Hello all!
We are definitely busy these days! Erik has lost his two top front teeth in the past 2 weeks! He looks so cute! He also successfully finished his first year of public school. Note that he really seems to be missing it now that he is home for the summer!
Erik appears to be getting more alert with each passing day and he is getting stronger too. We can actually hold him at his waist now and he will stand for quite a while like this. He also "catches himself" if he starts to lean too much. This is a BIG step!
It is amazing to see how much he has improved. I was just sharing with one of his new nurses how we use to have to hold his head up for him to eat. We don't have to do that anymore!
Today we are going to get a small pool for the back deck that he and his siblings will be able to enjoy this summer.
We are still praying for Erik to walk and talk soon as well as for his seizures to dissipate for good. God is good and we know this is a small task for Him!
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
2009 Photos! (click on photos to see larger photo slideshow)
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday - April 30, 2009 - We just keep moving forward!
Hello all!
I am happy to say that things are going well for us in the Medlin household. Since the last posting, we have enjoyed a long weekend at Holden Beach, NC; Erik has participated in the local Horse and Buddy Program and Special Olympics; and we enjoyed a long weekend at Busch Gardens! WHEW! It has been a year since our Make-A-Wish trip and the Busch Gardens trip was the last benefit from this program for our family. Maybe all of this activity explains the time between postings!
Things are going well for Mr. Erik. He continues to progress at school and appears to be getting stronger with each passing day. We still have a few seizure episodes now and then but until he is completely healed, this is to be expected. His growth also has an impact on his seizure activity/medication levels.
Erik will begin receiving speech and assistive technology services at school in the ear future. He also should begin receiving speech/feeding services at home soon. We have been waiting for quite a while for these services and have noticed Erik making several different sounds lately that we want to help him develop further!
I have posted some recent photos here for you to enjoy. Notice Mr Erik standing . . . this is something the doctors said would be challenging for him!
Keep us in your prayers . . .
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
I am happy to say that things are going well for us in the Medlin household. Since the last posting, we have enjoyed a long weekend at Holden Beach, NC; Erik has participated in the local Horse and Buddy Program and Special Olympics; and we enjoyed a long weekend at Busch Gardens! WHEW! It has been a year since our Make-A-Wish trip and the Busch Gardens trip was the last benefit from this program for our family. Maybe all of this activity explains the time between postings!
Things are going well for Mr. Erik. He continues to progress at school and appears to be getting stronger with each passing day. We still have a few seizure episodes now and then but until he is completely healed, this is to be expected. His growth also has an impact on his seizure activity/medication levels.
Erik will begin receiving speech and assistive technology services at school in the ear future. He also should begin receiving speech/feeding services at home soon. We have been waiting for quite a while for these services and have noticed Erik making several different sounds lately that we want to help him develop further!
I have posted some recent photos here for you to enjoy. Notice Mr Erik standing . . . this is something the doctors said would be challenging for him!
Keep us in your prayers . . .
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday - February 26, 2009 - Latest on Mr. Erik
Hello All!
Things have been busy in the Medlin household! February 9, 2009 we celebrated 1 year of operation for our store in Cary, NC - Monkey Joe's (MonkeyJoesCary.com). With the crazy years we have had in the past, it is incredible to see that God made opening our own business happen and that He is blessing us through the success of the business.
Erik does seem to be continuing to make progress. Not that the enemy has given up! He has experienced 2 Grand Maul seizures (the last was this past Saturday - 2/21/2009) requiring Dyastat causing him to be non-functioning for 2-3 days this year but maybe this will be the last! He appears to be making the effort to create different sounds and is loving school too.
Mom had the opportunity to share some of our trials with West Edgecombe Baptist Church February 8th (link to recorded message: http://www.webc1.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=36819&PID=578900). This was a challenge as our family has only shared maybe 2 times so far and it is emotional to "re-live" many of our experiences. Each time it gets easier and each time we are encouraged by people's interest and receptiveness. We are happy to share as it does give purpose to our trials.
Please join us in prayer for Erik's seizure activity to cease completely and for him to continue to progress both physically and mentally.
