October 30, 2005 - Erik Updates

Wendy Guest Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 12:17 pm Post subject: 10/30 We are home! We are home! We came home last night and Erik and the rest of us had a good night of sleep. We are now going to work very hard on getting therapy for Erik and helping him get stronger. We start home therapy this week and we are excited about this. Erik is motivated by therapy so this will be really good for him. Please continue to pray for healing and strength for Erik and for this to be our last hospital stay! Love in Christ, Erik's Family Jennifer Mull Guest Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:24 pm Post subject: I am so Glad Erik is home and doing well. Keep up the good work Erik. Love, Jennifer Emily Ross Looney Guest Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 5:51 am Post subject: checking in Hey, Wendy! I finally got a chance to check out Erik's site; it looks amazing! I'm so glad that you guys made it home and I don't plan on seeing you for a while! Take care and call if you need anything! Love, Emily Kimmie's mom Guest Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 8:12 am Post subject: thank you so much Hi Wendy! I finally had a chance to check out Erik's site and read your story. I am so glad that I did. It's comforting to know that faith in God is so powerful, and we have done just that with Kimmie. Thank you for the gifts for Kimmie--she loves the purple clothes and is wearing them all of the time. I would like to attach a picture of her in the clothes for you, but don't think I can through this site. Do you have a home email? If you do, my email is mailto:mkgronlund@sbcglobal.net We got home from the Ronald McDonald house on Oct 26th. The radiation treatments went well and Kimmie only lost her hair. We're on a break now before the Chemotherapy begins (Nov 28) and Kimmie is getting ready for her 5th birthday (Nov 20). We pray that when then do her MRI during her first week of treatment, the tumor will have responded to the radiation. She's doing great! Her vision in her eye is better, but the facial muscles haven't come back yet. It's only been three months and I know I just need to give it time and prayer. We'll be traveling to Duluth, MN every three weeks for her Chemo and then have a two week break at home between. She's started pre-shool (the teacher comes to our house once every two weeks) and will be going to her ballet classes when she's up to it. It would be great to hear from you Wendy--and I'll be sure to show Kimmie Erik's pictures on this site. She asks about her friends in California often and misses them. Hope all is well--say hello to the famiky for us, and to the rest of the family. Love and prayers Margie; Kimmie, Roger; Melanie Gronlund

October 27, 2005 - Looking good!

Erik did fine! The doctor said that the shunt was "slow flowing" from the ventricles and that this was most likely the reason for his slow responses and sleepiness. PRAISE GOD FOR CONTINUING TO BLESS ERIK!!! He did have some seizure activity immediately following the surgery which is not uncommon. We will just pray this away!! He said the tubing had probably been developing build-up slowly but that we did the best thing by waiting to do surgery to allow the previous procedure(s) to heal. We are going to stay here for a few days and see how he does once he starts to wake up more. It is so exciting to think that all of Erik's "issues" have been addressed with and we pray that this will be his new beginning! We will keep you posted! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

October 27, 2005 - Shunt Revision for Erik

Hello Everyone! We are at Duke today for a shunt revision. We brought Erik in last night because he has been really sleepy and just not himself this week. His ventricles are still unsafely large so the decision was made to revise the shunt to hopefully assist the ventricles in getting to a safe size. The good news is that the infection appears to be under control and responding to the antibiotic!!!! YEAH!!!!!! Please pray that the shunt revision will make a huge difference in Erik's responsiveness and overall alertness. We really want this to be the reason he has not been himself. We will keep you posted and thanks in advance for your prayers . . . Erik's Family

October 21, 2005 - Things are going well...

