Day of Prayer and Fasting for Ezra

Micah and I have decided to have a couple days of prayer and fasting for Ezra on August 31st and September 1st. We are concentrating on Ezra’s swallowing and facial control. Ezra has not been able to have any facial movement or swallow since his brain injury. As a result he cannot protect his airway (getting rid of secretions, coughing, keeping lungs clear) and cannot eat normally. Since Ezra can’t swallow, his life is always at risk. Even the smallest cold or flu could turn very dangerous as Micah and I witnessed while in Philly. There are no interventions for swallowing for a child as young as Ezra. We know that is will take a supernatural event to get Ezra to swallow. This is the reason for the focused prayer.

Ezra doesn’t have facial movement either. This means he can’t blink, smile, or take a bottle. Micah and I have waited since the day Ezra was born to see him smile. I also want to hold Ezra and feed him with a bottle at the same time. This is another prayer request for us.

Our hearts were broken on November 24th, 2007 when we realized our baby boy was hurt. We were told he would never be OK. He would never lead a “normal” life. They told us to just let him go. Micah and I did not listen. We had waited through one miscarriage and nine months of a great pregnancy to have Ezra. We were not giving up. Prayer has been a daily staple in our home since then. It is only through the power of Jesus that Ezra can be healed from his brain injury.

We are asking for all our friends and family to pray and fast (if medically able) with us on the August 31st and/or September 1st. Please pray for his swallowing and facial control. We know that Labor Day is on the 1st, so we have added the 31st as well. Let us not be afraid to ask for the big things and watch God work!!!

Exercise

I have included some pictures of Ezra lifting his head. He can lift his head higher, but I didn't take the picture until after he was getting tired. Ezra is doing so well!!

We are asking for concentrated prayer for Ezra's swallowing reflex. He needs to be able to control his secretions so we don't have to suction him out and he can be safe from aspiration pneumonia. We also want Ezra to be able to eat orally and get rid of the G-tube. This would be a great burden off our shoulders. Please pray for these things to take place. Your prayers have been working so far!!

New Program

We have been doing the new program with Ezra for a couple of weeks now. There is light therapy, which involves using a spotlight about 40 times a day, and using an airhorn to stimulate his hearing. We are making a homemade formula with chicken broth and liver. It smells as good as it sounds!! Ezra also gets a hot water bath every night to simulate being in the womb again. All of these things are supposed to help his brain grow and develop. Ezra does seem to be more aware of what is going on around us and lets us know when he has had enough. In fact, as I am writing this he is giving Micah a fit.

There is a praise to report!! Ezra had another EEG this week and it looks like he is outgrowing the infantile spasms! Our prayer now is that the infantile spasms will not turn into another kind of seizure.

Micah and I are still looking into fundraising ideas for the oxygen chamber. Please continue to pray for us while we make decisions about this.

Here are some pictures of Ezra sleeping...I noticed I have a ton of these, but I cannot help myself...he is so cute!!

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Part of the program that the Family Hope Center set for Ezra includes daily hyperbaric treatments. Now, we have some options for this. We could go to a hyperbaric clinic and pay several hundred dollars for each treatment, which could be upwards of 100, or we could purchase our own portable chamber for home use. Since we live in a small town in the Midwest, the most logical answer is to purchase our own chamber. Micah and I have spent numerous hours in prayer about this decision and we have decided to purchase. We have no idea where the money will come from, but we also know there is a Provider of our needs. Please pray for a clear direction for Micah and I to begin fundraising. You can read more about hyperbaric treatments online at google.com or ask.com.

Here is a picture of Ezra sleeping...

Ezra's Hospital Tours

We are now home from the two week "vacation" in Philly. The conference at the Family Hope Center was very informative and Ezra's evaluation went well. We learned about how the brain works and what we can do to help Ezra's grow. Now, while all this was going on, we were also in and out of the hospital with Ezra. Somehow, he picked up a virus which led to bronchiolitis. We ended up going to five hospitals and had two hospitalizations before it was all said and done. Ezra is feeling much better and we have begun the new program with him. Thank you for your prayers for us as our ordeal happened.

Our Day in Philly

Micah and I got quite a scare early Friday morning. I woke up because Ezra sounded congested. As I cleared out his throat, I noticed the secretions just kept coming back. That caused some alarm. I felt his forehead and realized he had a bad fever. The doctors in the NICU had warned us that aspiration pneumonia was a definite possibility for Ezra and now he had two of the warning signs. I began to go on high alert. I woke Micah up and told him we needed to go to the ER. The hospital we went to did not have a pediatric unit so they told us they would transfer us to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Ezra and I traveled in the ambulance while Micah followed behind in the car. They took chest x-rays to determine if Ezra had pneumonia. Meanwhile, they got his fever down with good ol' tylanol. We learned that Ezra did not have pneumonia, but bronchiolitis which is a virus. Because of Ezra's medical history, they decided to admit him in the hospital for at least 24 hours. Ezra handled being in the hospital very well. Mommy and Daddy took a little longer. The whole experience brought back to mind the time we spent in the NICU with Ezra. All the smells and sounds were the same. It was quite intense.

Ezra did really well overnight and we were allowed to go home Saturday morning. We are now resting in our hotel room for the rest of the weekend. Thank you to all who prayed for us during our stay in the hospital. I will write more later about the seminar and evaluation at the Family Hope Center.

Family Hope Center

Micah, Ezra, and I will be going to Philadelphia for a special-needs child seminar at the Family Hope Center. There is a three day seminar for Micah and myself and then a two day intensive evaluation on Ezra by the medical staff. We will leave Winona Lake on Monday afternoon, June 16th, and return home on June 27th. Please pray for us as we travel and attend these meetings.

The website for the center is www.familyhopecenter.org