December 29, 2006 - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all! We would like to thank you for all that you have taught us this year. What a year! Every year we know that the next year will be the best yet and so far this is true! We are looking forward to 2007! We want to thank you for what you have taught us this year. Many of you probably do not even realize the impact and support we have felt as a result of your prayers and support. Here are a few things that come to mind for us as we think about the past year. . . -- Unconditional love - you have loved us when times have been good and bad. -- Faith - you have been faithful in praying for us even when we didn't ask. You have been faithful to God by helping us in ways we did not expect and could not have anticipated. -- Kindness - we have been touched by those we know and those we do not know. Kindness has been shown in many ways and through many people. -- Understanding - you have tolerated our tardiness, lack of responses to calls or emails, and have offered assistance at just the right time. -- Christian love and teaching for our children - our children have grown in Christ through your actions, words, and teaching this year. The balance has been perfect and they have gained knowledge on how to walk in Christ through whatever comes our way. The Christians who have prayed and carried us through the challenges we have faced have been instrumental in this. We could not have done it as well on our own. We could go on forever but these things stand out and we just want to extend a huge THANKS to all of you! We know God brought us all together for many reasons and some of the ones we have been blessed to know are listed above. Thanks and we look forward to 2007 and the blessings God has in store for us as we watch him fully restore Erik - speech, walking, running, learning, the list goes on and on . . . Love in Christ, Erik's Family

December 18, 2006 - Enjoying being home...

Hello All! We have finally added a little "Christmas spirit" to our home! We decorated the tree, added wreaths to our windows, and put up some lights this weekend - much to our children's delight! Nick in particular has been really questioning why we did not have any lights up so he is thrilled with the product of our efforts this weekend! I am working days and we were without nursing help for Erik for a week so time for decorating was not in the picture! Everyone is doing well though and we periodically check Erik's progress with the doctors and so far, all is well. There is the possibility that we will only need the IV medication for another 2 weeks which would be great! We don't want to rush things so we are not pushing for this. We want to clear his body of the cause of his infections for good! We would like to extend a blanket message of "thanks" to all of those who have been so supportive of us this year. We have seen God's love in ways we never would have imagined! Just in the past few weeks we have had so many of our needs met - most even without asking anyone but God! We have had meals delivered, gifts delivered, and even monetary gifts to help us make this a special Christmas for our family and the children in particular. We may not say much about Erik's siblings but we do want for you all to know that they each are developing into some very special kids. I do not recall them ever complaining or feeling like they have missed out because of Erik's health challenges. We do realize that our efforts to keep things as normal as possible (because Erik's needs are just a part of who he is) have played a key part in this but we also know that your prayers and support in various ways have allowed us to keep things as "normal" and "special" as possible in many ways. Christmas this year is yet another example of how God continues to surround us with His love through each of you. Although we do stress to the children the true meaning of Christmas and that Jesus received 3 gifts so 3 gifts are sufficient for each of them, the gifts we have received have made it possible for them to receive items that would not have otherwise been possible. We have even had people deliver anonymous gifts to our home! We pray that those who have been so generous have also been touched by Erik's story in a special way. That gives new meaning to what we have experienced. We are so blessed to live in a country that allows freedom to worship the one true, living God. We want for each of you who may not know Christ as your personal savior to know that you are in our prayers daily. It is such a pleasure to hear our children pray for "those who do not know You" each night in their prayers. This is a sincere prayer from them. Our children are fortunate to know a side of God filled with compassion and grace beyond belief as a result of what God has done for Erik. Man said over, and over, and over that what God has done for Erik was not possible. This is nothing but AMAZING! We are thankful that we were Christians before this because our faith has truly allowed us to come through these experiences stronger and with more positive than negative outcomes. We are looking forward to 2007 and the wonderful things we know God has in store for us. We are also looking forward to sharing Erik's coming progress with each of you! In the event we do not email before the holiday, we wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

December 5, 2006 - Another Day...

Hello All! Erik made it through the surgery fine yesterday and was able to sleep in his own bed last night. Let's all pray that this central line will last and will get us through this infusion therapy! Your prayers were definitely felt yesterday and carried us through the long day. Erik's Family

December 4, 2006 - Surgery for Erik...

Greetings! Well . . . the verdict is in . . . Erik's line is not working. The plan is to replace the line tomorrow afternoon. This is a simple procedure but none the less is a procedure and creates logistical challenges for our family. Please pray for no complications and for the logistics to work thmselves out. The enemy continues to test but our faith will once again get us through! Please pray us through this!!! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

December 4, 2006 - Prayers for Positive Outcome...

Good Morning! Just a quick prayer request . . . This weekend we noticed that Erik's shirt was wet after his medication infusion. Yesterday, we saw that it appears that the medication is leaking through the site of the broviac. This does not appear to cause discomfort or anything for Erik. The obvious concerns are if he has been receiving all of his medication and if the broviac will have to be replaced. Please pray for positive, successful, and simple resolution. We are hoping that perhaps the decision will be to remove the broviac and begin oral antibiotic treatment. This would only be the case if the doctors believe he has received adequate therapy to date which we are not optimistic about. He may have to have it replaced. Erik has an appointment this morning at Duke so we will know more today. We will keep everyone updated and thanks in advance for your prayers and support! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

November 22, 2006 - Happy Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving! We are happy to report that Erik is home for the holiday! He seems to be doing great! He fell asleep on the way home and when we put him in his bed he had the biggest smile on his face! What an answered prayer! We are so thankful for all that we have - God, our faith, friends, improving health for Erik, family. Please remember to give thanks this Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for! God has again impressed upon our family stronger values and appreciation through our experiences with Erik's journey. Our Father has been so gracious to restore Erik to where he is today. What pleasure is ours to be able to observe his restoration in the coming years! Happy Thanksgiving! Erik's Family

