Well it has been a whole year now. This time last year Matt was in the hospital and we were being told that he would not make it through the night. Boy, have we come a long way since then. I stand back in amazement at what God has done for my family. The only words that still come to mind are amazing, awesome, and miracle. I am so honored that God decided to do this miracle in my family and to show us how real and awesome he really is and always will be. There is not a day that goes by that I don't look at Matt and thank God for what he has done for me and my boys. This has shown God to us in a very real and personal way. Everyone who has prayed for Matt and our family, you are personally involved in this miracle as well. There are so many people that have prayed for Matt over the past year that we do not know, however, we wanted to take the time on this one year anniversary to say a great big thank you to all of you. If your church prayed for Matt please pass on out thank you to them and let them know how much we appreciate their pray and support. Without them we would not know the awesome power of prayer. It is amazing what happens when God's people come together for one cause. So many people came to visit us while Matt was in the hospital, and we wanted to say thank you for taking the time to come and visit with us. On that first night when Matt went into the hospital there was such an outpouring of love and support from the wonderful people at South Park Middle School and we wanted to thank you all for coming to the hospital that night. Matt was touched when I told him how many of you were there that night, but I want to personally thank you all for your support that night. It blessed my heart to hear you all talking and sharing your memories and experiences with Matt. I always knew what a wonderful man he is, but to hear others talk about him and to share what he meant to them personally touched me deeply and filled my heart with joy.
God has continued to put the right people in Matt's path at the right time. It amazes me how He continues to put the right doctor in contact with us at the right time when that doctor is needed. I do not believe that Dr. Chen was in Corpus by chance, it was a divine appointment. This doctor was able to get Matt's feeding tube in and was able to put us in touch with the doctor that glued and blocked off the AVM from about 25 cm to 1-2 cm. After the rupture the AVM was the size of a golf ball and now it is the size of a pencil eraser. The chances of it rupturing again have been greatly reduced.
All of this being said, please continue to pray that the radiation treatment that was just done will work and that the rest of the blood vessels will be blocked off with scar tissue. This is what the ideal outcome of this procedure will be and this is our prayer. God has continued to perform miracles and we faithfully believe that this is just one more step in the miracle that was started one year ago today. You all have a special place in our hearts and please feel free to let us know if there is anyway that we can pray for you or your family. Our God is still in the business of answering prayers and we believe that with all our hearts. We love you all and thank you again for all that you have done for our family over the past year. God is so good!!!!!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 24th
Well we are back at home and all is well. Matt had the radiation surgery today. Poor baby, when they were trying to start the IV they had to stick him 5 or 6 times. Finally, they got the IV started and things got better. Matt was very nervous about having the halo put on this morning, of course who wouldn't be nervous having 4 screws put into your skull. Anyway, they got all of that done and he went in for a CT scan and to have an angiogram done. The neurosurgeon that has been working with Matt came out and told me that the AVM had grown a little bit, but that he expected it to do that. The AVM went from about 1cm to 2cm. He told me that it was very treatable and that the radiosurgey was a go for today.
Matt went to recovery and then back to the floor. We waited for the doctors to form their plan and then at 2:00 they took him to do the actual radiation treatment. They give the radiation in 5 doses, and it took about 30 minutes. After that they took the halo off and we were on our way back up to the floor for them to discharge him. The radiology oncologist came out and talked to me and said that all had gone well and that now we are in the waiting part of the treatment. It will take a year or so before they can tell if the radiation surgery worked or not. What they are hoping for is that the radiation will cause the blood vessels that are feeding the AVM will get scar tissue on them and that they will essentially die. They will keep an eye on him for the next couple of years to make sure that all is still going well and that the AVM is not growing anymore. The oncology doctor told me that the way that the AVM is positioned that it had actually moved the good brain tissue out of the way and gave them a much better line of fire for the radiation. By this happening there is less a chance for the radiation to damage the good brain tissue. Once again we are seeing how awesome our God is and that He is still in control of this situtation.
We have been so blessed by having great doctors, but we also know that our Lord is the one that is giving those doctors the skills and know how to do what they are doing. I am so happy to be writing this and so happy to be telling you about how wonderful Matt is doing. We came home and Matt helped unload the car and carry stuff in and he was back to doing his normal stuff as soon as we got home. He told me that he was not going to let a little bit of pain from the screws in his head stop him from carrying on with his life. Matt just got finished eating a big bowl of chili, so we know all is well!!! Please continue to pray for Matt and that over the next year that God will continue to do the good work that He started. We are looking forward to the day when they look at us and tell us that the AVM is dead and not drawing blood to it anymore. Thank you for all your prayers, love and support it has been a long year and we are so hopeful about what the future holds for us and all the glory and thanks go to the wonderful God that we love and serve.