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Things have been busy in the Medlin household! February 9, 2009 we celebrated 1 year of operation for our store in Cary, NC - Monkey Joe's (MonkeyJoesCary.com). With the crazy years we have had in the past, it is incredible to see that God made opening our own business happen and that He is blessing us through the success of the business.
Erik does seem to be continuing to make progress. Not that the enemy has given up! He has experienced 2 Grand Maul seizures (the last was this past Saturday - 2/21/2009) requiring Dyastat causing him to be non-functioning for 2-3 days this year but maybe this will be the last! He appears to be making the effort to create different sounds and is loving school too.
Mom had the opportunity to share some of our trials with West Edgecombe Baptist Church February 8th (link to recorded message: http://www.webc1.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=36819&PID=578900). This was a challenge as our family has only shared maybe 2 times so far and it is emotional to "re-live" many of our experiences. Each time it gets easier and each time we are encouraged by people's interest and receptiveness. We are happy to share as it does give purpose to our trials.
Please join us in prayer for Erik's seizure activity to cease completely and for him to continue to progress both physically and mentally.
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday - December 19, 2008 - Christmas Blessings
Hello Everyone!
WOW! What a year! Just looking back we realize how blessed we have been in 2008! There is no telling what Erik will be doing a year from now if his progress in 2009 mirrors his successes in 2008! How wonderful it is to have this to look forward to!
Hope some of you were able to hear us on 93.9 KISS FM last night for the Make-A-Wish radiothon. We were on the air around 4:25pm and it was loads of fun. Erik put his "2 cents" in occasionally which was great for everyone to get to hear him! Following the on-air chat, we were able to go see the volunteers and have some dinner. Everyone with the radio station was great and very kind to us!
During this time of year when we celebrate the miracle of Jesus' birth, we realize how lucky we really are to have witnessed miracles in Erik's life. God has also blessed us with a wonderful family to share this with and we are so thankful for this! We continue to pray for God to completely restore Erik. Nick's prayer is for Erik to be able to run and play with him . . . we hold on to that request and ask God to answer this prayer! We also continue to pray for the seizures to go away and be something of the past for Erik. What a day that will be!!!!!
We thank you for your prayers and support in 2008 and we look forward to sharing Erik's progress with you in 2009!
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
WOW! What a year! Just looking back we realize how blessed we have been in 2008! There is no telling what Erik will be doing a year from now if his progress in 2009 mirrors his successes in 2008! How wonderful it is to have this to look forward to!
Hope some of you were able to hear us on 93.9 KISS FM last night for the Make-A-Wish radiothon. We were on the air around 4:25pm and it was loads of fun. Erik put his "2 cents" in occasionally which was great for everyone to get to hear him! Following the on-air chat, we were able to go see the volunteers and have some dinner. Everyone with the radio station was great and very kind to us!
During this time of year when we celebrate the miracle of Jesus' birth, we realize how lucky we really are to have witnessed miracles in Erik's life. God has also blessed us with a wonderful family to share this with and we are so thankful for this! We continue to pray for God to completely restore Erik. Nick's prayer is for Erik to be able to run and play with him . . . we hold on to that request and ask God to answer this prayer! We also continue to pray for the seizures to go away and be something of the past for Erik. What a day that will be!!!!!
We thank you for your prayers and support in 2008 and we look forward to sharing Erik's progress with you in 2009!
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday - December 3, 2008 - Some for the enemy but more for God . . .
Hello!
Well . . . there is more to tell! The first event since our last post was last Sunday - November 30th. Dad went in to get Erik up at 7:38am and found him in a Grand Mal Seizure. We administered his emergency medication and waited to see him settle. He did stop but this was followed by every once in a while he would start twitching and stop. He was doing this about every 4-5 minutes. When this had been going on for over an hour, we called Duke to ask if this was ok.
We were advised that this could be his body leading up to another seizure and we were guided to get him to Duke. Before we could get out of the door, he went into another Grand Mal seizure. We called 911 and had him transported to Duke. He finally stopped seizing around 12:30pm. We stayed overnight for observation and an additional medication was added. It was interesting being back at Duke and realizing how long it had been. Mom even went to the wrong floor thinking that was where the intensive care was. This was AWESOME that it had been so long that we forgot! We use to go on "auto-pilot"!
