A smiling girl is a sight for sore eyes!

Wednesday, Kelsey and I went to visit Lonia at the hospital. We were thrilled she was out of ICU and holding her own. We arrived but didn't find her in her room. I went to the nurses station and there she was, all propped up in a little red wagon off to the side. They had brought her out because the nurse thought she would enjoy being around people. She didn't need to be held but just needed to be where all the activity was so she would feel more like she was in Haiti. I told the nurse that was great and right where she needed to be.

The turn around in this little fighter is unbelievable. After the first surgery we couldn't get her to eat for a week and she didn't want anything to drink at all. It seems whatever she would eat or drink must have put pressure on or irritated this abscess that she had. It even made her nauseated and when she finally took something in it came right back up. This is not the story now. She is sitting up, grabbing food and stuffing it in. She is drinking liquids like they are going out of style. Before she would turn her head and cry and push them away. Needless to say I came away yesterday feeling very good about the road we are on now. This is not to say that there won't be problems ahead but to see the resilience in this little girl plainly gives me the courage and strength to do whatever is necessary for her. She still has a long road ahead. Dr. Gates is pumping the nourishment into her because all of her levels were so low and she was so dehydrated. He gave her the blood transfusion to help beef up her immunities to keep fighting off anything that could give her trouble. He is carefully studying every possibility before he takes action. There will be a second surgery in August to actually do repairs that are necessary and to actually create a rectum. He studied under the man who created this procedure. He has already called on him for his advice on the situation. We are in good hands. The Lord knew exactly where we needed to be and when. His timing is perfect. We are humbled by so many who have put things together and made this all possible. We rest assured even when things seem to be going wrong that we are in His will and He will continue to cover us with His grace and He will daily provide the strength to go on. What a mighty God we serve! Angels bow before Him! Heaven and earth adore Him! WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

Dee