New Pics of Shnaider...

Shnaider is getting sooooooo big!!! He is not the little baby that I brought home from the airport! Look at how GREAT he looks! Thanks to the Hall family for taking such great care of this precious boy!

GREAT News for Djemy!!!

Djemy and Guerlens--Dec. 2008

We just found out this week that Djemy has been accepted for Surgery in San Diego, CA, at Rady Children's Hospital. Letters have been written and are in transit to Haiti, via Fed Ex today. Please pray that they arrive in Haiti on Thursday, as expected!

We are praying that everything will fall in line to get him to the States before Christmas.
Will you please pray for this with us?

Djemy will be having multiple surgeries over the next year or more, to reconstruct his nose. We need to get him here, to bulk him up before his surgeries begin.

Please be praying for his little brother, Guerlens, that he will be leaving behind at God's Littlest Angels Orphanage. They are VERY CLOSE, and will miss each other terribly!

Update on Witlene...

Sorry for the silence on Witlene. We have AMAZING NEWS!!! After her MRI and blood tests, we went up for the consult with the Neurosurgeon. He flipped through the slides, and then looked at her blood tests. He almost jumped... (you never see a neurosurgeon get excited!) and had a smile on his face, and said, "Yes, this is what I wanted to see!" What he was referring to, was her Prolactin levels. If the levels are too high or too low, medicine can not be used to shrink the tumor; surgery is the only option.

Her Prolactin levels were too high from the tests done in Haiti. They were repeated 3 or 4 times to make sure. Well, that day they were right in the range, (THANK YOU GOD!), and the doctor is able to start shrinking the tumor with medication. She will return to the doctor at the beginning of January to have her levels taken again. The doctor will know from the blood results if the tumor is responding to the medication. There are only 2 medications used to shrink this kind of tumor, so please pray with us that it is working.

She is having some side effects from the medicine, but that should subside soon. Please pray that all of the side effects (nausea, dizziness, etc.) would dissapear!!!!!

She has some family here in the US, so they are enjoying some time with them. Witlene's brother and his wife have 3 children that were born here in the States, and before this trip, Witlene and her mom had never met them in person. What an amazing opportunity for Witlene and her mom to be able to spend Christmas with family that they have only ever gotten to see photos of, and "hear" about... This will be a Christmas to remember!!! Especially since there will be snow and no Palm Trees this year! :-)

Update on Shnaider

Well if any of you caught it I said that I "had" been hosting Shnaider. We are very excited to let everyone know that he has transitioned on to his prospective adoptive family. They are a wonderful christian couple that got to know about Shnaider through their daughter. Kate Bowley that hosted little Widline recently is prospectively going to be his big sister! This family is amazing. They have adopted many children over the years and currently have 5 children living with them that have all been adopted.

Shnaider transitioned so well with them. We were very sad for him to leave us but very excited to see God bring him his forever family. The top picture is of Shnaider and his two soon to be brothers from Haiti also. The middle are his new parents to be and I cant even believe how big he looks in the last picture. He is getting so big and grown up looking.

He was recently at Dr. Youngs office and the doctor was thrilled with Shnaiders progress. He feels that he will not have to do surgery again and the bone patch that covered the defect is in place. Dr. Young was so happy with Shnaiders growth and development as well. In January they will take out the shunt that had been placed to keep the swelling down and prayerfully the site will have been completely sealed over then and he will be totally done with treatment.

His new family will be keeping him through the duration of his medical stay and are working on the process of adoption.

Keep them in your prayers.

Stephanie

Helping Hands that Heal

Hello all, my name is Stephanie Mueller. That might sound familiar to you because I was hosting Shnaider Alliome. I have gotten to be friends with Rebekah throught the process of hosting and already had a heart for Haiti before I even met Rebekah. I am a nurse and I live in Indianapolis, IN. I have been to Haiti 3 times and run a medical clinic when I am there in a rual area of Haiti called Chambrun.
Through getting to know Rebekah and what Hands that Heal is doing I am now going to be assisting her in helping in any way that I can. I am excited to see how God will use and grow this ministry and to be a part of that.
Stephanie

Witlene...

The two pics below were taken the day after Witlene, her mother Marie, and her brother Walter, had gotten to Indiana. The cute little blonde boy is my youngest son, Luca. I love seeing him snuggling on Walter's lap! He loved being with Walter.

Marie, Witlene, and Walter.

