How is Graham doing?

While we wait to hear when to leave for Children's Hospital, Graham is being strong about his upcoming surgery and recovery. I think he just wants to get it over with so he can move on with his senior year, especially soccer season this spring. He went back to school today, which will be good for him. Right now his biggest complaint is the liquid diet he's restricted to. That's not easy for a teenage boy who was requesting a meat lover's pizza 30 minutes after he came out of anesthesia Saturday. Our doctors are visiting with surgical team at Children's Hospital today, and we should have some dates fairly soon. No sign of relapse of last weekend's volvulus. Praying hard and preparing for departure. Celeste

A New Journey

We're heading back to Children's Hospital, this time for Graham.

Graham, 17, experienced severe abdominal pain Saturday, and we took him to the Chelan Hospital emergency room, where they found a volvulus (twist and blockage in his intestines). The xrays also showed other significant problems with Graham's intestines.

We were blessed the hospital's surgeon Dr. Tagge was able to "untwist" the problem without emergency surgery, and we received medical excellent care.

Graham, however, will have to have part of his large intestine removed as soon as we can get the surgery scheduled at Children's Hospital. We anticipate it will be within the next week. We don't yet know how much bowel will have to be removed.

Graham's condition is very rare and surprising for an otherwise healthy young man. The best guess at this point is that he has Hirschsprung's Disease, an illness he's had from birth but has gone undiagnosed. We are very glad the surgical team at Children's Hospital is experienced with this condition.

We hope to stay at Ronald McDonald House while we are at Children's Hospital (it will be nice to see Jenny and her family). Ironically, Graham has been planning a service project to gather items needed by families staying there.

We are all shaken by this sudden turn of events. But, as before, we place our faith in God. As we anticipate spending another holiday season at Children's Hospital, we ask for prayers for Graham. It is especially important that his bowels not "twist" again before we get him to Children's, as that could be life threatening.

Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless you, Celeste