiday again with Grace! It meant even more to us this year and it really seems like we've had Thanksgiving everyday for the past several weeks, thankful for each little blessing along the way. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support. Meals are still being brought and we are seeing great improvements each day.

Grace is up and about a lot more often and is getting back to normal in a lot of ways. We'll continue to build that energy level back up and get that voice stronger each day. We had a great time with her family this past weekend and look forward to some time with my family this coming weekend. A chance for me to get a big buck maybe :)

Sorry again for my delays in between posts...no news is good news :)

Lamar

Step by Step

Thank you again so much for your thoughts and prayers. Your gifts and your tears. Each day seems to get a little better. Grace has been out and about with her sister Julia today doing some Christmas shopping and for some jeans since the EMT dudes destroyed the ones she was wearing at the time of the fire :) It's a beautiful day here in PA...so beautiful I enjoyed the morning by hitting the golf course one last time for the year here in PA. I won't comment on the score, but I had a ton of fun. Started with a birdie and the first hole and then fell off a cliff :)

We look forward to next week where Grace's whole family will be together, Lord willing, for Thanksgiving up in the Poconos. What a joy it will be for all the sisters to be together as well as 3 of us hubbies. After that we look forward to some cookie making and deer hunting with the Kings for our Thanksgiving and then we barrel right into December.

I've been reading in Job still and working on "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper. I highly suggest both :) Each day counts...love it and live it in love for Him.

You rock and have been a rock for us, thank you!
Lamar

Guinea Pigs

Hi All,

Yeah I know a weird title...but I'll try to explain. Sorry again it's been so long that I've written when at home it's nicer to just be with Grace that be updating all of you...sorry for being selfish :) Earlier it was easy to get on and update because it gave me something to do.

So back to the G-Pigs...when you start doing stuff for the first time again it feels like we are G-pigs. Meals we've never had before, borrowing a wheelchair at the mall, jumping to a size 9 in slippers, and going to the movies for the first time in awhile. Last night we ventured out of the house for a good ole $2 movie called G-Force. One of the newer computer animated movies with Guinea Pigs that were trying to be special agents for the FBI. A cute movie and great chance to get out of the house.

We have been so blessed with an incredible sunday school class that has been bringing us meals this last week, we got to have all kinds of goodies from stuffed shells to roast beef and even an apple pie! We missed being on our retreat this weekend but look forward to joining for the next one Lord willing. We are so thankful to be at home and sleeping in our own bed and chilling in our own LR and kitchen. Thanks so much for your prayers and support over the past month+.

Continue to pray for Grace's healing of her feet and donor sites and for perseverence to keep pushing through one day at a time. We are about to have another first in going to back to church together here this morning...first time in 5 weeks now.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Home complete...

Today they put the finishing touches on the house and I had off work because of Veterans Day so we headed to the mall to look for curtains!! We found ones that we liked and ordered some for the patio door so that will be nice when they come. But I thought I would put some pictures on of the newly looking house since you saw the pics early on of the damage. They've done a great job...what a blessing to have insurance. I give a personal shout out to Donegal Insurance Group!! Their rates are great and they don't cut corners when you need them!! (Or else the corner needs fixed :) A little dry humor there for you.

I was pushing Grace around in a wheelchair at the mall and that was fun, we got a lot of looks like...why is there a 25 year old, lightweight lady in a wheelchair. Those that saw the fluffy pink slippers I'm sure came up with some reasons as to why.

Sleep was harder last night due to some tightening of the dressings, but we think some of it is the switch from the ibuprofen to tylenol as well. So we'll get some tylenol PM tonight to hopefully help out with sleeping. Grace's feet are healing up and looking a little better each day, putting on Santyl has really helped some of the sores!!

I'll even included a picture of Grace getting help from her sister nurse Julia :) She has come each night after work to do the foot work...as her hands are a little gentler than mine and she knows what she is doing :)

Thanks for your continued prayers and support...Jesus is our Rock and is with us in this storm.

Mi Casa

Home, yes Home. What a joy to be at home again sleeping in our bed and eating at our table. Everything looks great! They are finishing up cleaning on Wednesday but by then it should all be done!!! What a blessing!!!

Grace is doing better every day. Her hand writing is coming back and she even typed her first email tonight. The visit at Crozer today went pretty well, they measured her feet for the pressure garments that will come in. They noticed some spots of soreness that will need some attention in the weeks to come and hopefully with the prescribed ointment it will heal along with the rest of the skin. They also noticed the donor sites were starting to raise so she got measured for pressure shorts as well that will keep those places from scarring as well.

We had volleyball tonight at church and in the rec league and Grace came to watch. It was her first time in public with people she knows. She got a standing ovation when we walked in for our game and everyone was clapping!!! What a joy and praise to the Lord!!!

Thanks again for all your prayers...keep it up as she heals and gets more strength each day. We've had 2 delicious meals already by our SS class at church and we look forward to another tomorrow night. It's been incredible to have people serving in all areas!

God is good. Amen.

PSU vs OSU or Eagles vs Cowboys

Go Nittany Lions! Go Birds!

Grace and I slept in today for the first time which was really cool that she was able to sleep a little more last night. Please continue to keep her sleep and rest in your prayers. Today we got up and had some breakfast, got ready for the day physically and spiritually, then played Gin Rummy. We just got done watching some Brian Regan on youtube, one of our favs because he is clean and hilarious!

Chris and Julia are coming up later tonight and mom should be back to the house soon. We look forward to a time of hanging out together.

Last night after work some friends came and helped me clean up the house so that it's ready for when we get home Sunday night. It was a huge blessing because it would have taken me forever. We are getting there, a little painting left for Monday and then the carpet cleaners are coming on Wednesday. And we are so thankful that our Sunday School class will be providing meals for us for the next 2 weeks which is a huge blessing especially since the stove isn't hooked back up yet and we don't have a microwave.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers, continue going before the throne for Gracie as she continues to regain strength one day at a time and copes with the pain in her feet.

God is good and we rest in Him,
Lamar

For The Good

I encourage everyone to go out and buy the new Shane and Shane CD - Everything is Different. Or like me be caller #5 on some Christian radio station and win it :) What a blessing that I would win this one CD from WJTL. Grace and I LOVE Shane and Shane and I won it on Monday the day before it came out, pretty neat. So I'm just going to put the lyrics to one of their songs on here as it is incredible.

For the Good
When darkness is surrounding me
by Your Spirit Lord help me sing
that You are working all things out
Lord, I really need to hear You speak
Remind me in the waiting
that You are working all things out

For the good of those
who are called by You
For the good of those
who are in Love with You
That's why we sing

Holy God of light
I lay down my life
Holy is the Lord
Even in the storm be glorified

We like to take the blessing from You
Shall we not take the trouble too
You are working all things out
We like to take prosperity
Shall we not take the suffering
You are working all things out

Holy are You Lord
even in the storm
be glorified
Worthy of affection

This is our prayer...thanks for continuing to pray for us. Gracie is making "baby steps" like they would say on What About Bob...but she is making steps indeed. She is doing so well.