Please keep Witlene and her family in your prayers tomorrow! I, along with her mother, the host parents, Dr. Binkley (the doc from Haiti who asked us to find her help) and his wife Donna, will be accompying Witlene to her MRI and appointment with the neurosurgeon tomorrow. Please pray that my Creole is "on" tomorrow too! :-) I will be the sole tranlator until Dr. Binkley and his wife get to the doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon. I think I will do fine, but there are always words that I don't know...But somehow I am always able to describe the word that I am wanting to use, in Creole! lol...

Her MRI is at noon, eastern time, and her appointment with the neurosurgeon is at 3:30. We will then know the course of action that he wants to take with this tumor. As of the last appointment, 1 week ago, the tumor was the size of a baseball.

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Please also be praying for Djemy. We should be hearing any day on his case. The panel of doctors were meeting last week to decide what kids they were accepting for charity work. I should know something by tomorrow...

Slow Connection...

I am posting this from my sister's apartment in Indianapolis, and her connection is not very good. So, I will not be posting any pics, or much of an update tonight. My oldest son is having surgery tomorrow in Indianapolis, so I will try to get pics uploaded tomorrow night.

Here is who I will be updating on...

Shnaider: pics and some VERY exciting news...

Widline: Hoping to get some more pics of her with family in Haiti...

Witlene: She and her mom are having a great time with the host family. Thanks Dave and Jo for making them feel so welcomed!!! She has an eye doctor exam on Monday, and her MRI and neurosurgeon appt. on Wednesday, the 19th. She was anointed at our church on Sunday, and we are praying that the size of the tumor has shrank. She is just so ready to have some relief from her pain!!!

Djemy: We are waiting to hear from Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, to hear if he will be accepted as a charity case for Rady Children's hospital in San Diego, CA. I am hoping to get a call tomorrow from them.

Some new patients:

Joseph: He is 14 and has very large tumors on his legs. Dr. Didelot from St. Vincent Hospital, in Indianapolis, has agreed to operate on Joseph. we are getting letters together, and arrangements made for him to come over: hopefully by January.

Gregory: He is 8 and has some major urological issues. Dr. Cain from St. Vincent Hospital, has agreed to take Gregory on as a charity case. We are hoping to have him to the States shortly after the New Year.

Both of the above new patients, are being referred to us by Angel Missions Haiti.

Witlene is here...

Witlene is here in Indiana, and I had the privilege to host her, her mother, and brother last night and today. We went to her 1st doctor's appointment this morning and we found out the tumor on her pituitary gland is about the size of a baseball. Over the next couple weeks, she will be getting a lot of blood work done, complete vision screening, and a MRI. She will see the neurosurgeon on November 19th to discuss all of the results from these tests, and the best possible way to fight or remove the tumor.

I will post pictures and more information tomorrow. She and her mother are FREEZING here in Indiana, and we are having seasonally warm weather for November. (71 today) The 40's, that are coming this weekend will be a terrible shock to their systems. They sat in my living room with winter coats on, while my 2 yr. old son, Luca, ran around in jeans and no shirt. :-) It was really funny and they were laughing about it!

I am thanking God that she is here finally, and is able to get the medical attention that she so deserves!!!

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

I just got this e-mail from Witlene's brother:

Family in Christ,

I don't know how much to thank you for your support praying for my sister. I am excited to let you know that she just received her visa today to travel to the United States where she will undergo surgery for her tumor. Please continue to pray for the remaining of the process. Pray for the doctors, nurses and Technicians, pray for Witlene's host family, pray for Rebekah's family and her organization for God's provision, as well as anyone who will be involved in this process.

With gratitude,

Walter Thermidor

Visa appointment...

Please be praying for Witlene today. She has her visa appointment at the US Embassy today at 11am. God willing, Witline will be coming to the States ASAP to get a tumor removed from her pituitary glande. We have the doctor, hospital, and host family all lined up: Now we just wait on the US Embassy.

Please God, make the meeting go smoothly, and that Witlene would get her visa without any hassels!!!!!!!!!!

Widline back in Haiti...

I don't know much, as Vanessa is still in Haiti, but what I do know is that Widline is in Haiti, and has been reunited with her family. She flew back to Haiti with Vanessa, Angel Missions Haiti, on October 6th. These photos below were taken October 8th. The man in the photo is her grandpa. I won't even try to understand how HARD it was for the Bowley family to say goodbye to Widline!!! But seeing her reunited with her grandpa, and seeing his smile, makes me smile knowing that he entrusted her to us, PERFECT STRANGERS, and now will be able to see his grand daughter grow up to lead a more normal life. This is what Hands That Heal is all about: Helping families get life-saving medical care for their loved ones, that is not accessible in Haiti, and then reuniting them healthy and whole!

