Monday update for Madilyn...almost ready to go!!

Hey guys, I'm happy to post some more good news about Madilyn, and ask for your prayers for her continued recovery.

Yesterday I was able to go to church for the first time in about 6 weeks...it was great to be back with my church family, and to Worship Christ together.  Before the service I spent some time studying Isaiah 41 again.  The passage that stood out to me was this one from verse 20: 

20 that they may see and know,    may consider and understand together,that the hand of the Lord has done this,    the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Isaiah has been comforting the people by reminding them of God's sovereignty and provision.  In this passage, God tells the people exactly how He will provide for them.  He will make streams rise up in dry lands, He will make gardens grow in desert places, He will show up in power to provide for them...so that all will see and know that it was the Lord's hand that was behind it all. This was my prayer on Sunday and today...that God would heal Madilyn completely, and that we will see His hand working throughout the process.

How is she doing?

Madilyn's blood work continues to improve each day.  Today her Creatinine level was down to 2.2 and has been steadily declining over the past few days.  We pray that it keeps going down every morning until it reaches the normal level of .5.

We woke up this morning and headed to the operating room to remove her Perma Cath for dialysis...everything went great and she now has one less piece of plastic in her body.

Tomorrow morning they will check her labs one more time, and as long as her potassium levels are in the normal range we will be headed home!!  After 28 days of being here, we are ready to get up and get out of here.




Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. The rest of Madilyn's recovery will be at home, but we need you to keep on praying for her kidneys to come back to full strength, pray for no long-term damage!  Pray for Creatinine level of 0.5!!!
2. We will also be treating her blood pressure at home for a while, until her kidneys can regulate it on their own.
3. Pray for her to eat and drink well while she's at home to help in the healing process.
4. Currently, Madilyn's kidneys are filtering at 20% function.  This number has been going up steadily, and we want that to keep improving until it gets to 100% or very very close!
5. Pray for our nerves as we wait to see where she will end up. There is nothing we can do but wait and see, so pray for God to give us peace while we wait. 

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

This pic is from the last night of playtime with her brothers after supper...it has always been her favorite part of the day - when they come distract her and play with her.  We are so thankful for how strong and helpful these guys have been!!

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Update for Friday...Keeping up the good work

Hey guys, I wanted to post a quick update today and ask for prayer for over the weekend.

How is she doing?

Madilyn's blood work continues to improve, which gives us great hope that her kidneys will be able to return to normal.  She has not needed any dialysis since last Friday, and if things keep going the way they have been, she will not need it anymore!

Right now we are patiently (sometimes impatiently) waiting to see if Madilyn's Creatinine level will get down to normal.  This will be the sign that her kidneys have little to no long term damage.  Earlier this week, her level was 5.7, then it dropped to 5.1, yesterday it dropped to 4.0, and today it dropped again to 3.4.  

Last time I posted, Jennifer and I thought that her doctor said 4.0 was normal for Madilyn, but that was incorrect.  Normal for her size and age would be around 0.5...so we still have a long way to go, but we are praying it just keeps going down.

This can make our mornings a little stressful while we wait for the results to come back. Of course Madilyn isn't stressed about that at all...





Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Keep praying for Madilyn's kidney to come back to full strength, pray for no long-term damage!  Pray for Creatinine level of 0.5!!!
2. This weekend they are working on her medication for blood pressure, trying to get it under control so that she can go home.
3. Monday at 9:00AM Madilyn will have her surgery to remove the catheter.  Pray for her to be relaxed and the procedure to go great.
4. After the surgery, we should be able to take her home on Tuesday or Wednesday, and we are so ready!

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Update for Tuesday...no more dialysis!

Hey guys, I wanted to post a quick update to let you know some good news and some things to pray for.

How is she doing?

This morning, Madilyn's blood work came back with improvement in her kidney function.  Her numbers have started to go down on their own, which means she is off dialysis unless something changes.

We are so excited to see this improvement, and now the next step is to watch and see how low her numbers go.  We aren't sure if they will return to normal, because we just don't know yet if she has any long-term kidney damage.  So, the next few days we will be watching her blood work and praying for her to be completely healed up.

Her Creatinine level is the big one we are watching, yesterday it was 5.7, today 5.1.  Normal would be 4.0 or under, so we want to see it go down below 4 over the next few days.




Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Keep praying for Madilyn's kidney to come back to full strength, pray for no long-term damage!
2. Right now we are scheduled to have surgery on Monday to remove her catheter...if things look great tomorrow and Friday we could possibly push it up to Friday.
3. Pray for her blood pressure to keep getting lower, the kidneys play a big role in regulating blood pressure, so Madilyn may need medication for this for a few months, but we're praying it won't be life-long.

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Monday Update...great news to share!

On Sunday morning, I was able to spend some time reading and praying before going back up to the hospital. The passage I was studying was from Isaiah 41. I picked this passage because it's one of my favorites, and it's one that I discovered when reading John Piper's book Future Grace.

In this passage, Isaiah is speaking for the Lord as he reminds the people where their hope, joy, and rest comes from; even as the nation was being threatened by a brutal empire that was conquering the world.

Listen to this quote from Isaiah as he explains to the people who is in control:

4 Who has performed and done this,    calling the generations from the beginning?I, the Lord, the first,    and with the last; I am he.   

Things seem to be out of control for the Israelites, they can't make sense of their circumstances and how this evil country is allowed to prosper.  God reminds them, that he is the one moving things for his own Glory - the first...and the last.

This promise has been something Jennifer and I have held close to our hearts over the past 3 weeks, some times it's been hard to remember, but other times God has shown up in powerful ways to remind us.

Listen to the second part of the promise in verse 10:

fear not, for I am with you;    be not dismayed, for I am your God;I will strengthen you, I will help you,    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This promise is such a comfort to those who are struggling through difficult circumstances.  The Lord has brought you here, and with his righteous right hand he will strengthen, help, and uphold you.  When you remember this, your circumstances become an opportunity to bring God glory. You find yourself looking around a hospital for people in need of prayer, and people who need to feel God's presence. You hear your four year old daughter look up at you and say "dad, can we pray for the babies who are in the hospital right now?"  

How is she doing?

We have been waiting for the doctors say that Madilyn's kidneys are functioning fully.  This morning Dr. Simon, took a look at Madilyn's lab work and said that she is not there yet, but she is on her way.

Right now, Madilyn's kidneys are filtering, and she is producing enough urine.  Her electrolytes and acid/base levels are back to the normal range.  The only thing that still needs improvement is Madilyn's BUN and Creatinine level. The levels were not high enough to need dialysis today, but we will have to check it again tomorrow to see if she needs a treatment.

We're praying that the filters will improve throughout the day, and that she can stay off Dialysis, then we can prepare to remove her catheter and make plans for taking her home.





Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Keep praying for Madilyn's kidney function! We are so ready to take her home!
2. Tomorrow is the first day of school for Siler and Caleb, we don't feel ready, but pray we don't forget anything important!
3. Keep praying for Jennifer and I to make the most of our last few days with the doctors and nurses, we want to make sure we Glorify Christ in this tough time, and make sure that the people we meet know we have our hope in Him.
4. Pray for Aubrey, who is 10 is in the Children's Hospital in Temple also with HUS, but they are hoping she will be home by the weekend.

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Update for the weekend - 8/20

How is she doing?

This Friday, Madilyn had to have dialysis again to balance out her BUN, Creatinine, and Electrolytes, but her kidneys are now functioning enough so that she doesn't need dialysis to remove any fluid!

The Doctor said that he thinks this was her last Dialysis that she will need!  We are praying that this is the case, but we won't know for certain until we check her blood work on Sunday and Monday. Sometimes when the kidneys start working again, they aren't filtering as efficiently as they normally do, and this takes time to improve.  We are praying that the past few days her kidneys have been improving and she'll be off the dialysis machine forever.

If that's the case, then on Monday we can start the process of getting her to come home!  Our hope is that she'll be home early in the week so that we can be together as a family while school is starting up.






Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Keep praying for Madilyn's kidney function! We are so ready to take her home!
2. Pray for the boys to have a great start to 3rd and 4th grade next Tuesday!
3. Pray for Jennifer and I to make the most of our last few days with the doctors and nurses, we want to make sure we Glorify Christ in this tough time, and make sure that the people we meet know we have our hope in Him.
4. Pray for our extended family - since Madilyn came down with this strain of E-Coli, two of her cousins have also been diagnosed with it.  Katelyn, who is 2 has been recovering well at home, and seems to have missed the HUS that comes with this form of E-Coli.  Aubrey, who is 10 is in the Children's Hospital in Temple with HUS, but it seems that they caught it much earlier so we are praying she doesn't have to stay in the hospital as long as Madilyn.

