Please Pray

When we learned that Justin would need heart surgery, some friends hooked us up with some of their friends whose son had also gone through heart surgery at TCH the year before. They gave us lots of insight and advice from someone who had been there and gone down the path we were facing. Their son did not have the exact same defect as Justin, but on the outside, there are a lot of similarities with various defects. We knew going in to Justin's surgery that he may need another surgery in a year, 10 years, or even 25 years. Their son ended up being one of the ones who needs another surgery, and sooner rather than later. He underwent his second surgery this afternoon, and he is now in the same CVICU unit where Justin spent three days last year. The second surgery is always a bit more scary because they have to cut through the scar tissue to get back inside. There is no other way to get into the heart except through the ribs. The recovery is tougher and now their son is older, and he understands more, and he is much more mobile! They are such a wonderful family, and this time they have another baby for whom to care. That makes it harder too! They have long drives back and forth to the Medical Center, uncomfortable nights on those sponges they call mattresses, and the sometimes irresistible urge to wish it all away. But I know that this is part of God's plan, so please pray that they would be strengthened, that they would have clear heads to make good decisions, that they would feel confidence in whomever is caring for the child that they cannot be with at that time, and the vision to see God's mighty hand working through it all.