Please continue to pray for little Widline, as she acclimates herself back to Haiti, and her family. For her little mind, she would not remember anything about Haiti or her birth family! Also, please keep the Bowley's in your prayers. I have talked with Kate, Widline's host mom, multiple times since Widline left, and the void of her being gone is still very fresh and painful!!! The family loved her like one of their own, and now they are all mourning the loss of her being a part of their family!

BOWLEY'S: WE LOVE YOU AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU GUYS!!!!! THANKS FOR BEING SUCH AN AMAZING HOST FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Stepping back for a bit -

Well, after much prayer & thought on this subject, I feel I need to step back for a bit as far as doing much 'hands on' work goes with Hands That Heal. The reason has nothing to do with having a problem with anything or anyone [not at all!], but instead, it has to do with everything going on here at the house.

`

As some of you may know, we adopted a baby girl that's 4 weeks old today. We were at the hospital when she was born & brought her home with us at 2 days old. She's doing fabulous in every way except for the fact that at night when she's sleeping, she stops breathing!! It's really bothering us & we've had her at the doctor 2 times so far for it already & she's going in for extensive testing on the 20th. Due to all that she's going through, we're like getting no sleep at all [almost literally].

`

If that's not enough, we're moving into another home in less than 3 weeks. Moving can be a trying time in & of itself for a family of 2 or 3, but we're a family of 8 & so it'll be nothing short of miraculous to get this done [when 4 of the 8 are 6 & under!].

`

I'm the type of person that if I say I'll do something, then you can count on me to throw 110% into it or I'd just as soon not do it at all. That's why I'm at this point now, I don't feel with everything that's going on here, that I can give 110%, so therefore I feel the need to step back.

`

I've talked this over with Rebekah & things between us are great, it's just that this' something that I need to do for our family at this time. I'll still help out when/where I can, but it'll be more of a 'behind the scenes' thing for now.

`

Thanks to all those that have been praying for Hands That Heal, since it began. Your prayers are so appreciated & will be what makes this organization continue from here on.

Please pray...

Please pray for the Bowley family today. This will be their last day with Widline. They should be in one of their appointments right now, and the other appointment should be around 2:30 EST. Please, please pray that if there is something more that needs to be done, that it is VERY CLEAR AND EVIDENT! We are helping Widlene through an organization called, Angel Missions Haiti. They are her POA, and will be making any and all final decisions.

Pray for peace as they leave her with Vanessa's sister today, and pray that Widlene does not cry!!!!! Kate is dreading this. This is the hardest part about being a host family: Saying goodbye to someone that you love and have cared for, for months!!!

11 months old...

How can it be that Widlene is 11 months old already??? Here is a little something about this little Haitian princess from her host mom, Kate:


Well our little PRINCESS is 11 months old today! That is so hard to believe. She is amazing in everyway! She is really starting to mature and change. I am seeing her change and get stronger each day! She is pulling herself up and rolling over. Yesterday at soccer she balanced herself standing for about 8 seconds!



Widlene's next doctors' appointments are next Tuesday. If the doctors are done with her care, she will leave that day from Columbus, with Vanessa Carpenter, AMH. We are all praying that it will be very evident if there is something more that can be done for her here in the States!

Please pray for the Bowley family in this time of transition! They love Widlene like one of their own children, and have really bonded with her over the past seven months. Please pray for her host brothers, as it is always harder for kids to understand the "whys". Pray for Widlene, as she has a lot of major life transitions taking place in the next couple of months. She was too young when she came here to remember her family back in Haiti. Pray that she bonds quickly with them! Lastly, pray that she continues to grow and stay healthy!!!

Can I say, "CUTE"!!!

Look at how big miss little Widline is getting! Really, does it get any cuter than this? Thanks Kate for letting us use your video. I had to share with the world how great Widline is doing!!!!!!!!!! This sweet little princess will turn 1 on October 26. She is growing up way too fast!!! We all love you Widline! :-)

Meet Djemy...