Love to all,
Lamar

Back to work

Hey all...

Sorry for the delay yesterday was a crazy day, starting early and ending late so I didn't get to give an update. Grace has been doing GREAT...such a joy to be with again. She is sleeping pretty well at night and is getting better and better on her feet everyday. She's over there doing her feet exercises right now as I type. Her mom took her back to Crozer today in which they redressed the feet with less stuff so now she can get her feet wet and will have to peel some of the scabbing and skin off as she showers (sorry if that grosses you out :). But that's all part of the healing process and they said everything looks great. She did faint today after they worked on her feet :( Probably just from pain/needing nutrients/being tired but she came too pretty quick.

She ate a famous bacon cheeseburger at Nifty Fifties with mom today so that was great!!! She keeps eating well and is healthy.

House should be wrapped up this weekend hopefully!

I headed back to work yesterday and that has gone well so far. Good to be back with my co-workers though it's hard to be away from Gracie.

Thanks for your continued prayers and love!!
Lamar

First Full Day Home...

What a blessing to be able to sleep in the same bed again and enjoy a full today together today. We woke up together this morning and enjoyed time chilling, doing devos, watching "Bella", the Eagles, and then our first trip in public!!! Gracie pushed the cart as we walked around the local CVS looking for all the little goodies we don't typically carry with us but need now. Like trash bags and tape for Gracie's feet in the shower so her wraps don't get wet.

She is doing great, ate good today and mom is in the kitchen now stirring up some "Sue Malone's Chicken" is what the Geberts call it, my family calls it "Ant Head Cassarole" :)

Gracie wants to say THANK YOU for all your prayers and care, she is watching me type this, what a joy and blessing!!!

Continue to pray for us in the road ahead as things will change for the coming months. We desire a chance to share Christ with others and to grow closer to each other and the Lord. We need that prayer for her continued healing and getting back to 100% as well.

I'm headed back to work tomorrow so that will be a change again, but good to make another step toward "normal". Thanks for all your love and concern, cards, gift cards, meals on the way, and prayers!

Enjoy this day that the Lord has made, may we rejoice and be glad in the lot He has chosen!
Lamar (Gracie too)

Home Sweet Home

We left the hospital today at 2pm!!!! Praise the Lord God Almighty!!! A great fortress and healer!!!

I took Grace to the house to see the new paint and to get some clothes for next week, then we headed up here to Harrisburg to Grace's parents house! Mom is here with Julia and Chris as well. We are able to eat Grace's requested PIZZA and will be able to watch the Phillies together as a family!!! How cool!?!

Grace is doing great, her white blood cell count was down this morning and the chest xray was clean of anything abnormal!!! Praise our Mighty God!!!

So we'll be hanging out up in H-burg until we can get home next weekend probably. I'll be trying to start work next week with one stop at the chiropractor and Grace needs to go back to Crozer on Tuesday to get her feet re-dressed. That will be a weekly thing for about a month probably.

One more step to recovery and one day closer to eternity with our Lord in Heaven! Double Bonus!

Thanks so much...keep praying for my Gracie that she can heal up good and avoid infection!

Coming Home?

Hey all,

Thanks again for your dedication to us and praying for us. Hope you all had a great Friday night! I'm hoping that's our last date in the hospital on a Friday night. We are hoping that tomorrow they can discharge her. We are waiting on her white blood cell count to drop to a normal level (all expect its high due to steroids she was on, not infection but better safe than sorry). She was coughing a lot today and was shaking some tonight that she couldn't control so they did a chest xray around 6pm tonight to make sure there isn't any infection or pneunomonia!!!

With her body still weak and recovering we really need to keep praying that infection stays away from her totally and that she can keep eating more and more to get her weight back and all the nutrients she needs to fight off infection.

If we do get home this weekend to Grace's family's place, I'm going to keep the NO VISITORS clause up for now, k? We'll have plenty of time in the future to have people over and get back to somewhat normal but for now we need to keep my lady healthy and getting better without overloading her.

Thanks for all your care and love, I checked the mail today and there were another 20 cards!!!! I read them all to her today and she loved it. Thanks!

God is good...and we are getting through this storm one day at a time,
Lamar

Thank You

Romans 12:12-13 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

Reading in Romans this morning I was reminded of the incredible LOVE that each of you have poured out, thanks for standing with us through this battle. Please continue to pray as you think of us as the road to recovery will still be an adjustment and chance to be a witness.

Living under my Strong Tower,
Lamar

Mini-update

Grace is doing well. She has the last level of swallow testing today and they hope that she can pass that so she can drinnk any liquids without putting thickener in them. Thickened water just seems weird. So we are really hoping that is the case today.

They continue to work her hard in therapy, walking on the tredmill for 7 minutes, practicing stairs with a handrail on the same side that our house has, lifting weights, and doing stretches. All of these making the body tired. But they are being quick and helpful to get her out of the hospital this weekend!!!

If we do get out this weekend, we'll live up in harrisburg for a week with her parents until our house is ready to move back into. But I'll say this...I'm going to be her bouncer/protector, don't try to pull anything fancy and have 100 people show up. :) We need her to regain her strength both in her vocal chords and in her body. Visitors will be great down the road I'm sure but we all need to give Grace time to heal and error on the side of too much space and not many visitors, k? I'll need all of your help on that because I'm a pretty skiny bouncer.

Thanks so much for all of your love and care, especially the prayers - keep them coming, and the cards that have been sent!!

Jesus is our Rock,
Lamar

360

I thought I would give another full view of what's going on with us.

HOPE International (hopeinternational.org) has been so great for Grace the last 3 years to work at and she looks forward to getting back to all her friends (co-workers) there. It's going to take some time from what we hear, possibly even the new year until she gets back and can be full energy to work. They have been so patient and helpful through this whole process, please check out there work online and consider giving HOPE. A gift that keeps on giving.

As for me at work they have been incredible. I've only been at Fulton for a little over a year and they have been so gracious to me and my Agricultural Lending co-workers are incredible and want me to be with Grace to support her. What a blessing for us both to have understanding jobs!

I spoke with the restoration place this morning for the house. We got some paint chips for Grace and I to look at yesterday and picked out colors so they can start the job today. So the painting should be done by the end of this week. Flooring will be in next week and we aren't sure on when a door can come for the patio, though that won't hinder us from being a home I don't think. Keep praying that everything can be ready to go for us to move home when we get out of Crozer.

I'm going to try and hit the chiropractor this morning on the way to the hospital and get this neck/shoulder thing fixed up a little so we'll see how that goes.

We'll see what happens, but with Grace being in a new room back in the corner, I'm hoping to sneak in as much of the Phillies game tonight with her in her room before I get kicked out :)

As for devos, be praying that the Lord would work in Grace's heart and mine as we desire to grow and learn from this.

