One long day

Maybe it's normal for your days to start at 4 am, but in our house that's not normal!  We pulled Emma out of bed and put her in the car seat.  She whispers, "Mommy qu (to, in Chinese) doctor?"  "Yes baby, we have to see the doctor today."

We had quite a bit of time to play before surgery started.

And then they came to take her back.  A very clear example of trust and dependence...in the team of doctors, yes, but ultimately in God.  He is the Great Physician and it's in His hands she is and always will be.

We were told a 6-8 hour surgery and we thought that meant the surgery part.  Not the anesthesia part which was about an hour on either end.  So we were in for a long day.  We said goodbye at about 8, got the phone call about 9:15 to say the surgery had started, and then at 11:15 we got a call to say, "the doctor wants to see you."  Mark was actually in line at the cafeteria.  I was sitting with our bags.  I scooped everything up, got him out of line and we went upstairs rather anxiously.  "Does this mean bad news?  It's been two hours!  Why would he leave surgery?"  Our hearts raced.  And then he walked into the consultation room with a smile on his face.  Things had gone pretty much as expected, just faster.  The MRI we had done in Columbus had shown what they needed to see.  They were able to remove the bone that was literally splitting her spinal cord in two.  Some of the fatty mass had come out relatively easy, other parts had to be lasered out.  And then we heard those beautiful words, "really it couldn't have gone better." We rejoiced after he left and praised the Father in tears.  We ran to the cafeteria, knowing we still would not be able to see her for another half hour to an hour.  

When we saw her again she was still sedated, face swollen from lying on her stomach for so long.  Her first words as she came to were, "Mommy hold you?" (Which is Emma language for "Mommy hold me." Obviously I can't do this for several days.  Pray for her little heart to be patient.  The rest of the day she's been in and out of consciousness, but when she is awake she's been mostly whiny and crying.  It's hard to know if she's scared or in pain.  We know its both but we need to know which to address in the moment.  

Pray against infection and pray that no spinal fluid leaks, which is a possibility given all that they had to rearrange to do this surgery. 

We're SO thankful for the love and support we're receiving!  Hugs from the Fertigs! 

Pray for Emma's surgery

She comes, running, tumbling, jumping, somersaulting and bounding into the room.  She heads straight for the front door.  She heard someone enter.  Her daddy is home.  She loves being thrown up by her daddy.  She loves her daddy.  This is our active little lady, our beloved Emma Hope.  If you’ve met her and have spent any time with her, you know she is spunky, personable, wants to be involved in it all…and so full of emotion.  Her facial expressions are priceless!  It just doesn’t seem fathomable that our “healthy” little girl has to have this major surgery.  Right now she is NOT sick!

But her back…her spinal cord is tethered in three areas.  (I am definitely not the expert, but this is what I think I understand.)  Spinal cords are supposed to be loose.  As she grows, if tugging starts to happen, the nerves will start to be affected.  There is also a bone growing through her spinal column which could actually start to sever her spinal cord.  So on Tuesday, October 8^th, the doctor will make an incision from Emma’s neck to her tailbone.  He will use a laser to shrink the fatty masses that the cord is attached to and then somehow release the cord.  He will also remove that bone.  I wish I could give you an exact time the surgery will start.  We have to be there at 5:30 am to start the check-in and the prep work.  Once it begins the surgery will be 6 to 8 hours long.

Please pray.  Please consider fasting for lunch to spend time praying for our little girl.  On Tuesday, we will be waiting on pins and needles all day to hear “all went as planned, she’s doing fine and can begin recovering.”  We also want this to be a once-and-for-all surgery.  Emma will need to have MRI’s yearly because there is a 20% chance the cord will reattach and another de-tethering surgery will be necessary.  Pray for her recovery.  They say she will be in the hospital a week and then lying around for at least another week at home.  We long for her to be up and about again as soon as possible.  We also are anxious that there could be permanent damage.  We don’t want to even think about what life would be like for our Emma to never run and jump again should something go wrong.  And daddy will be oh so thrilled when that little lady feels good enough to run to the door and jump into his arms to be thrown in the air.     

 

A bit late...

but these videos from our time in China are just too cute not to show you!

Emma learning what it looks like to be a big sister.

This little conversation and sequence of events happened everyday every time we left our room.  Oh the simple joys of hotel living!

The happenings in a park behind our hotel.  Likely not a special occasion.