Here is our latest little guy that will be coming to the States for surgery. Djemy is 2 years old and was brought to GLA (God's Littlest Angels Orphanage) in June with the beginning stages of Kwashiorkor.
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Kwashiorkor: Kwashiorkor is a type of malnutrition with controversial causes, but it is commonly believed to be caused by insufficient protein intake. It usually affects children aged 1–4 years, although it also occurs in older children and adults. Jamaican pediatrician Cicely D. Williams introduced the name into international scientific circles in her 1935 Lancet article[1][2]. When a child is nursing, it receives certain amino acids vital to growth from its mother's milk. When the child is weaned, if the diet that replaces the milk is high in starches and carbohydrates, and deficient in protein (as is common in parts of the world where the bulk of the diet consists of starchy vegetables, or where famine has struck), the child may develop kwashiorkor.

The name is derived from one of the languages of coastal Ghana, translated literally "first-second", and means "rejected one", reflecting the development of the condition in the older child who has been weaned from the breast, often as the result of the birth of a sibling.
(Wikipedia definition)
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At the beginning of July, he had diarrhea and refused to eat. A feeding tube was placed to assure that he was getting enough calories. He had the feeding tube in for 7 days. On the 9th day, he developed NOMA on his left nostril. The necrosis developed rapidly. He ended up in surgery, to save his life, but in the process he lost half of his nasal septum and nasal flair. He was treated with 3 VERY strong antibiotics for 3 weeks following the surgery.

This photo was taken after the surgery to remove the dead tissue.
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NOMA: Exact etiology is not known, but noma is likely caused by bacterial infection, specifically by fusospirochetal organisms.[3] Risk factors include severe protein malnutrition (e.g. Kwashiorkor) and unsanitary conditions.[3]

The mucous membranes of the mouth develop ulcers, and rapid, painless tissue degeneration ensues, which can degrade tissues of the bones in the face.[4]

The disease is associated with high morbidity and mortality and mainly affects children under the age of twelve in the poorest countries of Africa. Children in Asia and some countries of South America are also affected. Most children who get the disease are between the ages of two and six years old.[5] The WHO estimates that 500,000 people are affected, and that 100,000 new cases are reported each year. (Wikipedia definition)
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He is doing well now, and is has gained a lot of weight.

We already had a host family lined up for him: Thanks Ralph and Beka! So we started looking in the San Diego area to find him care. God had everything all in His control. The first Cranial Facial Plastic Surgeon's group that I called, accepted him. Thank you to Julie, the nurse coordinator, and Dr. Amanda Gosman, the surgeon, for taking this little guy under your care! The surgery will take place a Rady Children's Hosptial in San Diego, CA, and will be sponsored by Fresh Start. We are waiting for some last minute details to come together, and we will be able to get all of the paperwork together, and FED EX it off to GLA.

GLA was able to contact the birth father, so he is in the process of signing for the passport, ect... This will speed up the process sooooo much!!!!!!!

Please keep Djemy in your prayers and I will update as things transpire!

Update on Shnaider...

Here is another update from Stephanie: This was written Tuesday when they arrived home from the hospital.
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We just returned home a few hours ago from Shnaiders latest surgery. His shunt was leaking from the site inside his back. It seems to be draining the fluid between his eyes again thankfully.

He had an extremely hard time comming out of anestheia this time. We arent really sure what happened, possibly a reaction the the amount of Morphine he had but he was hysterically thrashing, screaming, and crying for 7 hours post op. He was totally out of control. It was difficult and my arms hurt so bad today from trying to contain him. About 8:00 pm he finally came out of it and was fine. He is acting great this morning. He even let one of the nurses and the doctors assistant hold him! Usually he cries when someone comes near him at the hospital. Being his 4th time in he is pretty wise to the whole thing.

The doctor would like to go in next week and fix the bone graph in the front and use a special medication as well that crystalizes when it comes in contact with spinal fluid. It will help to create a barrier so the leak can stop. If all works as planned and the shunt keeps functioning that should be it.
Thanks for all the prayers yesterday. I had a feeling going in that it wasnt going to go smoothly for some reason but we made it through. Shnaider is so strong. I cant imagine having having 4 surgeries between the end of May and now.
We will update as we know more about the next procedure.
Stephanie
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They will go in to see Dr. Young next week, and we will know more about his next surgery and when exactly it is.

Thanks for all of your prayers for this little guy!

Almost 5 months...

It doesn't seem possible that on September 5th, Shnaider will have been here 5 months. Honestly, where does the time go??? He came the the States as a malnourished little boy that did not even have the energy to stand. Now, he is a different little boy! He is everywhere and has the best personality.