Matt went to recovery and then back to the floor. We waited for the doctors to form their plan and then at 2:00 they took him to do the actual radiation treatment. They give the radiation in 5 doses, and it took about 30 minutes. After that they took the halo off and we were on our way back up to the floor for them to discharge him. The radiology oncologist came out and talked to me and said that all had gone well and that now we are in the waiting part of the treatment. It will take a year or so before they can tell if the radiation surgery worked or not. What they are hoping for is that the radiation will cause the blood vessels that are feeding the AVM will get scar tissue on them and that they will essentially die. They will keep an eye on him for the next couple of years to make sure that all is still going well and that the AVM is not growing anymore. The oncology doctor told me that the way that the AVM is positioned that it had actually moved the good brain tissue out of the way and gave them a much better line of fire for the radiation. By this happening there is less a chance for the radiation to damage the good brain tissue. Once again we are seeing how awesome our God is and that He is still in control of this situtation.
We have been so blessed by having great doctors, but we also know that our Lord is the one that is giving those doctors the skills and know how to do what they are doing. I am so happy to be writing this and so happy to be telling you about how wonderful Matt is doing. We came home and Matt helped unload the car and carry stuff in and he was back to doing his normal stuff as soon as we got home. He told me that he was not going to let a little bit of pain from the screws in his head stop him from carrying on with his life. Matt just got finished eating a big bowl of chili, so we know all is well!!! Please continue to pray for Matt and that over the next year that God will continue to do the good work that He started. We are looking forward to the day when they look at us and tell us that the AVM is dead and not drawing blood to it anymore. Thank you for all your prayers, love and support it has been a long year and we are so hopeful about what the future holds for us and all the glory and thanks go to the wonderful God that we love and serve.
Friday, June 19, 2009
June 19th
Well today is Matt's birthday. It has been almost a year since the AVM rupture. It is so amazing how far God has brought us in a year.
Matt will be having a procedure done on the 24th of June. He is having what they call "Radiosurgery". What they are going to do is put a halo type structure on his head and then they will do a CAT scan and an angiogram. Once that is done the neurosurgeon will map out exactly where the blood vessels are that are still there and then with about 250 lasers of rediation they will go in and shoot the area. There is a year waiting period before we know how well this worked, but by having this is greatly reduces the chances of the AVM rupturing again. The chances have already been reduced with the other procedures, but this will also reduce it more. If after that year time period they go back in and look at what is left all they should see is that the veins are all scarred up with scar tissue and that should be the end of it and we will not have to worry about this anymore. There is a chance that they will have to do it again, but we are praying for God to continue doing a great work and let it work the first time around.
Life is so much different now. The little things in life don't seem to bother us and we live everyday with a greater appreciation for each other and our family. If I can give one piece of agvice that I have gained from all of this it would be to take the time to pray and to tell the people in your life how much you love them, because you never know what is going to happen.
Thanks for all your love and prayers in this past year God is so amazing and I can't wait to see what wonderful things He still has instore for Matt and our family. Please continue to pray that all goes well and I will keep you posted. We love you all and are so thankful for everyone who has been a part of this past year in our life.
Matt will be having a procedure done on the 24th of June. He is having what they call "Radiosurgery". What they are going to do is put a halo type structure on his head and then they will do a CAT scan and an angiogram. Once that is done the neurosurgeon will map out exactly where the blood vessels are that are still there and then with about 250 lasers of rediation they will go in and shoot the area. There is a year waiting period before we know how well this worked, but by having this is greatly reduces the chances of the AVM rupturing again. The chances have already been reduced with the other procedures, but this will also reduce it more. If after that year time period they go back in and look at what is left all they should see is that the veins are all scarred up with scar tissue and that should be the end of it and we will not have to worry about this anymore. There is a chance that they will have to do it again, but we are praying for God to continue doing a great work and let it work the first time around.
Life is so much different now. The little things in life don't seem to bother us and we live everyday with a greater appreciation for each other and our family. If I can give one piece of agvice that I have gained from all of this it would be to take the time to pray and to tell the people in your life how much you love them, because you never know what is going to happen.
