Happy birthday Anabel!!!

 

Happy Birthday Anabel!!  We thank God for you every day.  May you continue to let His light shine thru you everyday.

I played pickleball with Gail, Meg, and 2 Bruces at FunNSun.  Plus lots of FNSers.   It was great, even if I didn't play the best, I had some good shots.  I stopped by the church for visitation with Marie.  Then to the hall to put some breakfast together with Fay.  Next was pickleball in the afternoon.  

Ava …Still so beautiful and wonderful. Still such an incredible joy to be with. Still such an amazing miracle!

Thanking God for how He spared her life when she stopped breathing - for about 10-15 minutes the first night of her life. Even though very much a preemie she seemed so good at first that they put her on the regular floor at the hospital in Sioux City where she was born …. So when she stopped breathing later that night, the unit she was in had no oxygen they could use. So the medical staff had to carry her in a regular elevator up several floors to the NIC-U frantically trying to get her to oxygen, running at times, finally putting little blue non breathing Ava into a unit not even knowing if it was too late to help her. Mike’s mom’s good friend was in charge of the NIC-U so that is how we know the whole story of what happened that night.

Ava, finally started breathing again but had to be kept in an isolated unit for 10 days as they worked together to try to get her lungs working. Back then 15 years ago, they would not let us touch her or hold her. Very hard on all of us but especially her mother and dad. We would come in to her little room to sit by her unit and pray. But everything they told us was pretty bad news. After so long without oxygen we were told she would never be normal or have a normal life. It would be a very limited life for this severely brain damaged child. We never believed a word of that.

We knew a God who did miracles all the time. So we stood in faith and believed. When Ava was finally strong enough to leave the hospital they took Kim to a room and made her sign a TON of legal releases before they would allow Kim to take Ava home. Kim had to sign that she knew and had been advised that due to injury at birth (not true) Ava would never be in regular classes, or participate in sports or any physical activity. Kim had to sign to hold the hospital harmless (despite their carelessness and obvious liability) from the very limited life they foresaw for Ava. Kim just signed, said in her heart “this will never NEVER happen to my Ava!” and took her home.

Ava at 15 is a brilliant student, amazing athlete that has already won a national championship in volleyball. She is a walking, talking miracle. And we love her more than words can say!!