November 19, 2006 - Erik's pushing forward

Dear all: Erik made it through surgery fine this morning. They placed a central line allowing him to receive strong antibiotic therapy for 8-12 weeks. We are praying that this will be the last of his numerous hospitalizations! What a great day it will be to know that we have spent our last night in the hospital! Yesterday's bible reading presented the following passage that we wanted to share with each of you. The past several months have been really difficult for our family and in particular for Erik. Many times people ask us how we are making it through. First of all - we don't have a choice and God has shown us that the good things that take place along the road greatly outweigh any difficulties we have faced. We have each grown and matured in so many ways as parents, as a family, and in Christ. This passage touched us because we do know that God's purpose for Erik and our family is manifesting through all of the challenges we have faced. He is changing us through each event as we continue to rely on Him for strength. We also have seen God allow us to share our faith with each of you which is an extension of His work in our lives and allows us to be faithful witnesses for Him. Please pray for Erik to become and remain infection free and for the surgery sites to quickly heal. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you . . . Erik's Family Passage 1: Peter 4:12-19: Glory Just Around the Corner "12 -13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. 14 -16 If you're abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It's the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they're on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that's a different matter. But if it's because you're a Christian, don't give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name 17 -19 It's judgment time for God's own family. We're first in line. If it starts with us, think what it's going to be like for those who refuse God's Message! If good people barely make it, What's in store for the bad? So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it." END.

November 17, 2006 - Pray the Infection Away

Hello Everyone! Here we are at Duke. We have had an interesting day or so. The bump on Erik's head that we mentioned in our last emal continued to slowly get larger. Wednesday we called Duke to talk about our concerns. Last year when the infection was treated, we were told that we literally caught it just in time. If we had waited even as little a 12 hours, Erik would most likely have been dealing with life-threatening circumstances. Reflecting on this, we called to report the changes in the bump and his seizure activity. We made an appointment for 11am yesterday and ended up being admitted for surgery. They performed a CT scan with contrast and noticed that the area where Erik had surgery last year followed by the infection appeared to be changed indicating possible infection. We met a new neurosurgeon - Dr. Gerald Grant. We really like him and believe he truly has Erik's best interest at heart. We were doubly pleased to know that he trained with Dr. Steinberg in CA! This was such good news for us! We so many times wondered if we needed to just take Erik to CA to get things resolved where they started. It is like God brought CA to us! Very comforting! They decided to go to the OR and see what was going on. It was a good thing that they made this decision because the infection that he had last year in the bone had apparently "hung around" and had deteriorated the bone that was taken off to perform his surgery to remove the AVM last year. The surgeon said that there were fragments of bone in there and hardware that was intended to hold things together - unattached. They cleaned the area out and left the bone off. The plan now is to see what the cultures show (what kind of bacteria is causing the infection) and determine what treatment to pursue. It could be that they will be able to teat him with oral antibiotics or they may have to put in a central line and give him stronger antibiotics. We pray that they will not need to put a line in. They also are hoping not to have to put a doner or artificial bone over the area. It may be safe to just leave the bone off of this area. Please pray that Erik will not need a central line, that his seizures will cease, that the infection will be cleared from his body, and that he will quickly be fully restored. We know that God will continue to carry us through. Happy Thanksgiving! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

November 3, 2006 - All is well

Greetings! Things are going well for us here in Apex, NC. Erik is doing well. He defiantly is aware of things that are going on around him! This is good news since the doctors did not think that he would recognize us or be responsive. He is really funny though because when we leave to go somewhere if we do not take him with us, the nurses say that he complains for about 30 minutes. I guess he is either getting mad at us for leaving or calling out to us! Either way, it is a great thing to see! I want to share something that I thought of over the past few weeks. I heard an _expression at work recently that I wanted to share. It was that we need to be sure data collected is correct so we keep those accountable "off of the radar" if there really is no problem to report. I thought about this alot. It made me think about how lucky we each are that although there are billions of people on this Earth, God keeps each and every one of us on "His radar". What a wonderful place to be! Erik has defiantly been on God's radar for some time now. Although we may not feel like it sometimes, he never leaves or forsakes us. How wonderful for us all! Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support. Love in Christ, Erik's Family

October 18, 2006 - Update on Erik

Greetings! Just a quick update on Erik. He is doing well these days. We are adjusting his seizure medications and this is always a time consuming process. He is waking up some during the night and we are not sure if he is waking up and having seizures or the other way around. Anyway, we continue to ask God to restore Erik and take the seizures away. One day we will no longer have to deal with them! On a daily basis, he is doing fine. He is back to his normal eating schedule and he is vocalizing all day long! This is such a pleasure to hear (even at 5am!) since for so long he did not make a sound. Just another reminder for us that God is amazing! God has truly fulfilled his promise below for Erik. PRAISE GOD!!!! John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Love in Christ, Erik's Family

October 4, 2006 - Erik is all smiles...

Hello All! Just a quick note to let you know that Erik is all smiles lately. He seems to be doing well these days. He is receiving aggressive therapy which is wonderful! Please pray that medication changes will cease all seizure activity for Erik. He has gone from 60 seizures per day to around 10 or 15 per day so we are making progress but we want them to be GONE! Hope you all are doing well! Love in Christ . . . Erik's Family

September 25, 2006 - Just a little boy...

This morning Erik had his central line removed. All went well and he was home by lunchtime! We are now praying for continued healing and restoration for Erik. We also want to continue to pray that his seizures will cease. With all of the damage Erik has sustained it will be yet another miracle when the seizures are no longer an issue. With the shunt and the central line out, Erik is now "just a little boy" and not a holder of foreign objects. The shunt and the central lines have saved his life but the fact that he can now thrive without them is a miracle! We are so happy to have your prayers and support and we are equally excited to share God's grace through the healing of Erik with you. Many of you have been with us through the good and trying times and it is exciting to be able to see such great rewards and answered prayers. Love in Christ, Erik's Family

September 19, 2006 - God is Great...

