Good meeting

So we had a quick visit from Dr Chow's resident this morning, he was very happy with the surgery, the incision is a couple inches shorter then the last one, they used bone graft (coral) to fill the screw holes (8) and her spine is very solid.
They didn't have to shave the disc as it wasn't interfering with her spinal cord, but they did remove another vertebra, and a lot of scar tissue that was putting pressure on her cord.
Sandra's spinal cord is in tact, doesn't look damaged, the dura around the cord is intact as well.
This is a great initial result to which we are truly thankful, recovery is still going to be a long process but we are ready to get going again.
Sandra's function seams to be about the same as before surgery, we again are thankful for this although I have to admit I've been caught dreaming of the day for walking.
Mike

Doing well, still some pain

So here we are after a long day, both of us have had some naps, some food. Sandra is feeling well considering the circumstances. The pain is fairly low when she doesn't have to move, intensifies when trying to adjust positions in bed.
Tomorrow we will meet with the Dr. To discuss all that happened today, have a better idea of the timeline to go home, our next steps.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, will post again tomorrow after our meeting
Mike

Out of surgery

Well it is just after 3 and Sandra is in her own room. The surgery went well and was simpler then expected. The rods are gone!!! , her back is solid so no other support is needed.
Sandra had a lot of scar tissue in the area so that was removed to help relieve pressure on her spinial cord,
We are  thankful she is safe and sound, arms are working great, just waiting on those legs.
Mike

Time of Surgery!

Well I am up early and off to the hospital for 6:00am and will be in surgery by 8:30am. Mike will do his best to update you all. Thanks again for all your prayers and love. Big Hug Sandra

Family of God!

It never ceases to amaze me, the family of God! What an amazing experience, privilege, gift, blessing, humbling and inspirational it was for me to be sitting in a room today listening to 70+ people who love me, praying for me and my family. Knowing at that moment many of you were praying at the same time right where you were. Thank you for your encouragement and prayer. I know that as all of us have gone through or are going through trials in our lives we can’t do it alone. God is so faithful; He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He gives us the gift of brothers and sisters in Christ who come and support and bring us before His throne of grace. I thank God daily for you all and for the love and your many prayers of petition for me.  “Everything is possible for him who believes” Mark 9:23

In many ways I am thankful for this trial. God is always seeking to bring us closer to Him. Unfortunately or fortunately this may require learning through trial. I have never needed Him more.  Therefor I am thankful for this trail and His grace on my life and the many ways He has protected and provided for me.

I came up with a few specific prayer requests for today and I thought I would share them with you so that you could continue this week to uplift me in prayer before our Heavenly Father as I head into surgery on Wednesday. I’m still not sure of the time but I will keep you all posted.

·         Protection while in surgery.

·         That Dr. Chow will be able to remove the rods and my spine will be stable enough that he won’t have to place any back in.

·         That I won’t lose any mobility that I currently have. In fact that I will be able to gain and have complete healing.

·         That he would be able to decompress the spinal cord.

·         That my pain would be minimize.

·         That I will recover well and quickly from the surgery.

·         Prayer for Mike and the Girls that they will not worry. That they would have the energy and strength to deal with whatever may come. That they will continually feel the presence of God.

It means so much that people that love me will lift me and my family before God. What a blessing we have to be a part of the family of God.

My Auntie Greta put it this way “We see this as a renewed opportunity to continue our prayers for Sandra to get up out of that chair…and WALK!” I’m with her. Big HUG Sandra  

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