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

Highlight of the Day:

Madilyn was able to meet several former olympians this week at the hospital, she even got to hold a Gold Medal and a Silver Medal.  Caleb said he'll make sure and win one for her later on too.

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Wednesday Update...still improving, but things are moving so slow!!

How is she doing?

Over the past few days, Madilyn has been showing signs that her kidneys are recovering and starting to work again.  She's been making more urine, and her blood work has been looking better, but still not quite back to normal.

We had hoped that today her blood work would come back with enough improvement to pass on dialysis.  Unfortunately, it didn't.  Even though she has made a big improvement in urine production, her kidneys still aren't filtering like they need to be.  The doctor let us know that this is part of the process, and part of the waiting game for her to heal.

So, right now we are praying that Friday would be the last dialysis that she has to have, so that we can start the process of evaluating her and sending her home.  Jennifer and I are trying hard to be patient and wait on God's timing with this, but it is very tough when Madilyn is so ready to go home and be back in her room!





Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Keep praying for Madilyn's kidneys! We're praying for them to recover enough over the weekend so that we can the process going to take her home.
2. Pray for the boys to be ready for school to start next week.  We have meet the teacher night this Friday, and then Tuesday they start 3rd and 4th Grade!
3. Pray for Jennifer and I to be patient, and find strength in the Lord during these hard days of waiting!  Pray also that we have great conversations with our doctors and nurses as we pray for them and with them together.

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

Highlight of the Day:

When Siler and Caleb came to visit today, they had Madilyn rolling with laughter.  Caleb and Siler were acting out something and falling down on command for Madilyn, and she laughed every time. I told the kids to quiet down in the halls, and the nurses corrected me...they said let them laugh as loud as they want, it's music to their ears!

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Update on Madilyn from the Weekend...

How is she doing?
This weekend was a good one.  Madilyn has been doing a great job eating, and getting up and walking around the hospital.  She's also keeping herself busy with art and loves getting visits from her brothers.

Today and yesterday she had dialysis again.  Even though her kidneys are making a comeback, she's still not producing enough urine to get off dialysis.  This is probably our biggest prayer right now, that she would have a great day tomorrow and make lots of urine. She can't go home until they don't require dialysis anymore.  Hopefully we can see that progress throughout the week this week.

Her blood counts have still been good, and they've seen her red blood cell count stabilize.  Now they are giving her some meds to boost the production of red blood cells, so we should see more improvement in her energy and anemia.

Jennifer and I are still taking turns staying the night with her, and now we are trying to figure out how to get the boys ready to go back to school next week, praying that Madilyn is home before their school starts!!!





Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Keep praying for Madilyn's kidneys! The sooner they get back to full function, the sooner she can get out of here.
2. Pray for the boys as they get ready to start school, we've had a lot of turmoil the past few weeks, and yet they start a new school year in just 7 days!
3. Pray for Madilyn to be patient while she waits to go home, she is so ready to be back in her own home, but we want her to be 100% first! 

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

Highlight of the Day:

Today before her brothers came to visit, Madilyn wanted to buy them a couple gifts...so each brother got a tiny beany boo toy that she picked out just for them.  She loved seeing them open up their presents!!

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Update for Friday...Madilyn is doing so much better!

How is she doing?

Madilyn is doing so much better!  Thank you for praying for her!  On Wednesday, she needed another blood transfusion because her red blood cells and hemoglobin were very low again.  This is part of the recovery process for HUS, but it's still no fun to see her need another unit of blood (so far thats 3).

Thursday was another great day, with her IV out Madilyn was able to go do some fun stuff around the hospital, and even show her brothers some of the gardens and play areas they have here.  

Today, she started with dialysis, but she did not need another blood transfusion today.  Her platelets are up again, 240 was her number.  Still not normal, but getting closer.  Also, she peed about 150cc today.  If that keeps going up, it means her kidneys are coming back to full strength, and we can stop doing dialysis!!  It seems weird talking about pee all the time, but that's pretty much what we do.

Jennifer and I are taking turns staying the night with her, so we get some time at home with the boys now, and they are grateful for being back in their own home.  They keep asking when we can get Madilyn out of the hospital.





Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Pray for Madilyn's blood work to keep trending in the right direction.  They kidney specialist says 3 days makes a trend - we want a good trend.
2. Pray for Madilyn to get more of an appetite, so that she can keep on eating and drinking her protein shakes.
3. No dialysis for the weekend, pray for her kidneys to make lots of urine, then she won't need another dialysis on Monday!
4. Keep praying for those kidneys! The sooner they get back to full function, the sooner she can get out of here.  Tuesday would be 2 weeks in the hospital, so we'd love to go home before then!

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

Highlight of the Day:

Yesterday Madilyn was chasing her brothers around and hitting them with her my little pony named Rainbow Dash.  It was good to see her ready to play and mix it up with her brothers again!

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Happy update for Tuesday!!

How is she doing?

Monday and Tuesday both turned out to be really good days.  On  Monday, Madilyn's blood work came back with improvement, and then she did a great job with the dialysis and getting up and around better.

Then today her blood work came back even better, and her Kidney Doctor (the amazing Dr. Simon) said that if this continues then we can start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!  We are hopeful, and praying that she can be on her way home soon...this weekend would be miraculous and we'd be thrilled.

Today, Madilyn had her IV Nutrition removed - which means she will be getting her food through her stomach, which will help her kidneys out a ton.

She did a good job of eating, getting right to her calorie goal by eating the high-calorie milkshakes they ordered for her.  Pray for her little tummy to keep feeling better so that she can keep up the good work.  If she does, then we will not have to put in a G-Tube to help with nutrition while she's at the hospital.

Today she was also removed from isolation, so we were able to explore the hospital, and she also got to paint, and play bingo with cookie monster.

Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Pray for Madilyn's blood work to keep trending in the right direction.
2. Pray for Madilyn to get more of an appetite, so that she can keep on eating and drinking her protein shakes.
3. She'll have Dialysis again tomorrow, pray for the procedure to go smooth, and for her to be patient an feel great afterward.
4. Keep praying for those kidneys! We want these kidneys to have zero long-term damage!

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! Thank you again to all our family, church family and Missional Community family, who have come through so well for us these past couple weeks.  You'll never know how comforting it is to have so much support! 

Highlight of the Day:

My favorite moment of the day was hearing Madilyn let out a big belly laugh when Cookie Monster was calling out bingo...she just thought he was hilarious!! 

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Update for Sunday, and so far today...

I'll have to watch my hermeneutics for this one, but this morning I was comforted from reading through Isaiah 40. The passage is in reference to Israel and the trouble that the nation had been experiencing.

What I was comforted by was a truth about the Lord from verse 28 - 31.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,    the Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary;    his understanding is unsearchable.29 He gives power to the faint,    and to him who has no might he increases strength.30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,    and young men shall fall exhausted;31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary;    they shall walk and not faint.

This is exactly what we are asking God to do for Madilyn, would he renew her strength, build up her body once again, and help her to recover quickly.




How is she doing?

Yesterday was a tough day.  We started off with some bad news.  Madilyn's red blood cells were down considerably.  This meant that our day of resting from dialysis would be used by getting a blood transfusion, and adding a PICC line which meant she had to go through another procedure with anesthesia.

She is running out of patience for procedures, doctors, nurses, and anyone else who comes into her room.

Today, her blood work came back much better, she's had about 3 days of increased platelets, and today it was even better.

Her Dialysis went great today, she even slept through the last 45 minutes or so.  She looks great and feels much better.

Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Pray for Madilyn's blood work to keep trending in the right direction.
2. Pray for Madilyn to do a great job eating and drinking her protein shakes - this is now the doctor's main concern to be able to get her off the nutrition IV, and if she can't get in enough calories on her own, they'll opt for a g-tube.
3. No Dialysis tomorrow, pray for good rest, good walks and playtime, and for her to have a little fun!
4. Keep praying for those kidneys! We want these kidneys to have zero long-term damage!

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! 

Highlight of the Day:

My favorite moment of the day was asking Madilyn to pray for the other kids on her floor.  As we walked around and prayed I told her that Jesus has us here for a reason, and we are going to work for him while we are here.  She agreed and finished her lap while we prayed. 

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Just a quick update today...

How is she doing?

Today was a great day.  We had the 3rd Dialysis treatment this morning, and everything went really smooth. Madilyn was patient and did her part really well.  They had to change her bandage after the treatment, and Madilyn was not happy about that!!  

The good news about that is, she's showing that she still has a ton of strength left, and she is getting back her sassy personality.  She has lots of questions for all the doctors...which is what she calls anyone who comes into her room.