Hello Everyone! Well . . . God is great! Things are going well with Erik. We had a follow-up CT scan Monday and all looks stable - no ventricle enlargement. Erik appears to be doing great without the shunt! What a miracle! He has had some low grade fevers this week. We took him in to see the doctor and they think all looks well with the central line and with Erik in general. He has been rather quiet this week so we were concerned. They want to see him again on Thursday and they will then decide if they want to take the central line out then as out-patient or schedule a time for the procedure. We just need to be sure the infection has fully cleared his system! Please continue to pray for: 1) Erik's continued healing, 2) For Erik will not have continued fevers, and 3) For Erik to remain non-dependent on the shunt. We will keep you all updated. Erik's Family

September 12, 2006 - Erik is doing without...

This is true and we are very happy about it! We are talking about Erik's shunt. Yes -IT IS A MIRACLE! Erik does not have a shunt anymore! This is wonderful news! It still it a little scary for us to believe but this is where faith comes into play! With the shunt out, once we get the central line Erik has in for medications out (once his medication therapy is complete), he will not have ANYTHING foreign in his body! This is something we prayed for but not often because it seemed impossible. Once again we are reminded that our God is in control. We were told last August and again in September by 2 prophets who did not know our story that the blood flow issues in our son's head were healed and that it would just be a matter of time before his healing would be known. It is amazing to see this taking place! What a wonderful thing to be a part of. Please continue to pray for us and pray that Erik's body continues to heal and completely restore. Thanks to those who are participating in the Golf Event September 29th. If you plan to play or sponsor a team, please review the attached. Love in Christ! Erik's Family

September 7, 2006 - Each day gets better...

Hello everyone! Hope this email finds all of our friends and family well! We are doing fine here. We want to update everyone before the weekend. Erik is doing great! He is really getting back to his usual smiling self these days and the infection seems to be responding to the medications he is receiving. He is having a broviac placement (like the one he had before) procedure tomorrow morning because the medications he is on are so strong that a regular IV is just not the solution. They tend to need to be replaced every 24-36 hours because the medications are so strong. We hope to have this taken out as quickly as possible once it is not needed/the infection is gone. This way we pray that we will avoid future infections or problems. We also are pleased to let you know that the doctors are watching Erik's cranial pressure since the shunt has been removed and so far, he appears to be doing okay without it. What this means is that there may be a possibility that Erik does not need the shunt anymore since the AVM has been taken out. We will pray about this and that we make the right decisions that will keep him safe and comfortable. It will be another miracle if he does not need it anymore! Thanks for all of the calls, acts of kindness, meals and cards/notes we have received this week and through this last, very trying hospital stay. We believe we are close to the end and that feels great! We could not have made it without all of your prayers and support. Love in Christ, Erik's Family

September 4, 2006 - Erik is smiling...

The surgery went well and Erik had a pretty good night. Today will be spent resting, eating and recuperating. We are back on a floor of Duke where Erik has not been seen in over a year. Things have been rough lately and I think God put us on this floor for a reason. When we arrived on the floor our nurse last night has not seen Erik in over a year. How good it was for us to hear, "I cannot believe how much he has grown." And, "Look how good Erik is doing!" stated by another nurse we know this morning. We have heard many other encouraging words/observations as well. God knew that we need to be reminded about how well Erik is doing and about his progress. That is why we are here. Looking back a year we realize that he has made miraculous advancements! Praise God! Keep us in your prayers and enjoy this Labor Day! Erik's Family

September 3, 2006 - Could this be the answer?

This is what we are asking right now . . . could this be the answer? Long story short ... Erik's shunt is infected. The plan is to go in today and take out the old shunt, put Erik on strong antibiotic therapy, put in a drain to do what the shunt was doing externally, and after several days (when they feel the infection is gone), put in another shunt. Apparently the same organism that infected his central line has infected his shunt. Because of this, we are hoping that once we get the shunt taken care of, his abdominal discomfort will also go away since this also occurred around the same time. Please pray that this is the case! We will update you soon. Please say a prayer for Erik and our family when we come to mind over the next few days. Surgery can always introduce additional challenges which we need to pray away. Love to you all . . . Erik's Family "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." John 15:7"

September 1, 2006 - Pray for answers

Just a quick note to let you know how Erik is doing. Unfortunately, he is back at Duke today. He has been running fevers in the evenings since his return home on Tuesday. We hoped that the fevers would break but instead they have remained and actually started to get higher. Today he also began vomiting so we took him to the ED at Duke so they can run tests while he has a fever. Sometimes you catch things when there s a fever that you would otherwise miss if the fever is not active. Please pray for ANSWERS for whatever is making him uncomfortable and feverish. We will keep you informed. Love in Christ, Erik's Family "Jesus said, "I'll come and heal him"". Matthew 8:7 (The Message Version)

August 29, 2006 - Erik has made it home

Yes - it is true Erik is home! We are thrilled! Pray that we will be able to take the next few weeks to spend time together as a family and get "re-acquainted". It will be so good for our family to be under the same roof tonight! Please continue to pray for strength and healing for Erik! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

August 24, 2006 - Erik is moving along...

