Home-away-from-Home

Teresa's husband here. Just updating that my dear bride has been in the hospital again, pretty much since her last post on Wednesday. That evening, when I arrived home, she was in a HUGE amount of pain, very nauseated, and had a fever of 102. So, back to our apparent Home-away-from-Home we trod.

It has been a crazy end of the week, with various levels of frustration and disappointments in assessment, care, and prognoses. I'm sure Teresa will give more info on that later. The unfortunate bottom line is that her surgeon wants to remove her port-a-cath (her only IV access) and give everything time to sort of "reset." This is somewhat disconcerting to us because she has almost nothing as far as peripheral veins in case she needs IV fluids or medication. But...God has brought us this far, and since He has it ALL in His hands anyway, we take solace knowing that He will see us on a little farther.

We would surely appreciate you joining us in prayer: for patience to deal with a system that is still behind the curve with this illness; for guidance in how to be constructively pro-active in her care; and for there to be no problems while she is without her port. Thanks to you all.

WEDNESDAYS FOR WYATT- Week 2

This is the second week of

'WEDNESDAYS FOR WYATT'!!

Go HERE to read about Wyatt's story,

and HERE to sign the petition.

Here we go! Our second Wednesday for Wyatt! It’s quite simple to participate. All you have to do is copy and paste this post to your blog, and then go here to link up with Danielle's MckLinky! Once you do that, you're entered to win a great giveaway! Kristi, one of the dear women who has been following this family's story, has generously donated some handmade buckeye's jewelry for today's give-away. Thank you so much Kristi!

FROM DANIELLE ~

Over the last week we have gotten 123 new signatures! Over 100 of those we got last Wednesday alone. And we had 34 wonderful bloggers link up... I can't wait to see how much Wednesdays for Wyatt will grow this week!

For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

This contest will be open today only. I will close MckLinky down sometime before midnight, so make sure you get linked up ASAP to make sure you are entered to win this giveaway! Thanks for helping everyone, and good luck.

UPDATE: I wanted to let you all know that my grandson, Big Boy, is doing much better and is back in school. However, his younger brother, Little Bit, who is almost 23 months old, has also been quite sick. They both appear to be recovering well, however, I would very much appreciate your continued prayers. Thanks so very much! t

AND THE AWARD GOES TO....

I haven't wanted to mention this because I had serious doubts if we would be able to pull it off but, praise the Lord, we did it! I did it!

This past weekend was the very last marching competition of the season for my two youngest daughters, Mo and Bek. In fact, since Mo is a senior this year, it was going to be her last marching competition, period. Because I have been so sick, I have not been able to see any of their performances this year and I have been having an extremely hard time dealing with it. I hate missing out on all their activities, especially when it comes to band. Therefore, my husband started trying to figure out a way to get me to the last, most significant competition of the season. The biggest hurdle was the fact that it was going to take place approximately an hour and half (80 miles) from our home and I do not do well on long car rides. Heck, I don't do well on short car rides! We knew we had the long car ride, usually a long distance from the car to the stadium and then the long time of sitting in the wheelchair waiting on our band to play and then waiting on the awards. We had A LOT to overcome. We knew we had to come up with a really great game plan!

What we ended up doing was finding a super nice hotel really close to the high school where the competition was being held on Saturday. We booked it for Friday and Saturday nights. When my husband got home on Friday evening, we slowly made our way up there. It was not an easy trip but thankfully I was able to go straight to bed once we made it there and then sleep late Saturday morning. That was REALLY nice!

When it came time to go to the high school Saturday evening, we were just mere minutes from the school. Plus, we were able to park in the handicap parking, which was practically right next to the ticket booths just outside the stadium. You can't get much closer than that!

Although we weren't able to see a lot of the other bands, we did arrive in time to see a couple of the other bands before it was our band's turn to perform. It was perfect!

Our band was SO incredible! I had seen them on video but nothing ever compares to seeing them in person. Oh my! It was truly awesome! Our middle daughter, Mo, is their senior drum major and our youngest, Bek, marches alto saxophone. Watching them made me so proud!

When it came time for the awards, we were on pins and needles. We wanted them to win so badly. I mean, we ALWAYS want them to win, but this time it meant just a little bit more because it was Mo's last competition. They received all 1's (Superior) in each category - drum major, color guard, percussion and band. Then they received the award for first in their Class, 4A. However, at this competition there was also a Class 5A, which is somewhat unusual, so we knew winning Grand Champ was going to be a little more difficult.

But they did it! Out of 18 bands, 0ur band was the GRAND CHAMPION of the Georgia Bandmasters Championship!

We were so thrilled! I am SO excited that I was able to make it there and to see them win! It has taken a huge toll on my body and it is taking me a long time to recover, but it has all certainly been worth it!! Now, it will just take me a few days to get to feeling back up to par.

See ya soon!

WEDNESDAYS FOR WYATT

Many of you read my blog post about Baby Wyatt and are already familiar with this amazing family, some of you may have missed it. If you did, do not worry! In Danielle's very first post for 'Wednesdays for Wyatt', she gives us a brief run down about her family and what they are trying to achieve.