I remember the night that Lori and I went to the airport to pick him up. When he cried, it was not even that loud because he had no energy behind it! At church the next day, he just sat on my lap and ate the whole time. He ate all the time for the first couple weeks. He started walking when he was with the Truesdale's. He had such a good time with his host brothers, Carson and Chase. Now, he is with the Mueller's and he is acting like a typical almost 2 yr. old. He will be 2 November 20th. This little guy is so strong, and he is going to do great things for God as he grows! What a testament to God's faithfulness that his life will, and has already shown! Here are a couple pics: The first one is from 4 months ago, and the other one is from today.



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Please keep Shnaider in your prayers as he will have surgery again on Monday to fix the shunt. Here are some pics of where the shunt is, and how the fluid is collecting around the sights. His head has started to swell again too. The shunt should be floating around in his peritoneal cavity, and draining the fluid off his spine and around his brain. Well, somehow his shunt tubing slipped through the fascia, and created a pocket that is not letting the Cerebral Spinal Fluid to reabsorb. They are going to tack the shunt tubing to his abdominal muscles Monday, so it does not slip again, and it should drain properly from here on out. But, if any of you know about shunts, they can malfunction any time for any reason...

Please pray for Shnaider...

Here is an update from Snaider's host mom: Stephanie. Please keep Shnaider, Dr. Young, and his host family in your prayers!
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Shnaider's shunt seems to be malfunctioning. His swelling is back on his face and is swelling around the inscision sites on his abdomen and his back. We are scheduled for an office appointment at 8:45 Mon. morning and they have blocked out surgery for him after that. He seems to have every complication that can possibly happen. Please pray for healing for him, wisdom for the doctors and strength for our family to get him through this.
Stephanie

Witlene...

Please join us in prayer for Marie. She has a tumor on her pituitary gland, and we need to get her over here soon. We started working on her case almost 3 months ago. We have the doctor, and we are just waiting on paperwork from the hospital. With everyone's busy summer schedules, it has been hard to keep things moving! Please pray that all paperwork is final this next week, and that she could travel here in the next month for surgery!!! In the meantime, pray that God gives her relief of her pain and symptoms, while she waits on all of the legalities to be finished up here in the States.

Update on Shnaider...

I don't know how to link to another blog, so I am just pasting what Shnaider's host mom, Stephanie, has had to say over the past couple days. Thank you for all your prayers for this family!!!! They have been felt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Day after surgery:
We made it home from the hospital a few hours ago. Shnaider did a very good job. It was a tiring night. He is still sore and not too happy today but he took a long nap and is eating in his highchair now. His bump is about half the size it was. It should continue to drain the rest of the way. We have another appointment the 28th and we will then have to schedule his next surgery to repair the bone piece that has come off from the first surgery.
Nick had 2 good days at school which is a blessing. Our basement is cleaned up now too. Hopefully we are headed in the right direction now. Thanks so much for all your prayers.


Two days post-op:
Shnaider is doing well today. He slept all night last night and is in minimal pain. He has pointed to his back a few times and whimpered. That is all! He is eating and playing some with toys. The fluid has completely drained as you can see in the top picture which is what we were hoping would happen. Now the leak should be able to seal itself without all that pressure built up and we will go in soon to fix the front.

Nick had another great day at school yesterday and seemed good getting on the bus today. We take it day by day. We have noticed he has good months and bad months sometimes it seems to come in spurts. He is still bothered by Shnaiders crying or loud talking and told me yesterday he feels a little jealous. That is huge for him to say what his feelings are and that is an entirely appropriate feeling to have. Im not sure he fully grasps what jealous is or could define his exact feelings about it. We are trying to do as much as possible with the Jer and Nick one on one with either myself or Tom. This experience of Fostering is new to all of us.


Three days post-op:
Shnaiders favorite place to be, I'm convinced, is in the highchair. He loves to eat. Appetite is totally back today and he woke up from his nap very happy. Yeah!!
Nick had another awesome day at school. Praise the Lord!!
The bump is even flatter today (this pic was yesterday too). No fluid at all in it.

Shnaider had surgery today...

This will be short, because I am up way too late tonight! I will give details tomorrow...

Shnaider's surgery to place the Lumbar Peritoneal Shunt was successful. He will be released to go home with his host family tomorrow, (Actually today, since I am writing this after Midnight... :-)

His bone graph did dislodge, so they will be doing another surgery to fix that in the next few weeks.

