A Time of Prayer

Dear friends,

A couple of weeks ago we had a challenging sermon at the Met by Pastor Tim Auld.  He spoke from 1 Kings 18 about Elijah and the power of prayer.  It was a very challenging message.  I know we all have much to pray about each day and God keeps us all on our knees.  Throughout the sermon I was challenged about our mutual friend Sandra whom I am sure we have all prayed much for over this past year.  

The other day when she and I were having lunch we were recalling how many prayers God has answered on her behalf on this journey she has been on.  Although God has not chosen to answer our prayers to bring complete physical healing yet, He has been faithful and He has been good.  As Sandra embarks on this upcoming surgery on June 26 I know that we will all be praying for her.

      

We would love to have you join us for a time of corporate prayer on Sunday, June 23 from 4:30 to 5:30pm in the Fireside Room at the Metropolitan Bible Church.  In 1 Kings 18:43,  I was struck by the fact that 7 times Elijah sent his servant to look for a cloud appearing in the sky.  It is a privilege for us to uphold Sandra in prayer as she prepares for this surgery.

Prayerfully,

Nancy Schoenmaker

Continued progress

Well time keeps marching on and so does Sandra's recovery. We have been praying since the beginning that Sandra would continue to see progress and yes this has happened, not nessisarly at the speed we are looking for but as we have learned our time isn't His.
It has been hard to measure the exact progress but for those that have been following for a while, initially Sandra's core, hip flexors and gluts activated, then her right adductors, that takes us to February. Since February both adductors and abductors have activated and the most exciting news of all Sandra's quads have activated enough so she can lock her knees, this allows her to support her body weight and stand, she uses the counter for balance.
Sandra still has a long was to go, the gains she has are great news but not yet strong enough to be functional in her day to day life, so it is difficult to keep pushing on.
Sandra spends a lot of time in therapy and on her FES bike. It is amazing with the bike she "goes" 12 miles in an hour, 4 or 5 times per week. Her input gets analyzed where we got the bike and Sandra has been told she is their most diligent patient, her hard work is paying off. Most paralyzed people have poor respiratory  systems and Sandra's is currently better then the average able bodied person, amazing, her leg muscles are also getting definition again.
So as we look forward to the surgery we are praying this will relieve some of Sandra's pain, also that she will be able heal quickly so the strength she has gained isn't lost.

Mike

Surgery Date!

Well look at that I don’t have to wait too long. I received a call today from Dr. Chow’s office and I am booked for my surgery on June 26^th.  I feel with the amount of physio and bike riding I’m doing, my body is going into this surgery a lot stronger. I am hoping and praying that I will be able to bounce back from this one a lot faster. I’m not sure as to how long my surgery will be it will all depend on what he ends up doing once he is in there. Nor do I know how long I will be in the hospital or if I will need to go to the rehabilitation center again. This will all be determined on what exactly Dr. Chow will do once he is in surgery.    Please continue to pray that God will heal me completely.  

Big Hug Sandra

Waiting! I hate Waiting!!

It’s funny how sometimes you don't feel up to getting out of bed and going to church but when you force yourself you always are happy you did. Mostly because you feel the sermon was written just for you. Well I had that today! We had a visiting Pastor who spoke on Genesis 16:1- 16. I have never looked at or heard these verses explained like this before. Waiting! We all hate waiting! In these verses Sarah and Abram are waiting on the Lord to fulfill a promise that He would give them a child. But frustration set in and Sarah ends up taking things into her own hands. A lot of times when we become impatient and come up with our own plan the consequences can be devastating and have lasting consequences. We are still seeing the consequences to Sarah’s decision today. God has a purpose a plan and He will fulfill it in His perfect time. Not ours. We so often blame God…  Why hasn't God given me a baby yet? Why hasn't He chosen to heal me yet? I know God has a plan and a purpose for me and I am trusting in Him that He will be glorified in it. I’m praying that I don't become impatient (although I have at times) but that I continue to give this back to God, relinquishing what little control I think I have. He is the one that is in control, I just have to remember that. (lol)

On Friday May 31^st I am heading into the civic for my pre-op for my surgery, I'm hoping to hear from Dr. Chow’s office tomorrow or Tuesday as to a date for my surgery. I'll keep you all posted. Mike and I have prayed continuously that God would give me continued progress (which He has) and that He would make things clear to us as we go along this journey. We have been looking into our housing situation although our current house has been adapted a little for me it’s not something that will work long term. We are looking into bungalows and or building. Please be in prayer that God would reveal to us as to what’s best for our whole family.  Thank you for all your continued support, encouragement, love and most of all your prayers. 

BIG HUG Sandra

Go SENS Go ....NOT!

Go SENS Go. Well I can't say that I have been cheering them on. My surgery got postponed because they made the playoffs.  Dr. Chow my surgeon is also the Ottawa Senators doctor and had to postpone my surgery in order to travel and be available for them.  At first I was a little upset, I had myself mentally prepared and had started to get things organized at home for that date. But I understand that this has been in God’s hands from the start and He must have something up His sleeve.  So I have to trust that this is the right thing and I will have my surgery when it’s His perfect time.