Check out Psalm 86!

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!

New View

Hey!

Thanks so much for praying for Gracie girl. The swallowing test was completed this morning and when we walked in she already ate some chocolate ice cream and was starting on mashed spuds and gravy with some pureade steak stuff. She'll be on thick liquids for a few days and hopefully can start eating a little more normal by Thursday. So thanks for praying.

We also got to move to a quiet room in the back, still has a window which is nice. It will be much quieter back there so keep praying that she can get some sleep. She only slept 1 hour Monday night and only caught a quick nap today. Hopefully she can sleep good in the new room.

Grace's mom and I hit up sherman williams today to check out paint samples and took them to Gracie for us to make some choices on our house paint when the restoration guys start painting tomorrow so that was fun for us.

Gracie is so pleasant and sweet to all the nurses and she was making us laugh all day. It's hard for her to focus on any certain thing right now but she is doing really well with therapy and listening to whatever they need her to do. We need her to be able to rest her body while working it out at the same time. A tough balance to recover.

Thanks for your love and prayer...the journey continues.

Wanting the storm to end, but learning to dance in the rain,
Lamar

10/27

Good morning,

Just talked to Grace's nurse, she said Grace is doing well but she didn't sleep much last night because of all the noise going on around them in the burn center which is similar to an ICU. Grace needs that sleep to keep healing stuff and so she doesn't go crazy either. Her nurse actually let me talk to Grace as well but her voice is so soft/weak right now it was really hard to hear on the phone (please don't call her, thanks :). But it was good to hear her a little and we look forward to being together at 12:30 again today!! They are hoping they can move her down the hall to a quieter section where she could have a closed door.

Please continue to pray for these things:
1.) Grace being able to sleep/rest so she can heal physically/emotionally/spiritually
2.) Grace is taking a swallowing test today and we really hope she passes as she keeps mentioning how she wants to be able to eat something or drink.
3.) That Grace can get a quieter room
4.) The house is still in process and sounds like it might be until next week when everything is done, please pray that changes so we can go home when we leave the hospital and not have it still be in process...I really want it to be back to normal for Gracie to come home too, not a work in progress.
5.) My neck/shoulders, extremely stiff with not much motion w/o pain. It'd be great if that was healed up by the time we get home too in case I need to carry Gracie places.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

PRAISE THE LORD!!!! EXTUBATED!!!!

They have the tube out!!!!!! Our Lord is GOOD!!! Thank you all SOOOO much for praying!!! Gracie was so peaceful before the OR and was smiling and dancing with her shoulders and everything!!!

There was just a little swelling still in the upper throat but all is ok. Her vocal chords look pretty good and will heal and there wasn't any issues in her lungs. So they are going to watch her pretty closely today to make sure she doesn't get tired breathing on her own.

Thank you so much for praying, our Savior Jesus is The Great Physician!!! Hopefully we'll be out by the end of the week, but we shall see.

Praise the Name of Jesus!
Lamar/Slim/Parkay

Today

Isaiah 14:24

The Lord Almighty has sworn,
"Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand."

Knowing that God's plans today are better than ours and hoping they match...thanks for your prayers!

Sunday 10/25

What a blessed day it was today! Got up early, went up to our house in Lancaster to check on the progress and check the mail. Just 2 days of mail filled our little box and Gracie will love to read each on soon. Thanks to all who sent cards and notes and to those who put a little something in them too...not needed but we are thankful for your generous hearts! I then headed into our SS class at church and enjoyed a nice backrub by a buddy and a blessed time of worship and prayer requests. Worship was what was on Job's mind after so many things went wrong for him as told in Job 1. What a freeing and blessed thing it is.

Then today my parents drove me down as this morning my neck kinda seized up and left me with some less motion of my shoulders and head. Nothing even close to what my dearie is going through though that is for sure. Today was great from 12:30-2:30 Gracie was smiling a lot and was extremely gentle and thankful telling us each that she loved us. When I was in there alone she wrote very clearly I LOVE U really big on the paper and then proceeded to stroke my beard while smirking. I told her I'll shave it off when they let us kiss, even though it was grown for the Phillies playoff run. Who knows maybe they can win the World Series before they let us kiss and it will work out great :) She was filled with joy today and was very calm. From 4-5pm when I was in she didn't even flinch and was getting great sleep.

The ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat) Dr, who's group will do the procedure tomorrow, came in today to check everything out and to make sure that she is ready to go for tomorrow morning. So Grace's parents and I plan to head down at 6:30am and see Gracie before she heads off to the OR. All signs are pointing the in the right direction and we really hope that they can keep the tube out. Even if they can't though hopefully they'll put a smaller tube back in and we can get this throat healed up soon.

I read Psalm 84 last night before bed, what a joy to think of how God has drawn us nearer to him during this time. We've seen many hurting families come and go down at the burn center and how empty it is without a Savior who is closer than a brother. What a joy that he helps us walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Thanks for praying hard tonight and tomorrow morning. I'll try to update the blog tomorrow morning after the surgery as to not leave you all hanging all day :)

Psalm 84
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah
9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

May the name of the Lord be praised...Job 1:21

Thank you so much for your heartfelt prayers and tears on behalf of Gracie. We had an incredible day with her. Her mom/dad were there as well as Chris/Julia (sister) Hershey came down to visit for the day. Mom and I headed in first and found her there with the ventilator tubes sucking the open air as it fell off her ET. Thankfully she can breathe on her own and was quite well but I quickly attached it anyway :) We then proceeded to have a really nice time with Gracie. She was sleepy but was very interactive with head nods and hand gestures. She was very sweet, not upset, and gentle most of the time. It was a joy to see her this way and she cracked a smile a few times and seemed to be more light hearted. Because of the meds she always forgets what is going on so that is normally one of the first things I try to ask her and explain. The accident, her feet, the surgery, the tube, and what is expected in the days to come. I explained why her hands are tied and that the meds made her try and rip the tube out a few days ago and she shook her head no in disbelief. She had no clue she did that.

Most of you that know me well enough know I don't do well with needles, blood, hospitals...so I've been reluctant to grab the suction tube to get the saliva out of Gracie's mouth and throat. And I don't want to be the cause of her coughing or choking either. She knows that well...but today with mom and I in there she nodded that she wanted "to be suctioned" as we've pleasantly called it. So I put the skiny tube on the end of it and she opened up a little more to let me in, I talked my way through it and it went pretty well (though the nurse came in later and got all the stuff I missed...which I'm glad she did). When I asked if it was good, she raised both her hands and tried to hit them together, missing the first few times because she is on meds and can't see past 8 inches w/o her glasses and then connected on a few. We asked "does that mean stop?" she shook her head no and then mom asked her "are you clapping for lamar?" and she smirked. She applauded me for suctioning her. That made us all laugh and just set the course for the day. It was a quite day in Grace's room at the Crozer Burn Center today and for that we praise the Lord for his mercy and grace. And we thank you for praying on that behalf.