Hello All! Hope everyone is enjoying the day! The past day or so have been . . . interesting for Erik. He started vomiting yesterday and noone seems to be able to pinpoint why this is happening at this point. It was a rough day. We stopped his feedings and overnight he rested and seemed much better. So . . . today we will slowly start feeding him again with the hope that he will tolerate this well and we can once again work him up to his regular feeding schedule. As for Erik's mood this morning he is doing great! He is smiling and vocalizing like usual. Let's just pray that this will continue with his feedings. On another note . . . our church is organizing a golf event in September. They have decided to recognize Erik through this event in order to increase awareness of Erik's story and the miracles that have occurred in his life and to provide some financial relief for the family. Sharing Erik's story always provides us with another purpose for the challenges we have faced and gives us the chance to perhaps help others who may encounter similiar circumstances. Information regarding this event should be posted to the "fundraiser" section/tab on this site soon. Thank you, Erik's Family

August 21, 2006 Prayers for comfort for Erik...

Hello All! Well . . . we had a few really good days - Friday, Saturday, and 1/2 of Sunday. We even fed him his regular meals and took him outside for a few walks on these days. Then on Sunday evening Erik started feeling bad again. The same symptoms as before - complaining when you moved him and crying out uncomfortable. We know that the UTI has cleared his system and that he will continue on antibiotics for a few more days to be sure it does not come back. We also know that his intestines are are sounding good and working fine but we cannot figure out where this discomfort that he is experiencing off and on as well as when he takes a deep breath or yawns is coming from. Please pray that we will quickly find an answer! Also, thank God for the few days we had that were wonderful and served as reminders that we will get through this and have our Erik back soon! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

August 19, 2006 - Pray for strength and health

Hello All! We so hoped this email would say that we are coming home! Instead, we learned this evening that we have at least another week ahead of us at Duke. Apparently the bacteria that caused Erik's UTI is difficult to treat and is not responding to his current medication so they are starting a new antibiotic that must be given via IV and monitored. It is a 10 day course of medications so we head into another week! The good news is that the girls start back to school this week and Nick has play dates already set up for the week! It is amazing how God works things out - even before we ask or know we need it! We should do just fine. After 3 weeks of this we have our routine set! We are SOOOOOOOOOO thankful for the care Erik is receiving at Duke! Everyone has been so nice to us and has made this stay easier than it could have been. We have met some really great people and know that perhaps we have another task (or tasks) ahead of us still. We always approach hospital stays knowing that perhaps the stay is not about us but about us reaching out to someone we may meet while at the hospital. This stay has surely allowed us to meet great people and help and be helped by these same people! Please remember to thank God for the miracle He has done in Erik's life! We cannot forget the state we were in this time last year as we prepared for our trip to CA! What a wonderful God we have and what a long way we have come! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

August 15, 2006 We are getting closer...

Hello! Well, each day presents it's own unique set of challenges and rewards. The good news appears to outweigh the bad news today for Erik! He is in a better mood today and is doing his usual "vocalizing". We have discovered that he has an infection - most likely a UTI. This could defiantly be the cause of his fever, irritability, and discomfort! We are starting antibiotics today and hope to see improvement/relief soon! Pray that this has been the culprit! The bad news is that Margot and Brigitte are both not feeling well. We think the hectic schedules we have had to impose on them to keep them occupied and safe have taken their toll. We have doctor's appointments this afternoon so please pray that they will both be feeling better soon! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

August 14, 2006 Erik is still trying to get home

It has been a busy week! Erik was progressing and tolerating pedialyte feeds last Wednesday so Thursday we moved to pediasure (more nutritious). He did fine with this until Saturday. Saturday afternoon he started to experience abdominal discomfort. Sunday morning he started running a fever. The doctors have stoped the feedings for 24 hours to let his body rest and then we will try again. They seem to feel that this is not unusual after the type of surgery Erik had - it takes time for things to get back to normal. A good thing that has come of this is that they are now looking at his sodium levels. For months each time we had bloodwork done his sodium was low. They would hydrate him and it would improve but we remained concerned about it because it did not remain in a normal range. We now are working with an endocrinologist to determine if his medications are causing this or if it is related to his body and the way it is processing. Keep us in your prayers. We pray that we will quickly find the cause of the sodium imbalance and that his body will quickly start to return to normal! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

August 6, 2006 Prayers for healing and nutrition

Hello Everyone! Things are happening these days. Erik appears to be healing well and his system showed signs of recovery so yesterday we gave him juice and he seemed to do fine. At 6pm the doctors came by and said that since he did well, the plan would be to feed him today with the hopes of going home this afternoon or tomorrow (Thursday). Not 3 minutes from when the doctors left, Erik vomited. We could not believe it! We stopped giving him anything to let his body rest. Now we need to focus on getting nutrition for him so the discussions started about a central line. Although this would solve the "nutrition" problem, this means a surgery to put it in, a surgery to take it out, and a significant risk for a variety of infections. We asked that they try to put in a deeper IV access instead that would allow us to give him nutrition via IV. They said they would have someone come by to try to do this today. Please pray that they will be able to put in this line. He has been "stuck" so many times that often they are unable to get the type of access needed for this type of line. Having this IV would allow him to get the nutrition he needs to improve while his body rebounds from the surgery. We are so thankful for the prayers and support you offer . . . We will keep you updated. Erik's Family KellyJoined: 10 Aug 2006Posts: 2 Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:19 am Post subject: Praying for Erik Good Morning, My name is Kelly Hundley. I heard of your website through Leigh Anne Naas, Nathan's Mom. Leigh Anne and I went to the same church when growing up in Norlina. I went to visit them on Tuesday and was truly blessed. Upon seeing your website, I just had to go to it and read little Erik's story and again, was truly blessed by your faith in God. People like you and Leigh Anne's family have made me really stop and remember that God really is in control, not us. Sometimes I forget that when dealing with 3 kids, working , and just day to day, so many things are just taken for granted. I am inspired by your journey with Erik and also inspired by the courage of the Naas family. I pray that Erik will improve each and every day and that your family will continue to receive strength from the "One and Only Healer. I feel one of our divine purposes in life is to comfort each other and to be there for one another. I am touched and amazed at how God has opened my eyes and allowed me to see His miracles and to not take things for granted. God bless you and your family and tell Erik there are folks out here that are rooting for him! What a brave little boy! Love and God Bless, Kelly Hundley, Norlina, North Carolina

