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)