The following post was taken from Danielle's Blog,

LETTING GO AND LETTING GOD

"For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

We are currently up to 1,253 signatures. Hurray! We’ve made it over my initial goal of 1,000 signatures, and now I’m dreaming big! You think you can help me get 5,000 signatures by Thanksgiving? I bet you could, and I hope this Wednesdays for Wyatt helps out tremendously. Post this to your blogs, facebook, myspace... wherever you can think of. I can’t wait to see how many more signatures we receive from this. I have a great feeling!

The contest will only be open today. You have until 11:59 pm to post this on your blog and come back here to link up with MckLinky in order to qualify for this Wednesdays For Wyatt giveaway. Good luck everybody and thanks for participating."

VERY URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

I am very worried about my 6 year old grandson, 'Big Boy'. My daughter, Whit, called me this past Saturday morning because she had grown concerned about a place on his leg. Apparently, at some point last week, Big Boy developed a 'bump' on his leg that looked like a small spider bite. As most kids do, he had been scratching and picking at it. It finally managed to scab over but then Big Boy picked that off, too. When Whit called, she was very worried because the 'bump' had grown in size and had become very 'black and yucky looking'. Since it was the weekend, she was having a hard time locating a facility that was open and staffed with a physician on a Saturday.

I was also quite concerned because what she was describing sounded very much like a very serious staph infection, possibly even MRSA. I had seen so much of that in my many years in the medical field. We saw a ton of it over the last few years that I worked in a family practice office, as it had made its way from the hospital setting into the community setting. I advised Whit that I thought it would be best to go ahead and take Big Boy on to the ER so he could be seen ASAP. She agreed and said she would call me later with any news.

A couple hours later, Whit called back to tell me that Big Boy did indeed have a bacterial infection, but that it was being diagnosed as CELLULITIS. They did not do the test for MRSA. They just went ahead and prescribed oral antibiotics. They said if it did not improve quickly, they would have to proceed to the stronger antibiotics via IV. I immediately started asking family and friends for prayer at that time. After that, I did not hear anything else from her until this afternoon. I had been hoping and praying that everything was going well with the antibiotics. I really wasn't sure though since I hadn't heard from her and there had been very little activity on her Facebook.

Apparently, though, Big Boy started running a fever of 103 and began vomiting very early this morning. His mom thought his leg had gotten worse and she took him back to the ER. However, this time he was diagnosed as having the H1N1 Flu.

I feel SO bad for Big Boy. He HAS to be absolutely miserable. I also feel sorry for his mommy. It is so terrible to watch our children when they are sick and it is especially difficult when you know they have an illness(es) that is potentially dangerous. It is a very helpless feeling.

So, this request comes from the very bottom of my heart! Will you PLEASE commit to helping me pray for my grandson until he is well again? It would really mean so very much to me...and to his mom, I'm sure. I do not get to see Big Boy very often but I love him so much, just the same.

I promise to keep you updated on his status. As I hear, you will also.

Thanks so very much!

TWO VERY SPECIAL MINUTES....

I just learned that today is PREGNANCY and INFANT LOSS REMEMBRANCE DAY. I found this out after reading about a very incredible baby boy from one of my fabulous new blog friends, Traci, at ORDINARY INSPIRATIONS.

This baby's parents desperately need our help. You see, last November, Joseph and Danielle Finchum learned they were expecting their third child. Like most parents, they were totally elated! At Danielle's 18 week ultrasound, she and Joseph learned not only that they were expecting a baby boy but that their son had a disease called Thanatophoric dysplasia, a lethal form of dwarfism. They were told he would have only a 30% chance of making it to full term and, in the unlikely event he made it that far, he would surely die within the first 24 hours of birth. Joseph and Danielle were advised it would be best to terminate the pregnancy. However, that was never an option for them. They were determined to give their precious son every chance he deserved. They decided to leave it in the Father's hands. You can read more of the Finchum's story here: LETTING GO and LETTING GOD.

Just 4 weeks shy of her due date, Danielle's water broke and on June 1, 2009, little Wyatt Nathaniel Finchum was born at 10:03 am. He had a faint heartbeat and was breathing, which was a miracle, as doctors advised them that they would probably never see him alive. He died 2 short minutes later. However, due to Tennessee's definition of a live birth, Danielle's doctor was not able to medically acknowledge Wyatt's life. He was listed as a stillborn.

Danielle won't deny the fact that her son was dying as soon as he was born, but he did live! He fought with all his might to breathe for those two minutes and his life deserves to be acknowledged as such. A Life. Danielle would like to get Tennessee's definition of live birth amended to a more acceptable definition that recognizes life no matter how short it may be.

This is where YOU come in! Danielle has started a petition and is trying to get 1,000 signatures. Will you PLEASE take a moment to go and sign the petition if you agree that the definition of 'live birth' should be changed? You DO NOT have to live in Tennessee to sign the petition.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN PETITION

Also, if this subject is something that is near and dear to your heart, would you please consider blogging about it, too, so we can spread the word even more? There is no reason another family should have to endure what the Finchum family has. If you will blog about it, please let me know. Traci at Ordinary Inspirations is doing a link party of sorts to help get as many signatures on this petition as possible. Let's all do what we can to reach the 1,000 signature goal!

