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Update on Kevin

Friday, January 13, 2012
Who says that this is a bad day? Kevin has had his appointments scheduled for Friday, January 13th, 2012 since the Gamma Knife Surgery in November. Neither one of us even caught the “Friday the 13th” part of the date. Go figure… more important things on our slate. Well, Friday the 13th is a day that God created. Man gave it the negative connotation. That said, and even though we don’t take heed to the superstitions, I awoke with an uneasy feeling about our doctor’s visits today. We both went to work in the morning, and I shared my concern with Pastor Mark. He just told me not to read anything into my uneasy feeling, and to be positive. Well, our first appointment with the neurosurgeon, Dr. Camichi was cancelled. Apparently he had an emergency and had to leave. The second appointment with the radiologist, Dr. Leinweber was still on. We made good time driving out to Lehigh Valley Hospital for the appointment and since we were unable to reschedule over the phone with Dr. Camichi’s office we decided to stop by and take care of it. We had a half hour to spare. We checked in at the reception desk and after the receptionist explaining that she needed to run back to the office to get a date before April, as Kevin needs an appointment much sooner that that because of his condition (heart in my throat as she explains this) we sat and waited. A little bit goes by, the phone rings and another receptionist announces that they have an appointment on Monday for us. Okay, my heart is pounding now. My brain keeps telling me something is going to happen. We take the appointment and enter the elevators in the reception room to go down to Dr. Leinweber’s office. We are literally in the elevator with the doors closing and the receptionist answers the phone again, looks at us and yells for us to wait. We exit the elevator, and she tells us that the office coordinator needs to speak with us. This is not good for my heart at all… she comes out after five or so minutes and lets us know that Dr. Camichi had to leave unexpectedly but that he told her as he was running out to catch us and let us know that Kevin’s MRI looked good and to tell us that he doesn’t need to come back for nine months to have another MRI done… I sooo wish that as all this was happening, I didn’t “read into” all that was going on! God has walked this path for us… He knows the outcome whether I have “bad vibes” or not. He has continued to declare Jeremiah 29:11 to us… He has declared over and over again and again that it will all be okay… as I have been told by a wise young man, God didn’t bring Kevin this far to just drop him… I’m not sure why the uncertainty… maybe just fatigue. But, Dr. Leinweber had the same report for us. If we were in his office for 15 minutes all together, that was long. It was “hey, looks great… see ya in nine months!” God is, again, so good. Dr. Leinweber explained that the “very large” blood clot that Kevin sustained as a result of the AVM rupture has resolved. He was so pleased because he explained if it hadn’t, there could have been AVM “feeders” compressed within the clot area that would reopen once the pressure was removed from them as the clot resolved. They would then have to go back in and “Gamma” them. They believe that they were able to get everything necessary for this to be successful at the end of the two years. Praise You Lord! He said that we did need to contact Dr. Camichi to get Kevin weaned off of the Keppra anti-seizure medication he has been on. He never had a seizure, but, it is a routine drug they give to patients such as this. I will be happy once he is off of it. It makes him so sleepy. He comes right home from work and takes a three hour nap. He is snoozing as I type. The medication itself has all of these stickers on the bottle warning that it will cause you to be sleepy…not saying you may become, but saying that the medication itself causes you to be sleepy. Just one more thing to look forward to. And for the first time since June, Kevin’s legs look almost normal again. The swelling is down considerably. He still has the clotting issue even though the fluid is down. Please continue to pray for that to resolve itself. This is a long journey. We both have said that it is hard to remember the life we had before this occurred. I don’t know. Time moves on. All I do know is that each day, we are one day closer to walking with our Lord. Maybe this is to be used for our last days here. I don’t know. I just don’t want any of this to be for naught. We, Kevin, Josh and I have to use what we have experienced to help someone else. Whether it is someone with what Kevin had (actually we are conversing with a friend who’s friend’s daughter-in-law has suffered the same, actually it sounds much worse, fate than Kevin), but maybe God has shown us this journey in order to become closer to each other…in our immediate family and beyond. Friendships and family seem so much more precious, of that I am certain. Sunrises are much brighter, sunsets more beautiful. Maybe… I don’t know. I can keep trying to figure it out. I don’t know.
This will be our last post as it seems that all is well. I cannot express the gratitude that we feel for each and every person, whether we know you or not, who was lifting Kevin up to our Heavenly Father for comfort and healing. We have seen the wonders He works. We have been the recipient of His grace and mercy. We have been prayed over, anointed, and loved. Thank you all for your unselfish concern. From the moment that this happened to Kevin, to even now, we are so loved by so many. Thank you all for all that you did. I kept all the little snippets of paper left on my dining room table from those who walked in my doors and helped me out while I was with Kevin. Thank your for the meals left in the fridge, the little things you did around our house, right down to rolling the socks that were left in the dryer! I won’t even name names because I would feel awful if I overlooked someone. You know who you are. God does too. The peace you brought to me is priceless. Thank you.
Thank you, too, to all who prayed right as you heard. Thank you for those who rushed to the hospital, even knowing that you may not see me or Kevin, you were there. Thank you. Thank you for my dear friend, Jeannie, whom I found standing in a back hallway in the hospital the second day. How you came to be there, I’ll never know. He knew I needed you at that very moment. I still am in awe of that. Thank you Lord. Thank you for each and every one of you. And thank You LORD for holding me, Kevin and Joshua through this difficult season in our life. We do pray that You were glorified through it all.
Love in Christ Jesus,
Gay and Kevin