She spent more time playing with her brothers today, and even got some amazing toys from friends and family, and an organization called Ambers Angels.  She loves getting these gifts, and it's a great distraction from not being able to go home.

Madilyn had to go pee a little again today, and that's a great sign!!  We are praying that her blood work keeps improving as well.  She's been eating better today, and we need her to keep that up and get off the IV nutrition

Big PRAISES - 

Madilyn's fever didn't come back today, and her blood cultures came up clean for bacteria.  That means she's off antibiotics, which is better for her kidney recover!

Madilyn went pee again today!

We also found out for sure that it was E-Coli 0157 that got her so sick.  This is a good thing to know, because it means her case of HUS is what they call "typical", which means there is less chance that her kidneys will have long-term damage.

Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Madilyn's platelet count to keep trending up, we want to see those numbers improve so we can see everything else follow.
2. Pray for Madilyn to keep eating and drinking her protein shakes - this will allow her to get off the nutrition IV, which will aid her kidneys in recovery.
3. No Dialysis tomorrow, pray for good rest, good walks and playtime, and for her to have a little fun!
4. Keep praying for those kidneys! We want these kidneys to have zero long-term damage!

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!!

Highlight of the Day:

These pictures below are from one of our friends Shelby.  Me and Madilyn were supposed to be in Shelby's wedding tomorrow, and Madilyn was going to be the flower girl.  She was so excited to be in the wedding, but today Shelby brought her flower girl crown and told Madilyn it was a princess crown.

My favorite moment was when Shelby got ready to leave, Madilyn stopped her and said, "wait, don't you want to pray?"

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Dialysis #2, and a visit from the family...

On Tuesday, my sister Valerie sent me this verse from Psalm 107, I didn't want to read it when she sent it to me, but after a while I did.  It's a great reminder to us, that we need to take a moment and remember that God is always in control, and He hears us in the middle of our distress, and He can and will deliver us when we need it the most! 

Psalm 107:28-30  

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

How is she doing?

Today, Madilyn had her second dialysis treatment.  Things started off great, and went well for about 2 hours, but then there was a minor complication, and we had to stop the treatment at that time.  The doctor came in and they figured out what was going on, so that tomorrow the treatment should go more smoothly.  Still, she had the procedure going for 2 hours, which removed a bunch of fluid and helped give her kidneys the rest they needed.

Madilyn did great, but did not like having to stop suddenly and move things around, she showed us that she still has a lot of strength left for sure!  

The Lab results came back and showed that Madilyn has a specific strain of E-Coli that is known for causing this type of Kidney situation.  This means we don't have to wonder anymore what it was, gives us some good answers even though we may never figure out where she got it.

Big PRAISES - 

Madilyn's fever went down today, and didn't come back!  This means she does not have a secondary infection!!  Also, her blood cultures for a secondary infection are clear as well.

Madilyn went pee today!  It was only a little bit, but this means something good is happening in her kidneys, and they are healing up.  This is a really good sign.

Madilyn also got to eat real food today, and she is starting to have an appetite again.  This is another good sign that she is fighting off those toxins.

Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Madilyn's platelet count went down today, which tells us that she's still fighting off the toxins in her blood. We need you to Pray that her platelets will go back up tomorrow.
2. Pray for Madilyn to keep eating and drinking her protein shakes - this will allow her to get off the nutrition IV, which will aid her kidneys in recovery.
3. For Dialysis # 3, in the morning - pray for it to go smoothly, and for her to be patient and cooperative.
4. Keep praying for those kidneys! The sooner they recover the better, and we want these kidneys to have zero long-term damage!

Thank you again for praying, please keep it up!! Thank you to everyone who has offered and signed up to bring meals and everything else.  We Love you, and thank God for you!  We can have some visitors now, but either things are really slow or really busy, so there's no way of knowing what we will be doing when you come by. 

Highlight of the Day:

As you can see from the pictures above, Madilyn got a visit from her brothers, they built her a lego set, and played with her for about an hour.  This was an awesome time to see her just be a kid again. She was bossing them around a little, and they pretty much did what she asked!!

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

Dialysis #1 and what's next...

We started off the morning with some amazing doctors and nurses from the Dialysis Clinic firing up their equipment and getting everything ready to go.  This is a picture of all the equipment it takes to do the job of 2 tiny kidneys, but in reality one kidney works better than these machines!

This is an incredible reminder to me of this truth from Scripture:

Psalm 139:13-15 - 

For you formed my inward parts,
you knitted me together in my mothers womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well.