August 6, 2006 Making Progress

Good Morning! Just a quick update on Erik. Surgery did go well for him but it was followed by several days of discomfort. We understand that this is normal with abdominal surgery. Yesterday was a good day and he seemed more comfortable as the day progressed. We are now waiting for his bowels to start functioning again. We have had a few signs that they may be starting to work so pray that today will be the day! Once the bowels start working again we will feed him and he should start to make progress. The surgeons want to take him back and put in a central line to get nutrition to him if his bowels do not start working today so this is our prayer request for the day - for the bowels to start functioning so we can avoid surgery and another central line! Thank you all for your prayers and support. Love in Christ . . . Erik's Family

August 3, 2006 He made it through fine

Greetings! Surgery went well (only 30 minutes) and the doctor's statement was, "this was a much needed operation". Erik should be feeling much better now. They found one area with scar tissue and they were able to remove the problem area. They think the chance of recurrance is only 5%! Praise God! Once again our prayers have been answered. The recovery will take time but hopefully Erik's determination and motivation will pull him through this faster than expected. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support during this time. Love in Christ, Erik's Family

August 3, 2006 Surgery for Erik

The decision has been made to have surgery today to see where the scar tissue is in Erik's abdomen. Hopefully they can remove this without having to go into his intestine. Surgery will be late today so keep Erik in your prayers! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

July 31, 2006 Help us pray this away...

Greetings! Just a quick note to let you know how Erik is doing. We brought him home last Friday (7/21). He seemed better on Saturday but started complaining again Saturday evening. The week went okay for Erik but he was not "bouncing back" like we hoped he would. Last Friday evening (7/2 he vomited. Saturday we gave him medicine to help with nausea and he did okay throughout the day. He still complained but no vomiting. We stopped the medicine to see if the vomiting would return. Early Sunday morning the vomiting was back. We took him to Duke where they discovered that his small intestine is enlarged. At this point, they suspect Small Bowel Obstruction. This is something that most of the time in children results from scar tissue from previous surgeries inhibiting the bowel from functioning properly. For now, they are trying to keep Erik hydrated while relieving stomach bloating/pressure to see if he improves. They are getting additional x-rays and should they find something definitive, they will take appropriate action. What we all hope is that this will correct itself. If is does not correct itself, surgery may be required. We really want to avoid surgery because this will produce additional scar tissue which is not desirable since this may have been what initially caused this problem, and recovery from abdominal surgery would be difficult for Erik. The best thing for healing after abdominal surgery is walking which Erik cannot do. . . YET!!!! Please pray for the following: -- For the small intestine to correct itself -- For the solution to be non-surgical -- For this to be resolved quickly without recurrence -- For protection over Erik from future complications The enemy never gives up. These experiences cause us to realize that Erik will one day do great things. If this were not true, why would satan be trying so hard to harm him and set him back? We will remain strong and trusting of our Lord. Our faith will not weaken but instead it will be strengthened through this trial. Thank you for your prayers and support! Erik's Family Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

July 24, 2006 - Erik is home again...

Hello Everyone! Erik is back home now and doing pretty good. He is still complaining some and not back to himself but he is doing better. We have follow-up appointments this week so hopefully every day will prove that he is over this latest illness. Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support! We are so blessed!!!! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

July 17, 2006 Prayers for Erik

Hello Everyone! Hope this email finds all of you and your families well! We have had an unusual week. Wednesday morning when we went to get Erik up, he turned Erik's head and he cried out. He did this each time he was moved. He cried and really appeared to be uncomfortable. We went to Duke and they checked him out neurologically. All checked out fine. There was no sign of infection or shunt failure, or anything! We went home thinking that maybe his stomach just hurt. He did the same thing on Thursday so we took him to our pediatrician to be checked out. It was obvious that Erik's abdomen was hurting. Per the pediatrician's recommendation and Erik's continued complaining, we took him back to Duke Friday. Erik had also decided that he did not want to eat and he still cried when moved. They took x-rays of his abdomen and CT scans, re-checked blood and urine and found no sign of a problem. We went home thinking that maybe it was a just virus that would pass. Saturday he continued to complain. Sunday morning we checked on him at 2am and his temp was 101.5. We gave him Tylenol and put him back to bed. We checked him 2 hours later and even with Tylenol his temp had increased to 102.5. We returned to Duke. They really cannot find the problem. His belly is very tender, the high fevers are continuing, and he just is not himself. All of his labs are still checking out okay. Our prayer is that this is a virus that will quickly pass. We have not been able to leave his side and hoped we would be over this by now! At this point, we would like to request prayers on Erik's behalf for this to pass or for them to quickly identify the problem! Thanks in advance . . . Erik's Family

June 24, 2006 - Surgery is over...

Hello Everyone! Erik just came out of surgery and all went well. They removed his central line and so far so good. Please pray for him to stay infection free and pray that the line was the only source causing the infection! Thanks for everything! Erik's Family //--> allenkeaGuest Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:20 pm Post subject: hey everybody!! I hope everyone is doing well, i haven't talked to you all in a while but i think about all of ya'll alot. I'am glad everything is going well with Erik. I hope to see ya'll soon. I love you all and you are in our prayers.

