Tuesday

The rest of the day yesterday continued to be troublesome but overnight last night was much better. Emily got settled down and was able to sleep well. This morning she has been unsettled again and Jason is just hoping it is not a repeat of yesterday. She really needs to have a couple of good days in a row before she can look at getting off the vent. Her oxygen is back up to 80% on the vent so in some ways it feels like she is heading in the opposite direction. It is such a delicate balance with all of the drugs, her vent settings, and her stats...trying to keep everything in the perfect balance is proving to be very challenging. But I know a God who holds her and this entire world in the palm of His hand. Please Lord, hold her up with your righteous right hand.

As I know many of you in the Birmingham area are wanting to help more practically, I asked Jason very specifically if there was anything anyone could do that would be a help and not a hindrance. And as I expected, there just is not much at this point. They don't want to leave Emily for too long, visiting Emily is not really a beneficial option and she does not have any needs that anyone can meet at this point. Jason and Tim are staying in the UAB Townhouse but it is a different set-up than what they had before. There is only a dorm size mini-fridge (no freezer or microwave) and an oven/stove and very, very little storage room. They have stocked it with their basic needs. Trying to coordinate meals or visits right now would probably be more of a hindrance just because it all depends on how Emily is at that very moment which changes constantly.

This all could change and I will let you know if it does. I believe their transplant fund is still active (bottom right of the page) and if you really want to do something now, I would suggest contributing to that. All the money goes towards Emily's medical expenses which as you can imagine, continues to increase. I know it is not a tangible, immediate need but right now the best thing to do is to just pray. I'll try to get an address to where you can send cards and I'm sure their loved ones in Lubbock would appreciate encouragement as well. Another idea for the future maybe some airline miles or rapid rewards that could either get family from Lubbock to Birmingham or reunite Faith with her parents at some point. Everything is a little bit at a standstill until Emily's status changes a little more.

Pray for her lungs to get stronger and continue to fight this infection. Pray that the delicate balance mentioned above can be reached and remain stable for at least two good days. Pray for Emily's future recovery as I know she felt beaten down before this and I can only imagine the battle she will have to fully recover from this. And continue to lift up the family to have strength, patience, endurance, and hope.