To think that God designed our bodies with these two amazing filters (which I know more about now than I ever thought I would) and with our modern technology, this is as small as we can get to re-create God's design...it's just astounding.

Update:

Today, Madilyn went through her first dialysis, and everything went great.  She also received some additional red blood cells to make up for the blood she lost during surgery. We watched the little mermaid while she was treated, and Madilyn was incredible.

Here are the things we need you to pray for:

1. Madilyn has a fever, which is most likely because of the bug she's fighting off, but because she's had the catheter inserted there is a risk of infection from that. Pray for her fever to go down, and for the culture to come back clear. They have started antibiotics, just in case, but we'd rather not have something else floating around in her system!
2. Madilyn's platelet count has increased, pray for it to keep going up!  This is the first sign that she is finishing off the rest of the e-coli.
3. For Madilyn to do a great job of drinking her protein shakes - this will allow her to get off the nutrition IV, which will aid her kidneys in recovery.
4. For Dialysis # 2, in the morning - we are not super excited for another 2 hours of it, but pray for it to go well, and do a great job helping her heal.
5. Pray for those kidneys! The sooner they recover the better.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers, and to all the amazing people who have brought meals and offered to care for our boys.  We Love you, and thank God for your care!  Because of the fever, we are greatly limiting the amount of visitors Madilyn sees right now, but Jennifer and I can still come out and talk if you come by. 

Quote of the Day:

Today, a couple Elders from our church came by to see Madilyn and to pray, and when I introduced John and Corey, Madilyn said "okay well can we pray right now?"

For His Glory,

The Rascos

  

We put our hope in Jesus, no matter what comes our way!!

Friends and Family,

Yesterday was one of the longest days of mine and Jennifer's life! 

Tuesday morning, I woke up early, and sat down to read the Bible.  The verse that stood out to me most was this one from 1 Peter 1:13 - 

"13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

I wrote in my REAP journal that this verse was something I had to remember, my hope is not in circumstances, but my hope is in Jesus and the salvation he has provided. 

I thought I needed this verse because of how things were on Monday, but it turns out Tuesday was what God was prepping me for!!

This Sunday, Jennifer and I had just returned from Spain on a difficult mission trip with an awesome team from our church.  Madilyn was sick when we arrived, and she had been sick for a few days.  It seemed like a tough stomach virus, and we just started caring for her and trying to get her well.

On Monday, we took her to the doctor, they asked for some samples from her to see if we could figure out what it was, and we took her home and tried the usual things you do, fluids, rest, and tylenol for her fever.

She didn't improve much, and had a tough night with little sleep. Then on Tuesday we kept trying fluids and tylenol, but that afternoon we decided we'd better go to the hospital and get her hydrated.

At the hospital, they gave her an IV of fluids, and started running blood work and all the things that an amazing hospital like Dell Children's does! Madilyn perked up and started feeling better, even giving the sonogram tech a hard time about how long he was taking.  We thought we were close to getting home, until a blood test came back strange.

They re-ran the lab work after she was hydrated, and found that Madilyn's kidneys had stopped functioning.  That's when things got a little crazy.  Turns out her stomach virus was most likely E-Coli (labs haven't pinpointed it yet).

I've learned more about the kidneys than I'd ever thought possible over the past day and a half, but heres the short version of what happens.  E-Coli releases a toxin that damages small blood vessels, then in response your platelets zoom in to heal the blood vessels, after that your red blood cells crash into all these platelets and break open.  When all of this happens in your kidneys, which are filled with blood vessels, they lose the ability to filter your blood, and shut down.

So, yesterday Madilyn had surgery to install a Catheter into one of her main arteries in her chest. So that they can begin Dialysis on her blood that will allow her to recover and fight off these toxins in her blood.  Her color is pretty pale in this picture because of her anemia, but she's already looking better.

This morning we are getting ready to start her Dialysis, which will take over the job of the kidneys, and she will have this done once per day for a few days, until her kidneys get back into action.

Here's what she looked like this morning -



Pray for her dialysis to go great, she has an awesome team of doctors and nurses helping every day.  Pray for them, and our conversations with them, pray also for us that we get rest and grow closer to the Lord throughout this time.  We aren't sure how long it will take, but we are praying Madilyn is back to her sassy self in a few days rather than a few weeks.

For His Glory,

Brian and Jennifer Rasco