Grace seemed ok with waiting until Monday morning (7:30am is the scheduled trip to the OR) though she'll need reminded of that next time we talk we'll get her reacclimated. :) She has been so good with all of this and is determined to get that tube out and get on the road to recovery. Her feet are doing well and her arm is healing up great! A little over a day to go until she gets checked out and hopefully this time they can extubate her...we shall see.

Thanks again so much for all the cards, calls, prayers, and care...we owe you a ton and love each one...even the ones we don't know :)

I'm learning as I read this morning from Job "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

3 days and counting...

Hey gang,

Thanks so much again for your support and prayers. Today Grace's parents were both there as dad made it into the US safely. All three of us got to see her between 1-2:30, she didn't even flinch or move a muscle as they had her pretty sedated as this morning started rough again. At 5am she woke up and not sure what was going on but she pulled a tube out, thankfully not the one she is breathing through, but the one that comes out the other end. Thankfully there was no blood in her urine so she must not have caused any damage though I think it scared the nurses pretty bad.

So that was kind of the last straw I guess you could say and they have her back on diprivan also known as propathal (spellings?) which will keep her pretty well calm and knocked out. She wasn't responsive during the first visiting hours but from 4:30-5:30 she was moving around a little and we were able to wipe her lip when she motioned with her hand and she seemed pretty calm. It was dark under her eyes as I'm sure she was worn out after the 2 episodes that happened the previous 13 hours. So we were thankful for a calm day. They decreased her pain meds in half and some of the other drugs as well as they are hoping Monday will be the day to get the tube out. This diprivan or whatever is short living so as soon as they stop putting it in her system she'll be "awake" so that's kinda the game plan. Get to monday riding this med and if they can extubate then she'll be weened off most of the meds already. So we are hoping the plan works perfectly.

It's been hard for her and us I'm sure as communication hasn't really happened well since last week. I think she was able to get a tss on the paper earlier this week in which I guessed tissue. That's the last thing she had the strength to even write and the motions/mouthings are typically frantic when she is making them so we are trying to get better at sharades (sp?). With her being calmer today the hand motions were smaller and we were able to guess quicker and get a head nod without her heart rate jumping too much.

Continue to pray for the Lord's work in her life and that she can remain peaceful and keep those hands off of anything that is vital. It's so hard as I'm sure she feels trapped, drowning, scared, and so many other things that none of us will hopefully know and she will forget them they say so that is good. We are getting there, just keep breathing and trusting.

Thanks for your love and support, truly!
Lamar

10/22

I'm not sure if this is original with me or not, but I just thought of it before signing on here.

Patience is not a virtue, it's a miracle.

I came home early today after a scary day for me, though I know Grace is in good hands. We (Grace's mom and I) went in at 12:30 to see her and right off the bat she was crying and all upset. She was mouthing over the things in her mouth with tears in her eyes and making the motion of scissors with her right hand. She was mouthing "CUT THIS OUT" meaning the tube and she also wanted us to free her hands so mom held her right hand and I held her left and kept her from going up to her tube. I explained where she was, and why her feet were wrapped, she wanted to see her thighs where the donor sites were, and why the tube was in. But she was moving hard and with strength, they gave her some more of her meds and that calmed her just a little. She was pretty upset for the full hour we were in with her. Sweating and heartbroken that we couldn't have a calm start to the day I just had to get out and let them give her more to get her sleeping and calm.

I waited until 4:15 and as I walked through the main doors her nurse came to me and told the story that they just gave her 2 new meds, ones they give to psychotic patients after an episode. They found her on the edge of her bed about to get out while her hand was tightly grasping the tube in her mouth. It took 4 adults to contain her and keep her still so they could get these meds in her. She was kicking and very angry he described. He said you can go see her, but don't touch her or talk to her...it's already my greatest fear that she will do something to the tube so I just took the ipod in put some music back on and left. She will remain on one of these meds now to keep her sain and the other med will be there in case they need a quick calmer for her.

The good news is that this happens all the time to burn patients and that they have it all under control. They are watching her very closely there.

So as I'm sure you all knew already by now this tube is driving my lady bonkers, literally. They took an x-ray afterward to make sure there was no damage done with the tube. We somehow need to get to Monday safely and calmly so that throat can heal. But all these movements are not helping either. She needs a miracle and we need that throat to heal so they can extubate her.

I know and have heard already of all your support and prayers, THANK YOU. Please don't tire of going before the throne for Gracie. He already knows completely before the word is on our tongue and God had this ready for us even before she was born. All true, yet it's still hard to see her this way. All vitals and everything else is healing great and I think that is part of her having more strength now too, she is a fighter and we will all look forward to when this blog has some really good news!!!

Thanks again for your love. Grace's dad made it in to the US safely and should be in the area soon. Thanks for praying.

Lamar/Parkay/Slim

10/21

Howdy all. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers again today and for your faithful support of Grace and I. Today was a great day in terms of information with some really good news and some dissappointing news too. Since I can't please all I'll start with the dissappointing news and then get better :)

They did the scope #5 this morning with Grace's mom and I waiting outside the room. Blister STILL there...yep. So they couldn't go down far to check deeper in her lungs once again. After being a part of the team discussion with about 15 different physicians in the room we were able to find out the long road ahead that we have, but also got to see the care of each person and that truly she is in an incredible place there at Crozer. They said that it's 3 days of recovery to every 1 day on the ventilator. Monday is now the new day we are all hoping for and they will be taking Gracie into the OR (this is the plan for now) to have her in a controlled environment so they can take out the current tube and get a good look down there. If all looks good (which they continue to expect) they can keep the tube out and wake her up a that point. If there is still swelling/blisters they will probably just put a smaller tube back into her so it's not as irritating of a tube. So Monday is the new day we are all looking to get toward and Gracie will need all of you praying to carry her there calmly and without difficulty.

Good news of the day, they checked the surgery sites and rebandaged her and she looked GREAT. They had her sit up today and they will start therapy here daily even while she is sedated. They said she will have 100% mobility they expect here in the future. So that is great news and the donor sites look like they are healing well too. They are itchy for her but they should heal well. Also because of the burn location on her feet, they don't expect outpatient therapy needed later.

As I mentioned before 3 to 1...so to do the math, if all is best and she can get extubated on Monday, that is 15 days, meaning 45 days to recover before being able to do her desk job again. I'm sure there is more we will find out but this will change a lot in the coming months. Thanks for all your support and prayers and willingness to cook, visit, and more. I'll keep those posted I should in the weeks to come so that Gracie is served best without overwhelming her when we get out of this.

Thank you all for your care, keep praying! Please also pray for her dad who is traveling home as I type and should arrive in Philly tomorrow night in time to see her Friday at the first visiting hours.

Hoping the next 120 hrs dissappear for my Gracie.

