Surgery Again!

LET IT SNOW!! The girls enjoyed our 1st snow of the season. And Sarah Mei loved sledding!!

After the snow melted, we had an appointment with Sarah Mei's pediatric cardiologist. He gave us the news that Sarah Mei will need another open heart surgery. Her heart still has moderate to severe regurgitation which is causing the left side of her heart to enlarge. At this point it is double the size of her right chambers (they should be equal in size.) We will be making the trip to MUSC, in Charleston, shortly after Phil's return from Ethiopia. MUSC has a 3-D echo machine which employs state of the art technology. The surgeon will use these images to "plot a course" for the next surgery. Please pray with us that Sarah Mei's valve will be able to be repaired. If it is inoperable, the surgeon will be forced to replace the valve with a metal heart valve. This option is a last resort as a metal valve, at this age, causes many health related complications.

We praise God that we live in a place and era where we have access to such amazing medical technology. We're reminded how blessed we are, as we think about parents and children in underdeveloped countries, that don't have medical options at their fingertips. Phil will witness this first hand as he will land in Ethiopia tomorrow morning.

Sarah Mei continues to keep us all laughing with her infectious grin and her sunny personality. Her heart condition is causing no noticeable ill effects other than slight fatigue. Here she is helping Torie bake a cake.

While in China, Torie and I purchased Chinese traditional outfits for Sarah Mei and AnnaGrace. The girls enjoyed wearing them during the Christmas season.

Check the blog, daily, as Phil plans to update it with images and impressions of the people and country of Ethiopia. Pray for his safety and for God's direction as Phil prays about God's leading, for our family, in helping the orphans of this world. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27