August 10, 2006

 Dear Folks,

 Words can never express Stephanie’s and my appreciation for all the prayers you are offering up on our behalf.  Your visits, phone calls, sweet gifts and flowers, and the kind words you say mean so much to us.  At times, your outpouring of love has been overwhelming.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Our little Alison has remained stable, with small baby steps of progress.  The physicians remain concerned because the trauma she has faced has been immense. 

Graciously through your prayers and the mercy of our Lord, her doctors are beginning to express slight optimism. Still, they repeat that Alison is involved in a marathon, not a sprint.  She is still clearly in danger, but we now know she is fighting for us. 

And we praise our Lord for each small step of progress.  Even in the best case scenario, her attending physicians remain convinced that she will be in NICU five to six weeks. 

Since our earlier report, the swelling of her heart and the leakage from her heart valves have subsided.  Her lungs have quit bleeding and the veins within her tiny lungs that were a tremendous concern to the doctors are now carrying blood.  Unfortunately, her lungs are still incapable of processing the correct mixture of oxygen that her body requires.  She is on an oscillating ventilator, but the assistance it is providing is beginning to be reduced just a little to see how she handles it.  The doctors have cut back on the paralytics they are using to keep her motionless to aid in her recovery and we were fortunate to see our daughter move her little feet and mouth yesterday.  In addition, one of the nurses that was working with her yesterday said that little Alison opened her eyes for a precious moment.  Stephanie and I truly wish we had been there to share in that moment.  Her kidneys are functioning, and the small traces of blood that were present in her urine have disappeared.  Her thyroid numbers are improving as well.

Yet, our daughter is very sick and the physicians warn us that she will suffer setbacks along the way of her recovery.  Until her lungs become strong, her little life remains in jeopardy.  And we are still unsure of the trauma to her brain from the lack of oxygen and blood before her birth. 

Alison’s neurologist has said she cannot truly measure the potential damage until she is completely off the paralytics.  An early EEG showed some moderate abnormalities, but was much better than the doctor had earlier feared.  Alison will have continued tests performed on her as her physical recovery allows.  Please pray that her little brain will overcome any and all early trauma it endured.

The neonatal physician attending Alison has cautioned us that we need to limit who visits Alison and the total time we spend with her.  The chance for infections is increasing and is causing the doctor some concern.  She cannot place Alison in an intubator yet because the attending staff has to access her often.  Until then, the germs we bring in with us threaten her recovery.  We are sorry to limit the access to our daughter, but it is truly in her best interest.  We have tried to bring as many people in as we could so you could witness who you are praying for.  Please continue to stand in the gap for our daughter.  We will try to update the pictures often so that you can keep up with her progress.  

We are grateful to the staff at Woman’s Hospital.  They are truly incredible.  The physicians, the specialists and the nurses that are taking care of Stephanie and Alison have been attentive and thorough.  It is still hard for us to have to stand by and know that we are powerless to do anything other than pray and be there for her, but we are encouraged by the professionalism, technology and concern exhibited by those who make Woman’s Hospital truly special.  From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Stephanie is to be discharged tomorrow and it is going to be a rough day for my special lady.  She so wants to take Alison home with her as any loving mother would.  In addition, Alison’s nursery at home is complete and it will be hard to see it and know that she is not yet there.  But we know that she is in the best place for her recovery.  And we are continuing to plead with our Father that she will be able to come home soon.

As the Lord continues to move in response to your petitions to Him on our behalf, as He continues to give special insight to those who are attending to our little girl and as little Alison continues to fight the good fight, Stephanie and I know that the chances for our daughter to come home are greatly improving.  Still it is going to be a long and difficult journey.

We strongly need you to continue to pray for our strength, Stephanie’s recovery, special insight and wisdom for those who are attending to our Alison, and for our daughter’s recovery.  You are truly making a difference and we will never be able to tell you how much we appreciate your standing in the gap on our behalf.  It is truly our hope and prayer that she will one day be able to show you how much your prayers mean and how great our God truly is.  We join you in praying for a miracle.

Blessings to you,

Langston and Stephanie