Thanks for all your love and prayers in this past year God is so amazing and I can't wait to see what wonderful things He still has instore for Matt and our family. Please continue to pray that all goes well and I will keep you posted. We love you all and are so thankful for everyone who has been a part of this past year in our life.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Update
Well I know that it has been a long time since I have updated the blog, but things have been very busy. The boys are both playing baseball and I am finishing up my last 2 classes before graduation in May. There is barely time to stop and think much less time to sit at the computer.
Matt is doing very well. We made a trip to San Antonio to visit with the doctor up there and we also had the chance to meet the doctor that will be doing the Gamma Knife (radiation treatment) on Matt. As for now Matt is scheduled to have this procedure done on June 24th. We are excited to get this done and get on with life. The procedure itself is not bad, but the leading up to it is kind of bad. Matt has to have a halo type thing put in place, this will help them map out where to shoot the radiation. He will have to have a MRI and Dr. Koebbe said that he may want to do another angiogram to check things out one more time before the radiation treatment. He said that if any of the AVM had grown or gotten bigger then he would just put some more glue in and not do the radiation. He does not think that this will be the case. Once Matt has the radiation done it is suppose to kill the rest of the AVM and should not have to worry about this anymore. There is a one year wait before they know for sure that the radiation worked, but after whay we have been through a year spent waiting is worth while. Matt's eyes are getting so much better. He is now able to use his up gaze, which he couldn't do before. Most of the time he is not even wearing his glasses. So Praise God that he is continuing to heal Matt's eyes.
I will try and keep this updated a little more often. Please continue to pray for Matt that all will go well this summer and that God will continue to heal him. We are still in awe of the wonders that God has shown us so far and are looking forward to seeing him continue to work on Matt. Thanks for all your support and prays, please keep them coming.
Matt is doing very well. We made a trip to San Antonio to visit with the doctor up there and we also had the chance to meet the doctor that will be doing the Gamma Knife (radiation treatment) on Matt. As for now Matt is scheduled to have this procedure done on June 24th. We are excited to get this done and get on with life. The procedure itself is not bad, but the leading up to it is kind of bad. Matt has to have a halo type thing put in place, this will help them map out where to shoot the radiation. He will have to have a MRI and Dr. Koebbe said that he may want to do another angiogram to check things out one more time before the radiation treatment. He said that if any of the AVM had grown or gotten bigger then he would just put some more glue in and not do the radiation. He does not think that this will be the case. Once Matt has the radiation done it is suppose to kill the rest of the AVM and should not have to worry about this anymore. There is a one year wait before they know for sure that the radiation worked, but after whay we have been through a year spent waiting is worth while. Matt's eyes are getting so much better. He is now able to use his up gaze, which he couldn't do before. Most of the time he is not even wearing his glasses. So Praise God that he is continuing to heal Matt's eyes.
I will try and keep this updated a little more often. Please continue to pray for Matt that all will go well this summer and that God will continue to heal him. We are still in awe of the wonders that God has shown us so far and are looking forward to seeing him continue to work on Matt. Thanks for all your support and prays, please keep them coming.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Been a while
Well, I know that it has been awhile, but I wanted to post a quick update. Matt is doing very very well. His eyes are improving and he has just recently gotten new glasses with less prisms in them. The eye doctor was very impressed with the progress of his eyes. He has regain some of the ability to look up, as he had lost that when this all first happened. Things at school for him are going ok, not as well as he wants but that is to be understood. For him it is like starting the year all over again, but the only problem is , is that the kids have been there for the whole year and they are pretty set in the way that they want to do things. Matt sometimes forgets that he is starting from the beginning, but things are improving. This has been a good experience for him and he is very happy to be able to work even in the rough times. We still have not heard about the next procedure, but will keep you posted. We are going to try and have it done sometime this summer, and try to avoid Spring Break. We have decided that we need a time when we are off school and there not to be a doctors appt. or a procedure to do. We want to just relax and spend some time at home together. It is hard to believe that 7 months ago I was writing and telling you about Matt in the hospital and now I am talking about spending Spring Break together as a family. Boy, have we come a long long way!!!! Thanks for your continued prayer and support. We love you all and thank you for everything.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Something Interesting
Our church just had their Grand Opening a few weeks ago and they did a special service. The pastor used memebers of the church to tell stories of how awesome our God is and what He is capable of doing in our lives. It was called "Cardboard Testimonies". Matt was one of the testimonies that was shared that day and we wanted to share that with you. If you go to http://www.youtube.com/ and then type in Real Life Grand Opening. Matt and I thought you would like to see this it is very moving and will allow you to see what God can do if we just ask and believe. We hope that you enjoy it. Thanks and we love you all.
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