June 22, 2006 - Erik is at Duke

Hello Everyone! Well . . we are at Duke. Last week, Erik had a fever - not high but any fever is unusual for him. The second day of the fever we went to our pediatrician who checked him out. All was clear and the nex day he was fever free. This past Tuesday night, we woke to find Erik with a fever. This time it was higher than before. We gave him motrin and settled him down. The fever remained high into the morning so we called the doctor and they recommended we bring him in to get checked out. They kept him overnight for observation. He remained fever free and the tests checked out fine. We thought we were going home today but around lunch time they told us that one test indicated infection. They are not sure what type of infection he has so the decision was made to treat him for 48 hours with antibiotics while we wait for his other test results. The thought is that maybe his central (IV) line is infected. If this is the case they will have to take it out. This would not be so bad and it would be much better news than something with his surgical site!! The girls were happy because with the central line out, we can start putting him on his belly more and we can also take him to the pool! There is a silver lining to every cloud and we are glad our children also see things that way. Well, we will let you know when we hear more but for now we ask that you say a prayer for Erik when he comes to mind. We still need prayer asking God to allow the seizures to cease. Also, we ask that his body be cleared from this infection and that he not pick up any other infection or problem while here. Thanks to all of you for continuing to carry us through these times with prayer and support! Love in Christ, Erik's Family

June 12, 2006 Erik is 4!!!!!!!!!!!

Greetings Everyone! All is going well here. Erik continues to amaze us through his progress! He is enjoying his therapy and his seizures have slowed down. Also, the new medication appears to be working well for him. His seizures are less frequent, he does not seem to be overly sleepy from it and he seems to be tolerating the medication well. We are still adjusting his dose with the goal of eliminating seizure activity and we are reducing some of his other medications too. Keep us in your prayers as we go forward! Erik and Nick celebrated their 4th birthday Sunday! It seems so unbelievable! We have been so blessed and really did not know where we would be this time last year! Praise God for continuing to heal and restore Erik. Erik has been wonderful the past 3 days! He is reminding us of his "old self". He looks so happy and smiles and verbalizes alot. This is what he used to do all of the time! One fun thing that has happened is that we recently received funding from a company who purchased therapy equipment for Erik. He now has a therapy ball, benches, a swing, and many other items to assist him with building up his strength. This will certainly make therapy more productive and enjoyable! Please continue to pray for Erik's physicians, for Erik's seizures to cease and for continued healing and strength for Erik. Take care and THANK YOU!!!!! Erik's Family

May 16, 2006 Tests are complete...

Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 8:39 pm Post subject: 5/16 Tests are complete . . . Hello Everyone! We have had a few busy weeks. The CT, MRI, and EEGs are complete. Whew!!!! Just getting all of that done is an accomplishment! The doctors are telling us that the MRI and CT films look good. The EEG did reveal continued seizure activity so we are getting ready to start a new medication that will hopefully calm things down for Erik. PLEASE pray that the new medication will work with NO side effects! We are at the point where if this medication does not work, many of the alternatives can have serious side effects. Another reason we want this medication to work for Erik is that this medication is one that some kids can stay on long term without taking multiple medications. Erik has been on 3 seizure medications for a while now. Our ultimate goal is to get him on 1 medication instead of many. He is doing so well that we don't want to add side effects to the equation so please keep this in your prayers! We ran across the following scripture (which seems totally appropriate for us) and thought we would share it through this email. Things do get tough but God always pulls us through! Thanks for your continued support and encouragement through prayer. God bless . . . Erik's Family "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." James 1:2-4 The Message AGAPE7Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 1 Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 12:27 pm Post subject: A MOTHERS LOVE WENDY I JUST WANTED TO SAY YOU ARE ONE OF THE MOST COURAGOUS MOTHERS I HAVE EVER HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET. MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU; YOUR FAMILY ALWAYS. I HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL MOTHERS DAY. AFTER READING ERIKS STORY HERE AT COPC I WAS SO MOVED TO KNOW HOW MUCH GOD IS; HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, IN ALL OUR LIVES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY AND THE SHARING OF ERIKS STORY ON LINE. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY.

May 6, 2006 Whew …

Hello Everyone! We hope this email finds all of our friends and family well! We have been busy with Erik lately. His most recent EEG revealed "suspicious activity" so we have increased his medications in an attempt to settle down possible seizure activity. We started this process 2 Friday's ago and a week later he seems to be better. He is still experiencing seizure-like activity but not as severe as before. If his "seizure activity" does not settle down early this week, we will go in for a longer EEG and see what the results are. We want to avoid making him sleepy on a high dose of medicine and we want to be sure it is seizure activity! Last Tuesday Erik had a CT scan that revealed that all is well with the hydrocephalus. His ventricles were not enlarged. This was an interesting day - April 25 - since it was the 1 year anniversary of his day-long seizure that began the past year's events. We really did not want to be at Duke on this day but by being there we were able to get a positive CT test result turning it into a good date for us! WOW! It seems like it was a LONG time ago when he had his life changing seizure! What progress he has made! Praise God for his mercy, healing and for the grace he has generously given to Erik and our family over the past year! We have been SO blessed through it all! Erik continues to work VERY hard these days. We have an MRI scheduled this week and when all is well there and we get the seizures under control, we plan to make efforts to take out his central line (broviac). Hopefully we can do this in the next few months. We would love to get this out so we can go swimming this summer and he can be on his belly more for therapy. Being on his belly appears to be one of the best ways to strengthen his head and neck muscles. With the briviac in place, it is hard to have him on his belly because of the uncomfortable clamps and stuff that are on the broviac. Keep us in your prayers. Please pray for: us to learn how to settle down the episodes of possible seizure activity without making Erik sleepier; for Erik to continue to make progress with eating as well as mental and physical strength; and for our family to remain faithful and strong. Thank you for all of your prayers and continued support. We are truly blessed with Christian friends and family who love us and lift us up in ways we cannot possibly do alone. We also feel a great sense of peace knowing that even when we are not praying, we are being lifted up! When you can, take a moment to read Hebrews 11. This scripture has carried us through many times as it reminds us that faith is something that many great Christians have experienced and held onto in difficult times. This scripture also serves as a reminder that God has a plan for us - even if we cannot "see" this plan. This knowledge has helped us through many difficult times. Our God is a faithful God!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you . . . Erik's Family