Last but certainly not least, will you please commit to praying for this family and all the other families who have lost a child or more than one child? There are SO many out there, some who are my very own family members and best friends. Will you join me in saying a prayer for them today and in the days ahead?

Thank you so very much!

UPDATE: Per Wyatt's mom, it is NOT too late to sign the petition. She had an original goal of 1,000 signatures, which we HAVE surpassed! Praise the Lord! However, this is what Danielle said about that:

"I would like to clarify that just because we've reached our goal doesn't mean I want to back off. Inevitably, the more signatures we get, the more eyebrows we're going to raise. And I want to raise a lot of eyebrows, don't you? I just figured 1,000 signatures was what I would need to even begin to be taken seriously."

So, PLEASE, keep signing away and please ask your friends to sign, too! Thanks so much!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm sure glad it's 'Thankful Thursday' because I desperately needed to stop and take some time to think about the things I'm thankful for in my life right now. I have been going through a really rough patch lately and decided I would throw myself a pity party!

Nope, I didn't send out any invitations so you didn't miss anything. There have been no festive decorations or beautifully wrapped gifts. I haven't even been able to keep down much of the food I've had during this great big blubbering bash. That part really stinks, too! No, it has just been me, here all by myself, feeling sorry for poor, poor pitiful me.

Yes, I understand that things could be far worse. I'm aware there are people whose circumstances are much, much rougher than mine. I know that I have so many things to be thankful for. I really do. However, the fact remains that I have been having an extremely hard time the last few weeks - physically, spiritually and emotionally. Actually, it has really been since I became so very sick this last time. It seems as though each time that I develop yet ANOTHER infection, I'm a little worse than I was the time before. I have to stay in the hospital a little while longer than I did the last. It just starts to wear on you after a while. I'm just so tired of being sick.

Anyway, I AM very thankful for so many things. I DO have to remember that. I have to remember that my Lord continues to bless me every day and that His grace is ALWAYS sufficient.

Right now I am truly thankful for:

1) Jesus Christ. I must cling to Him each new day. He IS my Redeemer.

2) My husband and my 2 youngest daughters. They have given up almost every facet of their lives in order to help care for me. I don't know where I would be right now without them.

3) My extended family. Each member is amazing and I am incredibly blessed by each and every one of them.

4) My continued relationship with my oldest daughter. She called me again last night and it blessed my soul to hear her voice. I love all my girls so much.

5) My life. I have been through some rough waters over the last few weeks but I am still alive. I am living. I just want to feel like I'm living again.

I would really appreciate it if each of you would keep my family and me in your prayers. We really need it right now. I hope to get over my slump and get back to writing more soon. Thank each of you who continue to come to this little blog of mine. Thank you for your love and support as you read and comment. It means more than you can possibly know. {{HUGS}}

Please join Alyssa at TRUTH 4 THE JOURNEY to see what she and others are thankful for today.

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAYS

The song I chose for today is an incredible song that has meant a lot to me over the last few years (and I'm even talking about a long time before I became so sick). It has truly been the cry of my heart to my Lord during THE most difficult and trying times of my life and the lives of my family - trials and tribulation in our lives that are so very complicated and almost indescribable.

There have been many days when I thought I could not possibly make myself crawl out of bed, that I could not drag one foot in front of the other, that there were absolutely no more tears left to cry one more salty tear or even breathe one last labored breath. Sometimes I felt as though I couldn't do those things, other times I simply did not want to. A lot of times, I just didn't care about anything. I was numb. To be completely honest, there were even times when I had absolutely no desire left to be alive on this earth any longer. *sigh*

Thank the Lord though, I had amazing friends and family supporting me and lifting my family and me up in prayer. I also knew I had my precious family who was really depending on me. Plus, I had to keep in mind that my situation was only temporary. Therefore, I knew I just had to keep on keeping on for a little while longer and, most importantly, I had to let the Lord stay in control of it all.

Then one day while driving home from work, I heard this amazing song on the radio and it stopped me in my tracks. I literally had to pull my car over because I was bawling my eyeballs out. It was so powerful and it hit me hard. It spoke directly to my aching heart. It really helped me to put things back into perspective. After that day, it seemed like I heard it all the time. But just at the right time. When I really needed to hear it. (Isn't the Lord's timing incredible?!?!) The lyrics are awesome and they truly express how I felt back then and how I feel at this very moment in my life.

I decided a long time ago that I would most definitely walk through the valley because, for some reason that only the good Lord knows, He Wants Me To. And that is a good enough reason for me.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

The creator of 'Then Sings My Soul Saturdays' is Amy at Signs, Miracles and Wonders. Please take a moment to go check out her blog and see what she and others have chosen as their song for TSMSS. It is a lot of fun and is a true blessing!