The past week and a half have been rough as we work to get the medications to a level where they stop the seizures. He had continued to expereince daily seizures (small) and we ask for your prayer support as we pray these away.
Today was a good day as we went to UNC for vision and hearing screenings. Everything checked out perfect! The doctor was great in that he said a few things that really encouraged us. He said that "time would be our friend". By this, he indicated that Erik is progressing and that with continued support, he should continue to improve with his vision. His words were tat in time, his vision should be normal like anyone else. Right now, anatomically, all is well and healthy. The issue is how his brain interprets what he sees. We have seen improvement in how long he holds a gaze and in him looking towards people and things.
While there, we were approached by a gentleman who said he just wanted us to know that God just laid it on him to say a prayer for Erik and us. This meant alot to us.
Erik enjoyed riding the bus from one appointment to the other. I think he thought he was going to school which he loves.
Thanks for your continued prayer support as we enjoy watching Erik progress daily.
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Well . . . there is more to tell! The first event since our last post was last Sunday - November 30th. Dad went in to get Erik up at 7:38am and found him in a Grand Mal Seizure. We administered his emergency medication and waited to see him settle. He did stop but this was followed by every once in a while he would start twitching and stop. He was doing this about every 4-5 minutes. When this had been going on for over an hour, we called Duke to ask if this was ok.
We were advised that this could be his body leading up to another seizure and we were guided to get him to Duke. Before we could get out of the door, he went into another Grand Mal seizure. We called 911 and had him transported to Duke. He finally stopped seizing around 12:30pm. We stayed overnight for observation and an additional medication was added. It was interesting being back at Duke and realizing how long it had been. Mom even went to the wrong floor thinking that was where the intensive care was. This was AWESOME that it had been so long that we forgot! We use to go on "auto-pilot"!
The past week and a half have been rough as we work to get the medications to a level where they stop the seizures. He had continued to expereince daily seizures (small) and we ask for your prayer support as we pray these away.
Today was a good day as we went to UNC for vision and hearing screenings. Everything checked out perfect! The doctor was great in that he said a few things that really encouraged us. He said that "time would be our friend". By this, he indicated that Erik is progressing and that with continued support, he should continue to improve with his vision. His words were tat in time, his vision should be normal like anyone else. Right now, anatomically, all is well and healthy. The issue is how his brain interprets what he sees. We have seen improvement in how long he holds a gaze and in him looking towards people and things.
While there, we were approached by a gentleman who said he just wanted us to know that God just laid it on him to say a prayer for Erik and us. This meant alot to us.
Erik enjoyed riding the bus from one appointment to the other. I think he thought he was going to school which he loves.
Thanks for your continued prayer support as we enjoy watching Erik progress daily.
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday - November 25, 2008 - So much to tell . . .
Hello All!
Well, the title of this post says it all! We have news . . . good news . . . not so
good news . . . and more! Where to start? Well, one praise is that we have had a prayer answered! Erik is no longer taking Trileptal (the medication that lowered his sodium) and a few weeks later . . . his sodium levels are normal! This is a BIG deal for us.
Now for some other news . . . Erik has been having seizure activity for a few weeks now. Slowly increasing. He had a cold and fever the first week so we thought this could be the cause since any sickness increases his chances of seizures. The cold went away yet the seizures continued. We had his medication levels checked. It takes a week or so to get the results.
Before we had the results and were able to change his medications, we woke on Sunday morning with Erik in a Grand Mal seizure. We are not sure what the enemy was up to but the medications we give him to stop this type of seizure did not work. We are not sure how long he had been seizing when we found him but perhaps because it went on for so long before we intervened, this is why it took a while for it to stop.
After we gave him his medication, he continued to have intermittent seizure activity. Once an hour had passed, and he continued this pattern, we call the doctor. They indicated that he could be about to go into another Grand Mal seizure and that we should get him to the hospital. We were getting ready to go when Erik went into another Grand Mal seizure. We called 911 to have him taken to the hospital. He continued until around mid-day when he settled. He stayed in the hospital overnight and came home on Monday.
We have introduced a new medication to assist with managing the seizures so we ask for your prayers that this will be the answer for Erik. We are not sure what the enemy was trying to accomplish but we are continuing to go THROUGH this!