April 20, 2006 Erik's Update

Hello Everyone! We wanted to let you know about a few prayer requests for Erik. We ventured to the beach Easter weekend. This was a big step for us - traveling with the whole family. We made it there fine Friday but 2 hours after arrival, Erik had a seizure. The same thing happened the same time Saturday night. This was upsetting since he has been seizure free since November. We contacted his physicians and they said this is something that happens when medications are decreased. The decision was made to adjust his dosages and so far, so good. We have appointments scheduled for a CT scan, EEG, and MRI over the next few weeks to give us the chance to rule out any complications. Please pray that we will be able to keep things settled with medication and that these tests will show stability. Another prayer request relates to his vision and the impact of the past year's events on his vision. We have been working with Erik for a while trying to get him to visually focus on objects and respond. Sometimes it seemed like he was seeing great and other times he just did not appear interested in even trying to focus. Anyway, he has recently been diagnosed with a visual impairment. His optic nerve and all other physical components involved with seeing are healthy - it is just the brains ability to interpret what the eyes are seeing that is impaired. Our understanding is that of all of the things he could struggle with visually from the surgery, shunts, and infection, that the type of impairment he has is the easiest to address and attempt to correct. We are excited to know that there are things we can do to help him more rapidly progress. We are strategizing to work towards stimulating him and positioning objects so that it is easier for him to focus. Our understanding is that overcoming the type of impairment he has can come quickly or recovery can gradually take place. We thank God for all of our children because they are each unique and special in many ways. We know that Erik has been placed in our care so that we can see him fulfill who he is for a greater purpose in life. Our lives have been touched by so many of you in very unique and special ways and we know that Erik is more than just a child who has overcome so many obstacles in his short life. God has shown us that he has love, God's grace, determination, and above all else . . . hope. Please pray for rapid visual healing for Erik as well as for him to continue to gain gross motor strength and remain seizure free! Love in Christ, Erik's Family '); //--> Valerie McGee Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 11:18 am Post subject: Still Praying.................. Just wanted to pop in and say "HI" and let you know we are still praying. I am glad your family got to the beach, I am sorry to hear about the seizures though. I hate seizures they are kind of scary. One of my best friends growing up had seizures. Anyway, just wanted to say "HI" Did I ever give you Joshuas carepage? Email me if you want me to send you a link. Have you heard the new casting crowns song "I'll praise you in the storm", you'll like it. OK gotta go. Love to all. Valerie

April 13, 2006 Looking Good!

Hello Everyone! Things are going well here! Erik is getting stronger every day. We are fortunate to have great nursing care and therapists! The home therapy has been wonderful. Erik continues to get better with his eating and we are slowly increasing his liquids by mouth. Once he is able to take adequate liquids by mouth, we can get the NG tube out (nose). We are noticing that as his head control improves, so does his eating. It is amazing how it all fits together and how everything has to be "in sync" for things to work. Well, we want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Remember to thank God for the blessings and miracles we have experienced this year. What a year it has been! Take care . . . Erik's Family

March 20, 2006 So much has happened...

Hello everyone! I am not sure where to start this email! It has been a busy time. Physically, spiritually, emotionally . . . First, our computer is acting up. If you have emailed us and we have not responded, just know that this is why. We can see and read emails but we are unable to compose responses, forward, or send. I am "borrowing" a friends' pc now to send this. Anyway, we have had two main prayer requests over the past few weeks. First, for the bump on Erik's surgical site to go away and stay away. Second, there have been problems within our church which have been tough to get through. Well, since last Thursday (3/9) the bump on Erik's surgical site (where the infection was before) has been barely noticeable! Praise God! We have just been waiting to see if it will remain small or come back and so far so good. Please keep praying for this to stay under control. We understand that we are approaching the time frame where the infection could resurface (6-9 months from the onset which was 10/05) so continued prayer about this is appreciated. Our church family has suffered a split. This has been spiritually and emotionally taxing on our family. We have been visiting churches in our community and are focusing on our family and on our roles as parents to instruct/teach our children about our faith and salvation. THIS HAS BEEN WONDERFUL! This has been added work but we feel like we are getting closer to our children and have received a much needed push in this area of our lives. So often we have allowed others take this role but our current circumstances have allowed us to reclaim this privilege. Please pray that we will continue to follow God's direction. In addition to all of this, Mom had the flu for a week or so and was really sick. Isolation for a week during which pneumonia and a sinus infection also came along were tough. The rest of the gang have been doing well. Margot has been busy with school and is excited about softball starting up soon. Brigitte is working on math and her handwriting which are coming along. Nick is enjoying school on Tuesday and Thursdays and is enjoying the warm weather and outside play time. We cannot forget the following verse and how it relates to our personal life experiences. We must always remember that God has been so good to us and has gracefully healed our precious son Erik. We are obligated to share this miracle with others who hopefully will see God's love through our experiences. "My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love." Acts 20:24 (NLT) Well, keep us in your prayers and know that we love each of you and appreciate your continued prayers, support, and encouragement! We now are working hard to keep our focus and eyes on God as we watch him continue to heal and work through our family. Love, Erik's Family

February 2006 Unanswered Prayer...