Wednesday

Praying for a day of victory and good news. I'm headed out to be with my lady today. Sounds like it was a restless night again :(. They are going to check her wounds and throat/lungs again today. Thanks for your prayers and care!!

Love you all,
Lamar

Carry you to Jesus

Hey all...

Today was a hard day to be honest. Gracie was pretty calm all day except for at one part in the middle of the day when she tried to take the tube out herself and thankfully we were there to restrain her from ripping it out far and causing damage. That was hard for me to see even if she is calm 99% it's the 1% of fear/pain/discomfort on her face that rips my heart out. When mom and I left at 8:30 I turned back and she sat straight up and the nurse ran in to calm her down but we had to leave. We didn't get to touch base with a doctor either. So from what we know the plan is to check the wounds tomorrow and scope #5 will happen at some point. I'm hoping more with each one that they take the tube out. On a good note, everything else is great - she is healthy, good inputs/outputs, oxygen, heart rate, blood pressure...

Please keep carrying her to Jesus, those that know the Saviors cleansing blood. That Steven Curtis Chapman song came on this morning on the way into Crozer and that is all we can do right now.

Stand firm friends, cease not in praying.

Carry you to Jesus - Steven Curtis Chapman (and my thoughts too)
I will not pretend to feel the pain you’re going through
I know I cannot comprehend the hurt you’ve known
And I used to think it mattered if I understood
But now I just don’t know

Well, I’ll admit sometimes I still wish I knew what to say
And I keep looking for a way to fix it all
But we know we’re at the mercy of God’s higher ways
And our ways are so small

But I will carry you to Jesus
He is everything you need
I will carry you to Jesus on my knees

It’s such a privilege for me to give this gift to you
All I’d ever hope you’d give me in return
Is to know that you’ll be there to do the same for me
When the tables turn

And if you need to cry go on and I, I will cry along with you, yeah
I’ve given you what I have but still I know the best thing I can do
Is just pray for you

I’ll carry you
I’ll take you to Jesus on my knees

Update

Grace had a good night it sounds by my conversation with the nurse this morning. They gave her benadryl this morning as she was kinda antsy again and that seemed to really calm her down as I'm sure she is really itchy with a lot of her healing right now. We look forward to a day of good communication and Gracie being calm and knowing what is going on. I'm headed out here soon but I thought of the song that we listened to yesterday that we were crying to.

Christ for the Nations was singing (Shane & Shane does a great rendition as well)
When I think about the Lord,
How He saved me,
How He raised me
How He filled me, With the Holy Ghost
How He healed me, to the utter most

When I think about the Lord,
How He picked me up and turned me around
How He placed my feet, on solid ground

It makes me wanna shout
Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus
Lord You're worthy
Of all the Glory, and all the Honor
And all the praise

I'll update you all tonight hopefully...

The Sidewinder

Hola all,

So why the sidewinder...well it's a roller coaster at Hersheypark not far from Lancaster here in PA. It's one that you get in and they take you back up a hill then let you go and you go through 2 flips and a twisty turn before going up another steep incline, you pause...then you go through it all backwards. A thrill at times but sickening other times...that would be a good graphic description of todays events :)

First off let me put some verses that I got from my aunt and uncle today, reminding us of what we had in our wedding. The verses were 2 Cor 4:7-18 and some of it says this "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." WOW...how true in a time such as this, we proclaimed it at our wedding and now we need to live it. Thanks SO much for the reminder J&C.

So today we knew was scope down the throat #4. Though this was the one with the longest break in between and she has been on steroids this time around as well so I was secretly really expecting it to be out today though the news seemed like it will be awhile. After Grace's mom and I were in for about an hour the pulminary group came in so we had to leave. About an hour later the nurse came out with a "sorry" look on her face and said no. Everyone was bummed and it became a waiting game again. Time with Grace was more energized today as her heartrate was flying high as she was moving around and trying to motion to stuff. It took mom and I probably 10 minutes to figure out that she just wanted a tissue. But we finally figured it out and she calmed down a little again. We got her to smile a few times (when I showed her how long my beard is) and she wanted to have her glasses on today so I'm sure she saw more. Ups and downs, tears for me for the first time in her room I think as she rested while mom and I listened to a great worship song that I can't remember right now. I wanted to remember so bad but I'll have to ask mom about it. Sorry :)

Anyway at the end of the 6pm visiting hours we saw the head doctor and he said in about an hour he could talk. So we were in with him for about 30 minutes as I described how it happened and mom asked questions. He did an incredible job at explaining everything and stressed that there won't be any long term damage to her lungs or throat and that she will come out of this fine it will just take time. There was talk of a trach today...but it sounds like that isn't wanted and won't be needed if we can get this tube out in the next couple of days. They would probably first try to put a smaller tube in her as she is tiny as most of you know and so a smaller tube would really help that throat to heal so we shall see. One day at a time it sounds...we've got probably another 1.5-2 weeks down there.

So that's the ups and downs of the sidewinder today...but we know the Controller of the ride and we are trusting he knows the best path. It says somewhere in Psalms that as a man plans his way the Lord determines his steps.

For He is Good,
Lamar

Find a Bible...

Find a Bible...and read Psalm 34-37, beautiful promises of the Lord protecting those he had made righteous!! Here is chapter 37:

Psalm 37
Of David.
1Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish: the LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.


AMEN

10/18 - Happy Bday Julia!!!

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for following this again. I was able to head up to Lancaster to church this morning for my sunday school class and that was a huge blessing to walk into support and prayer when getting there. It was a joy to be there for sure. Grace will be so excited to be back in the fellowship of others.

I went down with my dad today and we met Grace's mom and Emma there. It was a pretty good day actually which was really a blessing. Her weekend nurse was truly a treat and a great caretaker for Gracie. She was much more alert this afternoon and even sat up herself, which got her heart rate really high but that was ok, it was really good to see her moving around like that. She was smiling more though she was definitely dealing with discomfort in her mouth. Seems like she is healing up good, her arm is getting better so they actually had the bandage off of that.

We look forward to the sunshine coming in her window in the days to come and hopefully we can get better news each day.

Tomorrow is the next re-scope and check on her throat. Not sure what time that is yet but last time it was right before I got in there at 12:30. I'm still hoping whole-heartedly that everything is cleared up in her lungs and that they can take the tube out tomorrow!!! Thanks for your love and care, I'll keep you updated as I can.

Thanks for your posts and prayers it's such an encouragement to me to keep going. The tears were often this morning, but not at all this afternoon as it was really good to see Gracie stronger and moving around herself a little.

Love you all...for Christ alone is good!
Lamar

10/17...the surgery

Hey all...thanks for your overwhelming prayers, blog posts, and a full mail box of cards. I don't remember all the people to pass on to Gracie but know that she'll be reading through all of this I'm sure when she is home and doing better.

