A Daddy's Wish, A Daughter's Love

“I won’t have the wedding without you, Dad”. “Don’t worry, Bonnie, I’ll be there”. A recent exchange between Bonnie and Louie revealed that the wonderful wedding that Bonnie had carefully planned might now conflict with the opportunity for Louie to have the long awaited surgery to reconnect his intestines. This surgery combined with the skill of a plastic surgeon to cover and protect the intestines would be very serious. Recovery time could be extensive. This was the opportunity for her dad to eat regularly, eliminate the leaking bag, and possibly move forward to a new “normal” in his life. She \planned the wedding so far out with a 14 month engagement only to have the surgery now appear to collide with the wedding . Bonnie, however, never looked back in her joyous encouragement to have the surgery as soon as possible. There were worries about whether dad would be recovered enough to attend the June 25th wedding. If complications occurred she could not fathom having the wedding without him there. No, answers, no promises… Hospital stays can be unpredictable as we learned in the past. Uncharted territory can sometimes have roadblocks. ….Bonnie , with Michael’s blessing started a ball rolling that took her entire June 25th wedding --church, civic center, caterer , florist, photographer etc. etc EVERY DETAIL to early May. She literally “picked up” the whole wedding and moved to a week before the surgery. Truly God had a hand in this.
In summary, on May 7th, 2011, Louie will proudly walk Bonnie down the aisle of St. Philip Church to marry Michael Kaspar. It will be a joyous and proud moment as we are surrounded by family and friends. I have learned much from this experience---Life doesn’t always conform to our carefully planned agenda, however, with God anything is possible.  Most of all I’ve learned that the most precious gift doesn’t come wrapped in shiny paper.There may be no beautiful bow or glittery ribbon. You might not even be able to unwrap the tissue and tape. Why? Because sometimes the most precious gift is the gift of love.

Changes...

"I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord,  "plans to prosper and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

 Message from Ruthie:

Our visit to Dr. Saggi was a good one, for many changes are in the works.  First of all, Louie will begin immediately to have "Vital", a shake-like supplement 3 times a day.  It comes in FLAVORS!  Hopefully it will be very tasty.  We also found out that his liver is not permanently damaged, and possibly can be improved by this introduction to food that will cause it to work a bit. 

He has very little small intestine (approximately 60-70 cm) compared to what most of us have ~700 cm .  The large intestine is shortened as well, however  Dr. Saggi feels that these amounts are still ENOUGH to attempt to reconnect him. Bonnie, Louie and I all had tears of joy!  This event could be soon.  We will return in two weeks to see what effect the supplement is having on him and make further plans from there.

Although it has been our prayer for so long, and that of so many prayer warriors who speak to God on Louie's behalf, it is a bit scary.    We do know from past experience however, that if God brings you to it, He will bring  you through it.  He has given us all of the tools needed on this long journey starting with a wonderful EMS crew, Dr. Red Duke, supportive family and friends, cooperative workplaces, to finally Dr. Saggi (a reputable specialist referred to us by Dr. Duke). 

Thank you, thank you, for your prayers.  You are all our campanions on the journey.  Although we know that unexpected things can always happen, we constantly remind ourselves of those words that mean so much.  God has plans for Louie's future, plans to prosper and not to harm him.  We gratefully hold on to this new gift, the gift of HOPE.

Prayers for the Liver

Today Mom and Dad headed back to Hermann for Dad's liver biopsy.  His liver has not be functioning well, and this is will help determine the next move.  We pray that the damage is not permanent.  Next Tuesday they will meet with Dr. Saggi again to go over all the results. 

Happy Birthday Louie!

Today my old man turns 57.  Two years ago, things were more bleak, and we compiled a very long list of our favorite things in honor of his 55th birthday.  Last year we were were so thankful to be able to celebrate with one heck of a party!  Today on his 57th birthday he headed off to his exercise class this morning and he'll probably mill around town later today.  Tomorrow is a big day for him; he and mom will  head to Houston and meet with Dr. Saggi (the transplant surgeon that Dr. Duke recommended).  We hope that this may be an answer to our prayers.  Happy Birthday Dad!

Appointment 2/7/11

Yesterday Dad returned to see Dr. Duke. The wait was long (Duke's a busy man), but thankfully he was ready to discuss the questions mom had compiled. Questions about the dreaded central line in his neck,  line infections and difficulty inserting new lines, alternative bandages, and most importantly - WHAT'S NEXT?  
Duke is concerned that there is not enough small intestine left (with removal of the fistulas), because so much was removed in the first few weeks following the accident.  We do know however that the amount of large bowel remaining is adequate.  Therefore Dr. Duke is referring Dad to a fellow surgeon, Dr. Bob Saggi. He's already spoken to this surgeon, and he will make an appointment for Dad to see him. Dr. Saggi will then determine if dad is a candidate for a small bowel transplant.

We having been looking for a door to open; to know what to do next? We pray that this is it. If he is not a candidate, then maybe there is something else for him. He desperately wants to one day be able to eat something again, and regain enough strength to hold his grandkids.

STORM HEAVEN'S GATES ONCE MORE

Dad will go back to see Dr. Duke on Monday, and we are asking for additional prayers.  Unfortunately the central line did end up in his neck last week; so he's trying to get used to that. 

The following was written by Marilyn Goerig for my mom and dad. 

STORM HEAVEN'S GATES ONCE MORE

I’ve never been a patient person;

My husband would be first to agree.
But over the years I’ve improved;
When I let go, let God, not me.
Louie, on the other hand,
Is the most patient person I know.
Even before this terrible event,
He seemed to go with the flow.

The last two years have been traumatic;
A hardship to say the least.
The pain, the weakness, the bandages;
And missing each family feast.

He has been an inspiration,
Strengthening everyone’s Faith.
The Bible tells us be patient;
For all good things we wait.

We’ve been less persistent in our prayers;
As we beg for Louie’s recovery.
It’s time for a renewed fervor;
With each petition and plea.

In a renewed cry for healing,
We’ll join together as before;
To lift our hearts and voices,
And storm heaven’s gates once more.

Another Test of Patience - Waiting

As usual things don't follow our plan, and again we are waiting (trying to be patient).  Friday marked two years, but Friday evening Dad developed a fever (reaching 103), and he wound up back in the hospital.  It's been determined that he has a line infection, but we are also "patiently waiting" to see what else the culture might grow.  His appointment with Dr. Duke will have to be rescheduled for a later date while the issue at hand is taken care of.  We know that Tuesday he will have to get a new line.  With Dr. Duke's appointment postponed, we have a new prayer request.  These lines have proven to be very difficult to insert.  It seems that he has run out of veins to use.  We pray that they are able to find a vein on his upper shoulder to insert the line; so he can be as comfortable as possible.  He once had to have one of these lines in his neck and it was terrible!