Hello! Well, we are all doing well here. Erik has decided that he wants to lift both legs and make attempts to take steps! Praise God! Over the past few weeks we have been reminded of how amazing God truly is! We realize that God has done as He said He would which is to hear our prayers while doing His will. We have so many times asked God to make Erik like other kids with his conditions/challenges by letting him display typical symptoms and behaviors. He has only once let Erik clearly display "typical" symptoms. Although at the time we did not understand why God did not answer our prayer, we now know. Our time spent with therapists and doctors over the past few weeks has been eye-opening. So many times we have been told that children who have been through what Erik has been through "typically" are not progressing as well as he has. There is that word again - typical. We have been told that "typically" he would not be able to try to communicate, support his weight, make eye contact, make sounds, etc. Yet he is. Our response to God about this it simply, "THANK YOU". We thank God for not answering our request the way we wanted it to be answered. It is funny too how many people use the exact word, "typical". God is clearly and directly letting us know that He heard our request yet answered it His own way. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we move through many changes and stages in our lives as a family. God bless, Erik's Family

February 1, 2006 Latest News

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:12 pm Post subject: 2/1 Latest News Hello Everyone! Hope everyone who receives this email is doing well. We are all doing okay here. Margot, Brigitte and Nick are all doing well. Nick is just getting over the chicken pox. He had the vaccine but still had a mild case of them. The girls are "tracked out" of school and the weather has been nice here so they have been spending alot of time outside and down by the creek. This means Mom has been spending alot of time washing "play clothes"! Erik is doing great. He doesn't talk yet - well he does say "oh" and "hi" appropriately these days. He is awake most of the day and makes lots of sounds throughout the day. His favorite thing to do is stiffen his legs so we place him in a standing position. He can stay upright with us holding him for a minute or so and just looks so happy doing it! This is a big step because he could not do this at all in October! His head control is much better but he is still wobbly and not able to hold it up alone for a long time. If we hold him in a sitting position, he will keep it steady and even turn it to look to the side some. All of his therapists are coming to the house now and they say he is making remarkable progress. He just loves therapy. He does not complain and is very motivated during his sessions. The local school system came on Monday to talk about offering school services in the home. They are going to offer 1 hour per week to start with and then have 1 additional OT and PT therapy session per month. Erik just isn't able to successfully be in a classroom setting. He cannot defend himself and he still has the broviac too. He is progressing so well that we want to keep things going in the right direction! The 12 hours per day nursing has been wonderful. Keep us in your prayers. Pray for Erik to continue to get stronger and more responsive, and pray for our family to remain strong through our faith over the coming months. God bless, Erik's Family //--> TeressaGuest Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 4:37 am Post subject: Praying for your family Hello Everyone, Was thinking about the family when I was looking at the family picture. You know I guess we were truly meant to meet one another because we have gone through some of the same problems. Darrell (Poochie) was laid off his job in August and is still looking for a job. When you have worked on a job for so long; it's hard to find a new job that can even come close to matching up to your old job. I'm glad to hear that Erik is making progress. Quintez stood last week for the first time since April. He is doing well ( Thank God). I will be sure to continue to keep the family in my prayers. Don't give up God will definately supply your every need. He's supplying our needs and he will do the same for you. Take Care, Love Teressa

January 6, 2006 - It's time to celebrate!

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:33 pm Post subject: 1/6 It's time to celebrate! Hello Everyone! Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to each of you! We have really been enjoying our time TOGETHER for the holidays this year. We now have 12 hours per day nursing care for Erik and all of his therapies set up at home. This keeps us from having to get him out of the house and from exposing him to sickness in the therapy offices. Erik is doing really well. He gave us a smile for Christmas this year! It was wonderful! We can tell he is progressing because he simply looks happy these days. His facial expressions are more relaxed and happy looking. He also is getting stronger and is bearing weight on his legs and holding his head better. PRAISE GOD! Margot and Brigitte are happy that the school year is passing quickly and they are looking for snow! Nick is also really interested in seeing snow this year so our prayers are filled with "snow requests". Margot, Brigitte and Nick went to PA for a week over Christmas break to visit their Grandfather's family (Wendy's family) and went sled riding, played on the ice on the river, and made snowmen. They had a great time! We sat thinking the other night about this time last year. WOW - what a year of blessings the Lord gave us! Never would we have guessed (if asked last year at this time) what He had in store for us! We never knew we would be asked to take something so sacred to us - our child - and place him in the hands of physicians covered with faith and prayers of healing and caused to get on our knees and pray for God's mercy and grace! As if this was not enough, we were amazed that God went beyond our request and restored Erik and continues to bless our family in ways we could never have imagined. We never would have imagined that our family would be separated for weeks at a time allowing the bonds between us to grow stronger and our love for one another greater than ever before. We never imagined that we would be given the opportunity to see God's love in such an intimate and sincere way and that we would be put in contact with so many people through this journey. Some helped us and some we helped through tough times. What we know is that, through it all, God held each of us in a special way and helped us through each and every struggle. What a wonderful feeling that is! Please continue to pray for our family as we continue our journey through this. Specifically: - for the infection to be cleared from Erik's body; - that Erik will continue to make progress beyond our expectations; - for our family to continue to grow closer to each other and to God; and - that others will be brought to God through our experiences. We are praying for God to create a new world for us where Erik is completely restored and we will think back and say to each other, "Did we really go through all of that? Was Erik really sick?". We know in our hearts that God has healed Erik and that it is only a matter of time for this to manifest in him. This is truly a time of celebration for us and we are thankful that we have you to share this with. Happy New Year to you and your families! Erik's Family "O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless His holy name! O my soul, bless GOD, don't forget a single blessing! He forgives your sins - every one. He heals your diseases - every one. He redeems you from hell - saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth - you're always young in His presence." Psalms 103:1-5 NikkiGuest Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:40 pm Post subject: Hi there Medlin Family ~ My sister-in-law Margie Gronlund (Kimberly's mom) mentioned your situation to me. They met you in Stanford, CA. God's Blessings to you and your family! Great hopes for 2006 for both of our families! Take Care! Nikki Binder