I got in safe today at 5:50am and Grace's mom and youngest sis Emma got there not long after. They were getting Grace a bath and we headed in to see her and pray for her before her surgery. We spoke with the doctor before and after and she did a great job at letting us know how everything was. They did both skin grafts to her feet and though they were a little deeper than expected, neither got into her tendons or arteries so she didn't lose much blood at all and it sounded like it went really well. So PRAISE GOD for his mercy and goodness which we are so undeserving of. But he is so gracious to his' Gracie.

Chris (Julia's hubby) and Julia came down to be with her as well during visiting hours today. We rotated between mom, me, Ems, and Jules. She was pretty sleepy and didn't open her eyes much from 12:30-2:30. Then we headed out for lunch to Nifty Fiftys (small advertisement - GO there if you can) it was great fun and I had a Flyin' Hawaiin (in honor of Shane Victorino). When we got back from 4-6pm she was a little more awake and sensitive to the music and what we were talking about. Just some tears coming out that we got to dry off for her. We had her smiling a little and crying some more and she was just resting. It was a blessing to have that interaction again today though it was hard too.

So what are the medical plans...she is still on antibiotics, steriods for the swelling in her lungs, pain meds, and "sleepy drugs" as I call them...not to mention the ventilator, feeding tube, and IVs. The plan is to do a scope again on Monday and we are all (nurses and doctors included) really hoping that they can take it out. Though we've come to see that is her worst burn and are not sure whether to expect that on try #4 or not. Then Wednesday they will take her bandages away from the donor site on her thighs and on her feet to see how everything is healing after the surgery. So Monday and Wednesday are the scheduled big days ahead.

In between keep praying for her peace and comfort and that her body can remain strong and get ready to breath again on it's own. Also for us as a fam as we are in the waiting room with many other familys that are in and out. Today was a pleasant day with 3 other families, one with a young child, one a teenager, and one a father/grandpa. At all stages.

As for me...yeah I'm ready for it to be over to be honest. As my grandpa King used to say, "I've learned a lot, but I wouldn't give a nickel for another". I'm doing pretty good and God has been more than faithful.

Grace's dad looks to return from overseas next week so hopefully Gracie will be up and walking by Thursday for when he gets in.

Here is a song that Gracie and I love to sing together, when it came on my mp3 player yesterday it brought tears to her eyes and we cling to the truth together.

There is none like You
No one else can touch my heart like You do
I could search for all eternity long
And findThere is none like You

Your mercy flows like a river wide
And healing comes in Your Name
Helpless children are safe in Your arms
And there is none like you

Thanks again for your prayers and letters and posts...they are so encouraging to me and the family now and will be to Gracie soon.

Up and at 'em...

It's 5am and I'm headed out now to go see my Gracie girl. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers again be praying for Dr today and the squad assisting in the surgery this morning at 7:30.

Keep those comments coming, it's good to hear who is out there praying and will be something Gracie can look back on later and who was standing with us in prayer.

For He is GOOD,
Lamar

10/16 update

Hi all...

Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall".

Psalm 62:8 "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our strength." Selah

We are getting there...keep praying. When I walked in today at 12:30 Gracie seemed to be flustered by something. Not long later a resident doctor came over to me and asked to speak with me. She described how they had just checked her throat and they will need to keep the tube in until at least Monday. Instantly I knew why Gracie was a little upset. I guess this is one of the reasons why in Matt 6 Christ talks about not worrying about tomorrow for each day has enough trouble of its own. We are learning a lot about patience right now that is for sure. So that was kind of a downer of a start but it seemed to get better throughout the day.

I spent the first 1.75 hours with Gracie singing to her anything hymn/song I could come up with on the spot and she mainly just rested there. I mentioned 2 of the Gambians that are praying for her and her eyebrows moved to an "awe" position so that was a blessing to her I'm sure. They informed me that they plan to take her in for surgery on both of her feet tomorrow morning at 7:30am. So please be praying that the anethesia and everything goes well and according to the Lord's will. They will be grafting skin onto both feet and it sounds like a pretty incredible procedure that will take a few hours. Her mom and I are heading down around 6am so we can see her before they take her into surgery and then will spend the day there waiting for the visiting hours to come along so we can see her after surgery.

Sounds like her lungs/throat injuries are more of a concern than the feet are at all...but it sounds like all will be great in the end, it's just a waiting game at this point and hoping for healing. We'll be down there all next week most likely at the least so please don't cease in your prayer for my Gracie. For continued peace in her thoughts and spirit. We took our mp3 player and a speaker down so hopefully that helps calm her. I think her mom and I threw out some crazy duets but Gracie was mustering up a smile and some tears during the songs so that was an encouragement to us and I'm sure to her.

So please keep praying for Gracie, thanks so much for all you've done so far!!! I'll never be able to repay you for your support! On a side note, they started the cleaning work of the ducts and house today on the home front so we hope that comes along in time for when we come home.

Thanks again - love you!
Lamar

Overnight Update

Good morning all. I just spoke with the bedside nurse Lauren at 9:15 this morning to check on how Grace's night was. She said that it was good with no complications and that she did anything they asked her to do which is a huge blessing. The time isn't known but they still have it scheduled for the pulminary DR to come today so they have her doing more of the breathing instead of the ventilator so it sounds like she will be a little more awake today which will be a blessing to be able to talk to her some and know that she hears by her head nods or hand squeezes. Thanks so much for your continued prayers, the Lord is so good to have brought us this far and promises to continue to be with us, not leaving us or forsaking us. The nurse also said that she is scheduled for OR on Saturday. They should know the time of that by the time we leave today.

My dad is going to head down with me today to see her and be with me and Grace's mom will also be there today so that will be a blessing to have support on all sides.

Please keep praying, sounds like she is doing well and stable...keep praying for fight against infection and that they can do the surgery tomorrow without complications. Also continued for her dreams and that if it's the Lord's will they can extubate her today (take the tube out).

Thanks so much for your love - I'll update you all late tonight.
Lamar/Parkay/Slim/Mars

10/15

Thanks again so much for your continued prayers. Today was a pretty good day nothing too new to report. Just keep praying. She was pretty much asleep today, opened her eyes and moved around a little this afternoon when her mom came and for me a little bit. They said they hope to check her airways again tomorrow but it might be Saturday now. Surgery is still planned for Saturday I think. A lot too be determined and a decent road ahead to recovery...they said her feet were starting to heal a little.

Keep praying for her dreams and for a good night rest tonight. We would love it if they could take the ventilator off tomorrow and extubate her. Thanks so much for your care and prayers.

For He is good!
Lamar

Stops along the way...

One of my favorite songs on the local Christian radio station was Bible Train and I was thinking of it on the way home from dropping Grace's mom off at Harrisburg tonight. Words go like this...Here comes the Bible Train, chuggin round the bend, I know the Engineer - He's my special Friend, destination heaven, with "stops along the way", all aboard we're leaving, so get on board to day...then everyone makes a train noise. I feel like that is part of what's happening...I tried to remind Grace today that this is just a spec in the glimpse of our lives and eternity and that it will be over soon, Lord willing. It's truly a stop along the way, and through each "set-back" even in this process there is something to be learned and best part hopefully some others "get on board" on this ride to Glory.

