A Spring of Joy

Thank you to all of you who are praying for Danica and her family. Monica wrote an update and posted it on Facebook, so I’m copying it here for all of you, too.

Please keep praying. The journey is going to be long and hard.

Danica’s MRI Results… Chiari Continued

Thank you so much to everyone who was praying. Danica was so brave. She barely even cried when they put her IV in and couldn’t wait to see the “big tunnel.” She was so funny waiting for Dr. Cohen to come back from Case Western. She asked Helen, Dr. Cohen’s assistant, “Where IS Dr. Cohen?”

The results of the scan are not good… She had a brain decompression in November of last year. Her symptoms were dramatically reduced and we have enjoyed several months of seeing her run and jump and play with very little pain. About a month ago we started to see old symptoms return as well as some new ones. The scan showed that her Chiari has descended past the C1 vertebrae which was partially removed in her first decompression and is now being pinched by the C2 and the C3. Dr. Cohen does believe she needs another decompression. There are many risks associated with going back in and removing more bone and opening the dura. Because of Danica’s young age and rapid development by removing bone in those two vertebrae we could actually create more space for her brain to “fall” further into her spinal cord. On the other hand the amount of pressure she is experiencing now is damaging long term. There are not really any good answers. We have decided we will watch her for the next month and will have a follow up. Dr. Cohen believes if we can wait even a few months more without causing any irreparable damage it will improve the outcome of a second surgery.

I’m sorry if this is not very explanatory. I am so very tired and shell shocked.

Please continue to pray for our sweet girl. Please pray no permanent damage will be caused as we watch her the next month or so and that she will not experience further regression that would necessitate an emergent surgery. Please pray for Dan and I. The burden of making these huge decisions is almost overwhelming. We need wisdom. Please pray for grace to keep living the day to day when this weighs so heavily on our hearts and minds. Please pray for our finances. We do not have any idea how we will continue to move through this mounting and ongoing debt.

Our HOPE remains.