It’s hard to believe that Mother’s Day is just a few days away which will mark my one year anniversary of my accident.  A lot has happened in this year. God continues to give me my daily supply of grace. There have definitely been some hard days and not so hard days. I pray with expectation knowing that God can heal me; I pray that He chooses to glorify Himself in this way.  Until that day I pray that He will continue to give me the strength, that He would reveal Himself to me every morning carrying me through that day. I pray that He will continue to go before me, walk beside me and to give Mike and I the wisdom and discernment needed in our thoughts and decisions.   God has worked a miracle in allowing me to see Dr. Chow and for me to be able to have my surgery as quickly as I am and I know that He will continue.  

I am continuing to do Physio twice a week; I go on my bike five times a week along with a list of other things to help keep me healthy through this process. I want to make sure that I am doing my part so that God can do His. I was reading a book and in it they said to Pray as though it was up to God and work as though it was up to you.  I’m ready! Now I just have to wait on Him and for His perfect timing to heal me completely.
Wishing all you mom’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day.
Big Hug Sandra

Open Doors!

From the beginning Mike and I have always prayed that God would make it obvious to us, as to what we need to do regarding my situation. When we were looking at having physiotherapy in the United States we asked God to open and or close doors to what we needed to do. If you remember He did just that He closed the doors to 2 possibilities leaving us with Detroit being the obvious option.

Well we have been praying concerning my back as my pain since Christmas has been progressively getting worse. I thought maybe this is something I would just have to learn to live with but as I talked about it to my physiotherapist here in Ottawa and others I started to investigate as to what I should do. I heard of an orthopedic surgery, Dr. Don Chow and thought it would be great if I could get into see him. I found out that it is a long wait to see him just for a consult. This past Wednesday Mike was speaking with our dear friend Carol, who has worked at the Civic Hospital for years and knows Dr. Chow personally was able to speak with him and through there special relationship, Dr. Chow agreed to see me Friday morning.

After reviewing my original X-rays Dr. Chow feels that the rods that were placed in my back are causing the pain and is recommending that I have them removed. He also wants to have a neurological exam done and current x-rays to see if there are any cracks or breaks in the rods. As we left the examining room everyone that we needed to see and book these appointments with were standing just outside the door.

My exam was booked for Tuesday at 7:30am, x-rays just after and my post op paper work was completed just after that. Dr. Chow met with us again on Tuesday morning to review the surgery and any all questions that Mike and I had.

We prayed for OPEN DOORS…. Once again God just didn't open the door He blew the hinges off.
In less than a week I met with the surgeon had all the test that I need to have done, done and I am now booked for my surgery on May 22nd.

Depending on what Dr. Chow sees when he gets in there will depend on the extent of the surgery. He is hoping to remove all the rods and screws and a piece of the T5-disc that is sticking out. It should last anywhere from 1–4 hours. We are hoping that I won’t be in hospital longer than 1 week with a 6 week recovery. 

 
Although I am excited to reduce my pain I do have some fear about undergoing surgery. There can always be complications and risks involved. The normal risks of undergoing surgery but the biggest is more loss of function. This is very low risk but yet still a risk. It’s scary to have to undergo the recovery again. The fear of the unknown but now also the known. God gives us so many promises to cling to.

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength. Always ready to help in times of trouble” This journey has not been easy but daily I try to give the day over to God and rest in Him for what I need for the day. I continue to pray daily that God would reveal His glory and power through healing me completely.

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, what ever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” I believe it! Please continue to pray with me for my complete healing, for the coming weeks as we prepare and get ready for the surgery and for the recovery. Pray for the girls and for Mike as well as life is about to change again for them. Praise, that God is a God of power that can open doors!

Hugs Sandra

Day by Day

Yes...we are still here! Sorry it's been awhile. Thank you for always checking in and for your continued prayer...lots to keep praying over.

 After our trip to Mexico and getting back to our routine, we have made some decisions on the near future. We have decided it would benefit our family for us to stick closer to home for a while. To that end I now have my FES Bike and Standing Frame at home and have established a full routine both on my own and with my Physio Therapists twice weekly. I am making great progress on my FES Bike. Just after 2 weeks I find that my muscles are strengthening and it's helping to reduce swelling and my toning. I am "riding" up to 16 KM - 4-5 times a week!

I am continuing with acupuncture once a week. I am not sure what it's doing for me, but even though I dread it...its very uncomfortable...we feel I need to continue it for now. Things are happening and although we aren't sure we can attribute it the acupuncture we aren't sure it's not.

One of my biggest struggles is the "sitting and watching" that I am forced to do. I find it very difficult to sit and watch people do things for me. I am so grateful for all the giving, loving people in my life but really miss being able to do for others and even for myself. It goes completely against my nature and I am waiting for God to show me how to do this well.

People ask me and my family members constantly if there has been "any change". I am noticing that my sense of feeling seems to have reached further below my level of injury. It's faint but I am definitely aware of it when concentrating.
Something I have been needing and asking God for was something to show me progress and re-fuel my hope. During my physio sessions my therapist lift me to a standing position at my kitchen counter. The biggest challenge so far has been being able to hold my knees in a locked position. Once this was achieved we moved onto developing weight transfer and then using my hip flex-ors and gluts’ to activate movement.

This past Tuesday I was able to translate all that into actual "voluntary movement".

We have attached a video for you to see, but want to make it clear that although this is definitely progress, I am not feeling what is happening here. I am activating this muscle movement through a great deal of concentration & effort and as you can see it still lacks control. I am taking this as a positive sign and gift from God. This is movement below my injury level and that is amazing!

 Please continue to pray for complete healing and that my muscles will continue to react favourably. Also, for our day-to-day decision making. Hugs Sandra