You may recall that many times when Erik has had spells like this, he comes out doing things he has not been able to do before. It is like God is "re-setting" him. This is what we are praying is happening now.
Thanks for keeping Erik in your prayers.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Well, the title of this post says it all! We have news . . . good news . . . not so
good news . . . and more! Where to start? Well, one praise is that we have had a prayer answered! Erik is no longer taking Trileptal (the medication that lowered his sodium) and a few weeks later . . . his sodium levels are normal! This is a BIG deal for us.
Now for some other news . . . Erik has been having seizure activity for a few weeks now. Slowly increasing. He had a cold and fever the first week so we thought this could be the cause since any sickness increases his chances of seizures. The cold went away yet the seizures continued. We had his medication levels checked. It takes a week or so to get the results.
Before we had the results and were able to change his medications, we woke on Sunday morning with Erik in a Grand Mal seizure. We are not sure what the enemy was up to but the medications we give him to stop this type of seizure did not work. We are not sure how long he had been seizing when we found him but perhaps because it went on for so long before we intervened, this is why it took a while for it to stop.
After we gave him his medication, he continued to have intermittent seizure activity. Once an hour had passed, and he continued this pattern, we call the doctor. They indicated that he could be about to go into another Grand Mal seizure and that we should get him to the hospital. We were getting ready to go when Erik went into another Grand Mal seizure. We called 911 to have him taken to the hospital. He continued until around mid-day when he settled. He stayed in the hospital overnight and came home on Monday.
We have introduced a new medication to assist with managing the seizures so we ask for your prayers that this will be the answer for Erik. We are not sure what the enemy was trying to accomplish but we are continuing to go THROUGH this!
You may recall that many times when Erik has had spells like this, he comes out doing things he has not been able to do before. It is like God is "re-setting" him. This is what we are praying is happening now.
Thanks for keeping Erik in your prayers.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tuesday - November 4, 2008 - Moving in the right direction . . .
Hello All!
We hope this email finds you all doing well! Erik is keeping us busy lately. He is getting more fun with each passing day! We have had a few nurses working with us lately who have not worked with us for several weeks. Their comments are that Erik is more alert, stronger (he is standing straighter and holding steadier than in the past), and is making and holding better eye contact! PRAISE GOD!
As you know seizure medications are something we continue to manage for Erik. We have been successful eliminating Trileptal - the medication that has successfully controlled his seizures in the past but had the side effect of dangerously lowering his sodium. Because we have eliminated Tripetal and because the belief is that the Trileptal was causing this dip in his sodium level, we have began the process of lowering his supplemental sodium and so far so good! the fewer medications there are to administer until God completely restores Erik and frees him from the bondage of seizures, the better!
Erik has experienced a few minor breakthrough seizures but we continue to pray these away. I watched a movie recently where one of the actors said that when things get rough, this is a good sign that the Lord has you on the verge of a breakthrough! Just hearing this confirmed our thought about what is happening with Erik. We are working towards him becoming medication free!
Thanks always for your prayers for Erik and our family!
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
We hope this email finds you all doing well! Erik is keeping us busy lately. He is getting more fun with each passing day! We have had a few nurses working with us lately who have not worked with us for several weeks. Their comments are that Erik is more alert, stronger (he is standing straighter and holding steadier than in the past), and is making and holding better eye contact! PRAISE GOD!
As you know seizure medications are something we continue to manage for Erik. We have been successful eliminating Trileptal - the medication that has successfully controlled his seizures in the past but had the side effect of dangerously lowering his sodium. Because we have eliminated Tripetal and because the belief is that the Trileptal was causing this dip in his sodium level, we have began the process of lowering his supplemental sodium and so far so good! the fewer medications there are to administer until God completely restores Erik and frees him from the bondage of seizures, the better!
Erik has experienced a few minor breakthrough seizures but we continue to pray these away. I watched a movie recently where one of the actors said that when things get rough, this is a good sign that the Lord has you on the verge of a breakthrough! Just hearing this confirmed our thought about what is happening with Erik. We are working towards him becoming medication free!
Thanks always for your prayers for Erik and our family!
Love in Christ,
Keith, Wendy, Margot, Brigitte, Erik, Nick
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