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:51 pm Post subject: 10/21/05 Things are going well . . . Hello all! Things are going well for Erik. We hope to go home today. He will remain on strong antibiotics for 6-8 weeks and then we will reaccess him at that time. Please pray that: 1) the antibiotics will successfully cleanse his body of the infection; 2) he will resume eating and drinking so the feeding pump is not necessary; 3) that Erik will be able to participate in therapy to get stronger every day; and 4) that we will easily develop a routine as we return home. It has been good to see the staff here at Duke. everyone has been happy to see how active Erik is now and to know that the AVM is taken care of. Thank you for continuing to lift our family up during this journey! Erik's Family

October 15, 2005 - He did well...

Hello everyone! Erik did well today. The results of the surgery are that a large abscess had formed at the incision site. They drained and cleaned this up and so far he is doing well and appears to be feeling better. It was a serious surgery and they had to go into the site where the AVM was removed on 9/8. All looked well and now we have to wait to see if the antibiotics will clear any residual infection-related problems up. Erik is now in the PICU at Duke Medical. The plan is to see how much the site drains and see if the fluid is infection free. Hopefully, we will get the "go ahead" to move to the floor tomorrow where we will remain for a few days. Probably to see if the abscess starts to form again or other complications. Dr George was great today and we are thankful that he is working with us during this critical time. God has been good to bring us to the medical staff and care that is best for Erik. Please pray for complete healing for Erik, for the shunt to function properly, and for him to remain infection free. Thanks to you all for your prayers and encouragement! Erik's Family

October 15, 2005 - We are at Duke

Hello Everyone! We are sending this from Duke Medical Center. Since Erik's last surgery, there has been concern with some fluid collection around and under the incision site and about the efficiency of the shunt. Each day, he has appeared to be slowly complaining more and more. He has been sleeping more each day, the fluid appears to be increasing, and he has appeared to be uncomfortable. Yesterday we had an appointment with neurology and they advised us to go to the ER for a neurosurgery evaluation. 12 hours later, we were admitted and in a room. The thought was that this morning they would perform a shunt replacement. Once we met with our neurosurgeon, he decided to look more closely at the fluid collection to see what it is: spinal fluid, blood, or infection. Once they determine this, they will either clean the area and/or revise the shunt. If there is infection, they plan to take care of that first and then in a few days consider replacing the shunt. They are not sure that the enlarged ventricles and the fluid collection are connected so it appears we may be dealing with 2 issues. We wanted to ask for your prayers for Erik. Pray that all will go well this hospital stay and that he will return or surpass his good/new baseline soon. He is still moving everything and more responsive. This hospital trip, he actually complains about things when the nurses are around which is good to see! We will write more when we can! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely will help you, surely I will withhold you with my righteous right hand." Isiah 41:10 NASB

October 11, 2005 - I'll be Praying daily for Erik & your family

Hi! My name is Carole Myers. I live in Greenwood, In. An email came through on our email prayer request from church. We attend Mt. Gilead Christian Church in Mooresville, In. I will add Erik & your family to my prayers that I pray every day. I read your whole story and it brought tears to my eyes. God is certainly there with you all the time! Be assured I will be praying. Carole

October 11, 2005 - Greetings!

Greetings Everyone! WOW! What a week! The BBQ on Saturday was great! It was so good to see our family and friends! Having so many of our prayer warriors under one roof was fun for us. We are so thankful to our church family for doing this for us. I don't know how people go through tough times without Christ and the love of a solid church family! PRAISE GOD that we have such a good one! Erik is hanging in here. We are having good and tough times but so far the good outweigh the tough. We have many doctor and therapy appointments set and are watching the function of the shunt closely. We are still not sure that it is working 100%. We don't want to do anything too soon though because many things are stable. Margot, Brigitte, and Nick all seem to be adjusting fine to all of us under one roof. It has always been interesting when Erik and I have been away. Whether it has been a day or so or a month, it is an adjustment for us all to be back together again. It is all fun to work through though! God defiantly works on each of us during periods of separation. We know he is shaping and growing us through it all and that is all we need to know to make it work! We know Christ remains in control and with us during Erik's recovery period. Please pray for stability for Erik and for the incision sight and the shunt to be in working order. Love to all, Erik's Family "I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts His praises! You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever." Psalms 16:8,9,11 NLT

