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