All that being said...today started with a good meeting with Gracie, Julia and I were in and though the pulminary doctor didn't come in yet to see her they said they would be in at some point today. Hoping it was 9am and that we would come in with her talking and with no tube in her throat, plans changed. When we went back in after lunch from 4pm on...they let us know that they just checked out her throat and the blisters were still there, they are pretty deep down toward the lungs. So 48 more hours it will be until they check again and hopefully Friday they can take it out. Gracie was upset they told us and didn't like the news so they needed to calm her down with bigger doses of some drugs. She is on a lot of antibiotics in case of infection/pneumonia and we hope to get results from the cultures soon so that if there is something to fight they can just use the specific one to treat that infection.

I was in from 4-4:45 with Julia and then Julia stayed with her as I went to pick up mom from the train station in Philly. We got back at 6pm and it was such a joy for Gracie to be with her mom. She cried upon arrival and was quickly calmed and soothed by her mom's voice. The resident Dr there gave mom, Julia, and I a full updating as to what is going on so that was very comforting. Though we wait until Friday for another check down her throat, they are carrying well for her and plan to do surgery on her feet Saturday. Skin grafting needed most likely. They started feeding her through a tube down to her stomach today so those nutrients will help in healing and giving her body the strength to keep fighting infection.

The other thing is Gracie tried to write and gesture that she was having bad dreams, that were disturbing so PLEASE pray for her dreams to be joyful and encouraging and that she would be calm for the next 2 days as we wait for a chance to get that tube out and get off the ventilator. Also pray that we would be bold in our witness for Christ as a family through this.

Thank you all for your support and prayers...hard to believe it's the end of day 4 already.

Love you all,
Lamar

Delay....

Lamar asked me to post this for him until he gets home tonight....Dr. just checked Grace's throat and the blisters are still there so they can not take the tube out today...they need to wait for another 48 hours to check again....(this upset Grace), so please pray that she would stay calm and that the blisters would heal so they can remove the tube and go to the next step....Also pray for continued strength and patience for Lamar and rest of the family.....Lamar will update more when he gets home this evening.....thank you, lamar's mom

In my distress, I called upon the Lord. Psalm 18:6

Real Quick

I just spoke with Lindsay her nurse and the doctors to check out her throat are checking out another patient at the moment and Grace is next. Please keep praying that they can take the tube out. She said she will call me when they leave and she knows what their plans are. Hopefully I will get that before I leave home here so I can update the blog.

Thanks again!!!

Lamentations 3:22-23“…His compassions fail not. They are new every morning:Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

What else is going on...

Thank you so much again for all the emails, posts, calls, and care. Keep praying for infection to stay away and that we can get this tube taken out tomorrow morning at 9am when they look down her throat again. That is the hardest part right now for her and for anyone as it keeps her from talking and they need to keep her under more as it's hard to be awake but have to breathe through a small tube.

Tonight I got to get home and take some pictures of the kitchen and get the things I needed as we will not be home for a few weeks it sounds. The ins adjuster and restoration place came today and our good friend, CU buddy, and church pal Brad Halladay has been graciously taking care of logistics on the home front. There is a company that will do everything. Clean every nook and crannie, taking everything out of the kitchen. Sounds like new flooring, some appliances, new patio doors, carpet cleanings and repainting all of the downstairs and up the stairs to the hallway. It still smelled tonight like I remember it smelling when I last ran in for Grace's cell phone dodging the firemen before getting back to the ambulance. Hopefully some air freshners and the fresh paint will take care of that. We praise God for insurance (though as some know I'm not fond of it) and now will be advocates of it that is for sure.

Grace's mom is flying in tomorrow afternoon/evening and as she is a doctor that will be a huge blessing in so many ways for me and probably even more for Gracie. I'm hoping that they can have the tube/venitlator done with by the time mom comes in.

I'm staying at my parents house in my ole lil room from growing up and it's been a huge blessing to have faster internet, good cooking, prayers, and care all morning and in the evenings when I get back.

Both of our work places have been so gracious thus far and promise to be so we are really blessed there as well. We truly will need to take years to count each of these little blessings along the way. Like me growing a beard for the phils playoff run/and prep for our african trip next summer...protected my face from more burns. I was sick all last week so we had been getting to bed early and getting a lot of sleep...and the list goes on.

Thanks for your love and prayers...and I know that we can count on all of you for anything, thanks for all the offers and I won't hesitate to call you if something specific is needed (ask Brad, he knows :)

And remember as we are trying to, God is GOOD and works things out for the good of those that love Him. An ever-present help in time of trouble. Today was truly a good day, many less tears and Gracie seemed more comfortable.

Keep praying and I'll keep typing.

Lamar

Tuesday 10/13

Hey everyone...I'm just going to type some quick stuff before I head home to take pictures of the kitchen and gather more clothes and stuff that I'll need to survive at my parents house over the next 1.5/2 weeks.

Today was a good day, Grace's fever came down all day long and was around 100 when I left. She was calm all day and only wrote a few things this morning. Mainly asking what day/time it was and when they could take the tube out of her throat. It was found that she doesn't have pneunomonia so PRAISE our LORD for that!!! It's a sinus infection and they are giving her antibiotics still to keep the chance of pneu away. She seemed like she was at rest today and at peace just really wanting tomorrow to come so she can get the tube out of her throat. Right now it sounds like Wednesday morning at 9am they will check out her throat if all is ok, they can take out the tube. At which point the ventilator is off and things calm down a little as she will be able to talk and understand things better. They are planning the surgery on her feet later this week probably Friday or Saturday. But that could change depending on a lot of things. So overall a pretty good day, she could hear me most of the time and understood what was going on. I shared of all the prayers and concern going our way. Thanks so much again for caring. I'll get on later tonight...I'm going home to our house now to take pictures and get more stuff. Look for more later.

Love you all...thanks for carrying my Gracie in your thoughts and prayers.
Lamar/Parkay/Slim/Mars

Keep praying...

I woke up this morning to a call from Crozer that Grace had a fever all night and they think she has pneunomonia. They are taking her in for a CT scan this morning to see if that is the case. They started her on antibiotics already to try and help in case it is pneunomonia. If it is that isn't good news, please pray hard that it isn't or that they get the right antibiotics to take care of it. Also her veins are too small and they are running out of options so they just called me again and asked if the radiology department could go into a bigger vein in her arm. So hopefully that will help them have a continual option for meds.

I'll find out more when I go in at 12:30 today, I think my mom is going to go in with me so I have someone. Please don't cease in your praying for my Gracie. 100% prayer for her and if 1% of you can spend an extra 1% on me pray for my emotions and body, my muscles are all extremely tight and I can't stop crying when thinking about things but I don't want to not think about it either. I'm confused. Trying to trust.