October 9, 2005 - My heart and prayers go out to you

Wendy - I saw a BBS posting on Friday about the BBQ fund raiser and followed the link to read about what's been going on. My heart goes out to you and your family. I'll be praying for Erik's full recovery! With love, Jodi Snare

October 7, 2005 - My prayers are with you

My name is Janet Cooper and I just heard about your son today from a common acquaintance. My prayers are with you and your family. Keep your faith because I too believe God works in mysterious ways. God Bless, Janet Cooper

October 4, 2005 - We are adjusting!

Hello Everyone! Well, things are going well here for us. We are "re-acquainting" with each other and seem to have been able to pick right back up where we left off! It is great to have everyone together again! The past few days have been spent making doctor's appointments, filling prescriptions, making therapy appointments, setting up meetings with agencies for evaluations, and gaining status on equipment we ordered for Erik. Whew! keeping up with it all is a job in itself! We are lucky to have some options for Erik with respect to therapy. Please pray that we will choose and have available to us the therapy plan that will best suit and advance him! Also, please continue to pray for stability for Erik. The first night home was great. The second night, he went to bed around 3. Last night, we were up with Nick some so we are not sure if this woke Erik up or if he would have woke up on his own. Hopefully, tonight everyone will sleep soundly! Erik has been sleeping more than he was in CA. We want to allow time for the time changes and the "jet lag" to wear off before jumping to conclusions about why he is sleeping so much. One reason we remained in CA for a week after hospital discharge was because we were not certain that all was well with his shunt. We do know that it is working but we are not sure if it is efficient enough. We still are not sure. He is still moving around alot and all but just sleeping alot and unsettled at night. We will see. Just pray for things to settle down! Well, take care and we will update you more as things progress! Goodnight from our home in NC . . . Erik's Family

October 2, 2005 - Think about this...

Hello Everyone! We have been trying to rest today and get some "last minute" errands run. YEAH - tomorrow we head home to NC! As I was heading down one of the main roads here that I traveled on quite often, I thought about something that I wanted to share. It seems that each time I traveled this particular road, I was in a different state of mind. Sometimes elated, sometimes in tears, sometimes happy, sometimes scared,sometimes lonely - the variations are numerous. Every day no matter where I was, my moods could be anywhere and could easily be impacted by my interactions and those around me. What I also realized is that there have been many opportunities for people to be kind or mean to me while I was "emotionally fragile" so to speak. I have been fortunate in that I have had many small blessings. Here are a few that come to mind: - The smile from the McDonald's staff member The familiar faces that greeted me when I entered the hospital each day - The person who waited for me or held the elevator - The smile from the person in the car next to me - The person who let me change lanes at the last minute (this person seemed to be in a hurry but happily let me over anyway) - The person who asked how I was - out of the blue - The card I received in the mail letting me know I was not forgotten - The person who made my children smile and laugh when I was not able to do this - The voice mail message on the room phone that I received after a difficult day at the hospital - The smile from a child who appeared weary from medical treatment - The unrequested ice cold drink from a nurse Kind words and a little time from someone famous after a trying day - The person who held the door for me - The person who motioned to the parking space they were about to vacate for me. None of these things were time consuming or costly. All of thee people could have looked the other way or went about their business but instead, chose to see me. All of these people put me - unknown to them - a stranger going through a tough time - before their needs for such a brief moment. I call these people "God's angels" because I know He sent them to me to provide just what I needed at the time I needed it. It is amazing how these little things really picked me up and made things better. Many times we wonder what our purpose is for the day. I realize after my time here that sometimes it is something big and sometimes it is something small that we may not even notice. I have learned a valuable lesson which is that we each should be sure we make every interaction with every person positive. You never know when something small you do can really make you the "angel" for someone else. Take care and we will email more from NC . . . Wendy and Erik