Positive Medical Update

Oh my, it's good to be home!!

Thankfully we received a positive report today from Sarah Mei's pediatric cardiologist Dr. Craig Greene. Last week was a week of ups and downs as Sarah Mei battled a fever of unknown origin. Dr. Greene did an outstanding job of troubleshooting the problem...not only did he have blood drawn for blood cultures, but he also contacted the infectious disease physician (who had been treating Sarah Mei for her staph infection prior to surgery), Sarah Mei's pediatrician and the physician staff at MUSC. We were so appreciative that he was willing to collaborate with so many "minds" to decide on a treatment course. Thankfully the fever ended up breaking after 48 hours and then today we received the blood cultures back. They were negative...Praise God!! Her echo looks great, so we won't go back for a follow-up appointment for three weeks. We continue to be in "solitary confinement" until her next appointment, but we're beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Sarah Mei is returning to her bright, cheerful self. As the picture below demonstrates...she was not thrilled with her hospital stay (who would be??) But now that she is home, the fun-loving little girl is returning. My dad (who had open-heart surgery 10 years ago) is amazed at how quickly she has healed and recovered!!

These pictures were taken in Charleston... while Sarah Mei was in the hospital recovering from surgery, Phil and the girls went to a Citadel football game (Phil's undergraduate alma mater.) It was a wonderful respite, from what was a somewhat grueling ordeal, for our other girls.

We're all thankful to be home and back to a routine of sorts. We're back to Torie's senior year at SouthLake Christian Academy, homeschooling Michaela and AnnaGrace, volleyball, riding horses, chores on the farm...the rhythm of each predictable day is a blessing!!

Sarah Mei is Home!!

Just a quick update....Sarah Mei and I returned home today. She was actually discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon; however, after a 2 hour drive she was getting tired and cranky. She has been through so much in the last week that I decided to stop at a hotel to break up the trip. We drove the last 2 hours today and then went to an appointment with her pediatrician. (MUSC requires a pediatrician visit immediately after discharge.) As far as the results of the surgery...Sarah Mei had an echo on Monday, and it showed that there is still regurgitation in the heart. This is not surprising due to the specific heart condition that she had. It means that she may require a 2nd surgery sometime, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now we are just praising God for His hand of protection and thanking Him that we are home. I'll update the blog with more details/pictures tomorrow, Lord-willing, after her pediatric cardiologist appointment. (Yet another Dr.'s appointment....Sarah Mei will be thrilled. She starts crying now if she sees anyone in scrubs or with a stethoscope around their neck.)

Sarah Mei is in Pediatric Cardiac ICU

Sarah Mei has been in PCICU since surgery on Wednesday. We have so much to be thankful for...a great nursing staff, a skilled surgeon and a supportive physician team in ICU!! Sarah Mei's surgery went very well. As shown on the echo, Sarah Mei had an extra flap of tissue, that is not usually present, that partially blocked the hole in her lower heart chamber. This flap of tissue protected her lungs, from the increased pressure, and literally saved her life during her 1st 19 months. The surgeon was able to just stitch her VSD opening in her heart (due to the extra tissue), and he also patched the ASD (hole in her upper chamber) and rebuilt her valves as planned. A 2nd surgery may be required but that can't be determined for months. We're just so thankful for a successful outcome for this surgery.
Sarah Mei has lost a lot of blood and required a unit of platelets and a unit of blood yesterday. She had a very vascular area in her heart, and we're praying that this is the cause of the bleeding....not another source. Her hematocrit is stable today!! She also has a low-grade fever. At this point they are doing no further testing to determine the cause. Some children run a low-grade fever for a few days after surgery. However, if it continues, they will have to investigate a possible infection. Please pray for God's healing in this area.
Despite these few set-backs, she is scheduled to move to a regular room today. She will monitored by telemetry (a heart monitor that is linked to the nurse's station.) She'll be relieved to be moved because then we will be able to hold her. She cries and says "pa" (her word for please) frequently because she wants us to hold her, but the monitors, IV's, chest tube, etc. have prevented that so far.
God's peace has been with us on a moment by moment basis. And Phil and the other 3 girls have even had some fun times walking around Charleston and seeing the sights.
We can't thank you enough for your love, encouragement and especially your prayers!!