Psalm 46:1-3 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Selah I'm trying to rest on this today.

I probably won't have another update until tonight or else I find a computer down there that I can use.

The Fire

Job 23:10 "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

As remembered by me...
We were prepping to have 30 people over to our house to share about the incredible work that HOPE International is doing around the world in the lives of the poor. (www.hopeinternational.org) Grace had 2 pots on the gas stove top with about an inch or so of veggie oil in both. We got home from church and they were put on high. We changed and came downstairs. We were both in the kitchen, me at the sink and Grace went to pull the lid off of the metal pot and flames just flew straight up as wide as the pot and about 2-3ft high into the vent cover. She got singed in the face at that moment and that is where she must have taken heat or smoke that made the blisters in her throat. She screamed and jumped back and I was unsure what to do. I said I'll throw water on it and thankfully she knew that was a bad idea. So with flames still pouring up I grabbed towels or potholders and grabbed the pot to go throw it outside. When I grabbed it the flames hit me in the face and I dropped it...at which point burning oil was all over the kitchen floor and her feet got nailed. We had jeans and slippers on which now proves to be incredible as her jeans had a ton of oil spots and mine had a few but we really could have been burned bad if we had shorts on or another material or were barefoot. She got out the front door and started screaming for help. I didn't know what to do so I ran around the house to come in the back door so I could grab the pot w/o getting burned. Realized I didn't have a pot holder, ran back around the house in the front to get pot holders, back around back and grabbed the pot from the patio door and threw it out into the yard. I ran back around front and Gracie was having a hard time on the cell phone with 911 so I got the phone to finish the conversation with info and whatnot. I went back into the house got towels and started beating out the oil fires on the floor and turned the stove off. The guy on the phone said to have cold water poured on the wounds for 10 minutes so I went back in to get cups and started filling water, but he told me to get out of the house...I didn't really listen, but he made me think of the spicket out front so I sat down with Grace and kept giving her water for her feet and face. The cops came, then the fire trucks, then the albulance. Grace was able to walk to the ambulance but they knew she was worse than I and got her in the stretcher quickly. I ran back and forth a few times getting wallets, and phones before we headed to LGH.

We thought all was cool...Grace was doing great as I think adrenaline kept the pain away. At LGH they took her into the trauma unit and me into regular ER. I got a hold of Laura Lebo (nurse and ss leader's wife) and asked her to come in. I got discharged pretty soon with 1st degree on my face with a blister on my nose and singed beard/eyebrows. I can't remember what point they let me go see Grace in trauma but I think it was right before they put her under to put the breathing tube in and cedate(sp?) her...put her under. She was crying but seemed to be ok. Waiting then in the room with Laura we didn't know what was going on. Finally we were told the burns were bad and that she needed to go to Crozer Burn Center in Philly. They let me ride in the front of the ambulance and my brother came to our house and broke in the screen so he could get some clothes for us and the keys to drive our car down so I would have it.

After the 1.75 hr ride to Crozer they took her right in the ICU. My parents were able to meet us there and saw Gracie as we came in the emergency doors. Then it was just waiting to hear. They bathed her and bandaged her for a little over 2 hours and eventually I got to go in and see her with Jules her sister. The details are still fuzzy...but Grace is still in the ICU right now and I'm staying at my parents.

Visitors are not welcome, sorry. But just be praying. She will love the visits I'm sure at some point hopefully next week when we get home and things settle down. Thank you for your prayers and we are trusting in our Lord. It's all going to be ok and we will be more like Him through this and hopefully people will come to know Christ as their Savior.

If you want to send a card to our house please find someone who you think would know our address as I don't want to post it on here.

Thanks again!!!
Lamar

Monday 10/12 Update

I'll try to give just todays update and I'll catch up later with the full story for all those wondering what is going on.

Today I slept in a little at Gram and Pops house (Grace's mom's parents) in southern NJ with Julia/Chris there as well (a huge blessing). They were all their sweet selves and were so accomidating and caring. I talked to my dad right away since he woke me up :) No big deal...and then I talked to Grace's dad to give them and update as to where we were. Called into the hospital to see how my lady was and they confirmed a good night in the ICU and that the pulminary dr was coming around 11:30 to see if they could take the tube in here mouth/throat out.

Upon arrival at the hospital (Crozer Medical Burn Center - Philly) I washed up, put on my gloves and gown and face mask (I've been sick for a little over a week and infection is the biggest fear with everything) and went in to see her (12:30). She was so good, alert now, and breathing mainly on her own through this tube. She could feel my hand squeezes and I was able to dry her tears as we had a good hour together. She was able to write questions on the clipboard with a pencil. She of course was asking how everyone else was doing and that things were ok at work, home, and with family. We were able to have a good conversation, me talking and her writing or hand moving or just through her eyes and eyebrows. I had to leave because they were going to change her dressings on her feet and elbow. We waited longer than expected after they gave her a bath and cleaned everything up again. They let Jules and I go in after the "visiting hours" since they took away some time. Jules (a nurse) did great with her and Gracie really liked having her sister/nurse there. It was tough with some tears for away but it was a really good time with some laughing and stuff. We got some food at 4ish and went back in and this time it was really tough. She was in between a med switch and was really uncomfortable. We saw her tablet had "I feel like I'm drowning" written on it which was really hard for me to see. She just really doesn't like the tube in her throat. All that to say they gave her a more "sleepy" type drug and asked us not to alert her or keep her fighting that back so we left.

Where is she at with things: We saw pictures of the blisters in her throat and her burns. Her left foot is really burned on top and around the back of her heal. Her right foot is just on the top. Both are 3rd degree and deep, sounds like a skin graft will be needed for both. She also has a 2nd degree burn on her right elbow which will just take time to heal and is really sensitive. They hope to schedule the OR for wednesday so they can do the skin grafts on her feet while she has the ventilator hooked up. Then the hope is the blisters and swelling are controlled in the throat so they can take the tube out Wednesday. PLEASE pray that this would happen that they can take the tube out ASAP is really hard for all of us to have it that way. Especially her.

I'll try to keep this updated. Please feel free to post on here but try to control phone calls and emails if you can. It's hard for me to stay on top of everything right now it's still very overwhelming being a part of all of it and seeing it all. We are surrounded with great friends, church, and family...the insurance adjusting is coming tomorrow to check out the kitchen.

We praise our Savior from saving us eternally from the neverending flame of Hell...and so much now as well for the safety through this all...we could have lost the house, body parts, or lives so we are truly thankful.

We are trying to remain joyful, we are praying continually, and giving thanks for so many things and victories each day. We realize that is the Lord's will for us right now and always (1 Thess 5:16-18)

Thanks for being strong for us. I forgot...after surgery it will be a minimum 5 days there at Crozer...so this will be until next week at least in the hospital.

I'll try to update this whenever I can....thanks!