Thanks for all of your prayers for Shnaider and the Mueller family!

Shnaider has surgery tomorrow...

Here is another update from Stephanie: Shnaider's host mom.

Shnaider is having a lumbar drain placed tomorrow. They have to drain the fluid permanently in hopes of the leaking spot to heal. We will be in the hospital overnight tomorrow. Pray all goes well. He has been on the crankey side I think because of all the pressure built up. My kids start school tomorrow. We have made some major decisions related to my husbands and my jobs and our family life. Our basement flooded a few days ago and many other stressors are happening right now.
Shnaider will most likely need another surgery soon to make another repair as well and will need to stay much longer than we had originally thougth.
We have much going on with our family right now and Satan is taking advantage of the stress. The beginning of the school year is always a huge stress with Nick. Change and something new do not go well with Autism.
Thanks for all your prayers.
Stephanie
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Please be in prayer for the Mueller's! Not only do they have Snaider, who has physical needs, their youngest son, Nick, is autistic. He has done great with Shnaider living with them, but with all of the new changes of school, etc., this can be really hard on an autistic child. School starts tomorrow, and Stephanie will be staying with Shnaider at the hospital. Pray with us that God wraps His arms around this family and that they feel the peace that only God can give!!!!!!!!

To put in simple terms with what is going on with Shnaider's seal; think of trying to patch a pool full of water. The water pressure is going to push the patch away and prevent a good seal. This is what is going on with Shnaider. His first surgery went well, but the patch and bone graph did not have a good chance to heal and scar over before the fluid started building up. So, instead of the body just reabsorbing the fluid, it pushed its way through a "healing patch". So, by placing the lumbar peritoneal shunt, it will drain the excess cerebral spinal fluid, and all of the pressure will be gone and the original surgery sight will be able to heal and scar over, and form a good strong barrier. Then, in about 6 months, Dr. Young will remove the LP Shunt, and the body will resume its job of reabsorbing the cerebral spinal fluid.

Shnaider will probably only be the hospital for a 23 hr. hold. Pray that he does not have any compications, and that he is released as expected!

I will update tomorrow as soon as Stephanie lets me know anything!
We appreciate all of your prayers.

Here is a pic of Shnaider taken today by Stephanie.

Shnaider...

Here is a quick update from Shnaider's host mom: Stephanie:

Just a quick post, he is still doing well. His bump has totally swelled up again to as big as it was before. We are supposed to hear from the surgeon today about potential surgery Wednesday this week. He is eating and sleeping and playing fine. We are praying to get the surgery this week and start moving in the right direction for healing for him.
Steph
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I talked with Stephanie after this update, and after she had spoken with the doctor: they are hoping to get Shnaider in Wednesday. They have 4 surgeries scheduled for that day already, but are hoping to squeeze him in. If not Wednesday, the secretary said that the surgery will be scheduled for Friday of this week.

Please pray for the Mueller family as they make all of the arrangements with their children/jobs, etc., to be with Shnaider during his surgery and post-op. Pray that Shnaider does not start running a fever in the mean time, and that the surgery is successful!

As soon as I hear something new, I will post...

- SHNAIDER UPDATE -

[taken tonight from the host mom's blog]

Shnaider had his big test today. God was with us for sure. He went to sleep for the first part of the procedure and then they let him wake up and we had to wait for 3 hours with packing in his nose and and IV in. He wasnt very happy but a little morphine helped him sleep for 2 of the 3 hours we had to wait. Taking the acutal scans we had to just hold him down crying but he was a trooper and we made it through it. He took a 3 hour nap when we got home! He is a little cranky tonight.

`
We hope to have the results of the test and a surgery date soon. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers. I definately had a peace the whole day and Shnaider did great considering everything they did to him. We pray they find the leak and it will be minor to fix.

Update on Shnaider...

Here is an update on Shnaider, from his host mom: Stephanie. Thanks so much for taking such great care of this little "stinker"!

Snaiders test is next Tuesday morning. We have to be at St.Vincent at 6am. They will give him general anesthia then they have to do a lumbar puncture and inject dye into his spinal column. They will let him wake up and then we have to stay at the hospital all day to do scans waiting on the dye to travel. They are looking for where the spinal fluid leak is comming from. Im sure it will be a long day and I will be there with him alone all day. Ill post again about it before it happens. Keep us in your prayers.
Steph