Since our lives are rather boring (but somehow filled to the brim) these days, I'm not going to talk about us. I'd like to use this post to bring to your attention a beautiful family in our neighborhood who could really use your prayers and support.
Jim and Jodi moved to our neighborhood as Jim started seminary full-time in the summer of 2009. They are a beautiful couple and in August of that year had Ellie. Soon after Ellie was born they realized that Ellie had very serious acid reflux. This has caused her much, much pain. Ellie's response to the pain has been to stop eating. At 19 months, she relies on a G Tube (a surgically implanted feeding tube) for the majority of her nutrition. Jim and Jodi have an excellent GI specialist who has been practicing for 20+ years. She says Ellie is the most severe case she has ever had. At one point (before the G tube was put in last summer), Ellie did not gain weight for several months. There are times that, had the LORD not intervened, she would have experienced organ failure because she had such a tiny amount of fat surrounding her organs. Thanks be to Him, He has protected her (to the amazement of her doctors) and used the G Tube to make her a healthy little girl.
All along, Jim and Jodi have prayed that Ellie would eventually wean herself off of the G Tube. They were hoping she would desire to start eating as her acid reflux has gotten less severe (though there are still flare-ups). What they have learned is that it will probably not happen this way. We don't want to put limits on what the LORD can do, but all evidence suggests that in the normal course of things, at this point it will require an intervention for Ellie to wean from the tube. Children who rely on a G tube for feedings don't really learn what hunger is or that eating is essential to answer the hunger pain. Jim and Jodi have found a program in Austria that specializes in weaning children from G tubes. They also have an internet-based support program because they have realized they are some of the only people in the world who specialize in this particular area. The internet-based program has had a 100% success rate in getting children weaned off the tubes. Jim and Jodi have prayerfully considered the program and, with the consultation of some of the specialists in Austria, have decided to go forward with the internet-based support program (and not the inpatient program in Austria).
This is going to be a very trying time for their family. Basically, they are going to have to let Ellie learn what hunger is and show her that eating is the only way to solve the pain, and that it's a good thing. This could potentially be an extremely difficult time emotionally and physically for the whole family.
Please click here to read Jodi's blog to learn more.
Also please pray for their daughter, Charlotte who is 4 months old. She also has severe acid reflux which causes her much pain. So far, she has not responded in the same way as Ellie and continues to eat. But Charlotte also has at least a soy and possibly a dairy sensitivity and so eating can be very, very painful for her. Please pray that she will be healed. And pray that in the meantime the medications she is taking will begin to work more.
Also pray for sleep for the whole family. Ellie has never needed much sleep which is exhausting for Jodi who stays home with the girls. Jim is a full-time seminary student and also works part-time. Neither of the girls have great sleep which really takes its toll on the family. So pray that their family is full of rest, especially once they start this program with Ellie.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and lift up this beautiful family in prayer and support.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
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