Surgery Continues

We just received a surgical update (11:30 a.m.). Sarah Mei is off of the heart/lung machine and the surgeon is closing. We should talk with the surgeon in about an hour when Sarah Mei goes to ICU. Thanks for the prayers and continue to pray for a smooth finish to the procedure and for a quick recovery from anesthesia so Sarah Mei can get off of the ventilator tonight.

Surgery In Progress

We just received our 1st update from the surgical team. It's 9:30 a.m. and Sarah Mei is on the heart/lung machine. The surgeon has begun work on her heart. Please continue to pray for God's guidance for the surgeon especially as he repairs Sarah Mei's valves. (She is also having 2 holes in her heart patched, but in the words of the surgeon "the tricky part is the valve repair) We'll update you as soon as we hear more. We feel such peace from the Lord!! And are thankful for His promise from Psalm 139...(He) hems (Sarah Mei) in behind and before, He has placed His hand upon her.

New Surgery Date

Sarah Mei's surgery is rescheduled for Wednesday, September 5th. Please pray for the following: 1) An opening in the Ronald McDonald house for our stay in Charleston. 2) A smooth pre-op day on Tuesday, Sept. 4th. (Sarah Mei will have 4-5 hours of pre-op tests.) 3) God's hands to guide the hands of the surgeon. 4) Successful outcome from this surgery so no 2nd surgery will be required. 5) A committed and knowledgeable support staff for the surgery and aftercare. 6) That our family will be a testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ, and that we will be ready to give an answer for the hope within us!
We'll try to update the blog daily while in Charleston.

Surgery Rescheduled AGAIN

We received a call from the cardiac surgeon's office today. They've asked us to postpone Sarah Mei's surgery once again and take her to a pediatric infectious disease specialist to confirm what type of staph infection we are dealing with. The MUSC surgeon's office called and made an appointment with Dr. Ahmed at CMC in Charlotte. The first available appointment was next Tuesday, but in God's providence, the office called this afternoon with a cancellation appointment at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. Please pray for wisdom for the Dr.'s as they try to determine the best course of action. We are racing against the calender...the best time for open heart surgery and recovery (which takes a month) is before the fall respiratory infection season. We're reminded again that God's timing is perfect. We're resting in that!!

Thank- You CWA

Flight to China: $1,600

Outfit at Gymboree: $25

Being a Mom again: PRICELESS

We just wanted to say a special thank-you to Christian World Adoption (CWA) for all their hard work in helping us bring our daughter home. While Torie & I were in China picking up Sarah Mei...Phil, Michaela and AnnaGrace were able to visit our caseworker at CWA, Mei. Mei was a constant help and listening ear during our 9 months of adoption paperwork/waiting. She has such a heart for the waiting children and for the adoptive families. THANK YOU Mei for everything!!



After returning from China, we were able to visit the CWA offices again in July. Jane, CWA's China Program Manager who resides in Hunan, China, was in town. We were so excited to get to meet her face to face. She was not only responsible for helping us bring Sarah Mei home, but also worked with us in 2000 and 2001 when we were paperchasing and waiting to bring home AnnaGrace. AnnaGrace's homecoming was in December of 2001 and Jane was involved every step of the way. THANKS JANE for your faithful service to the waiting children in China. You are such an advocate for them!

Sarah Mei continues on her antibiotic for her staph infection. The pediatrician has decided to keep her on the antibiotics for 4 weeks in an effort to finally resolve the staph. We are waiting to hear from the pediatric cardiologist to confirm that he will still be able to perform her heart surgery on August 31st despite the on-going antibiotic treatment. Please pray for God's wisdom for the physicians as they make health decisions for our little girl.