Dear family and friends,
I am finally able to put a long-deserved e-mail out to you. Thank you for being patient. Some of you are aware of what has been happening in our lives the last 22 days. For those of you who don't, I apologize for not letting you know sooner.
On Monday, May 1, I took our youngest daughter, Ahnya, to a (what seemed to me at the time) normal doctor's visit for flu-like symptoms that weren't going away. She had a positive strep culture, so they sent us on our way with a shot of antibiotic and an encouraging word that everything should be better within the next 24 hours. Instead of getting better, they got much worse. On Tuesday, my little Ahnya started slipping away. Her temperature rose to 104.1 and she was staring off into space and not my little rambunctious 2 1/2 year old. The doctor encouraged me to take her to the emergency room, because she might be dehydrated.
By 9:00 p.m. that night, we had been through quite a lot: Jonathan had a flat tire on the way to the ER; Ahnya was not responsive to the fluids and started having seizures; they conducted a spinal tap, CT scan, chest and head x-rays, blood cultures and urine tests; and we ended the night with a ride in an ambulance to Children's Hospital in downtown Denver.
The next 10 days in the hospital consisted of more tests (2 MRIs, 3 EEGs - measures brain waves, 1 more spinal tap, and many, many blood tests), 2 antibiotics that treated meningitis, 1 antibiotic that treated a virus, and 1 medicine to minimize (or get rid of) the seizures. After 7 days, they ruled out any form of meningitis, so they continued to treat the virus and seizures.
It was truly a horrible, horrible feeling watching my little girl lay there, completely unaware and (to me) lifeless. I wanted over and over again to take everything away from her tiny little body. That was really where my guilt lied. The doctors assured me that there was no way I could have prevented this from happening. It was something as simple as a cough or cold (infection) making its way to her brain.
Every day was an emotional roller coaster. They told me that things would be up and down for a long time. As the days progressed, I began to understand their meaning of "up and down" as well as "a long time". Any infection or healing in the brain has a very slow healing process. I remember at one point thinking... "Can I really sit through another doctor or specialist’s conversation that ends with me just saying...okay...? God must think I'm a very strong person." I was so thankful and blessed that those long nights when I was too uncomfortable to lay next to Ahnya in her bed, my Jesus was lying there, wrapping His arms around my sweet Ahnya. Many times I thought I was being pushed beyond my limit, and God was there to bless my "earthly" needs.
Not only do I thank Him for His unfailing love and faithfulness, but we are so grateful to our family and friends who have been responsive to His calling and have shown us unconditional love in so many ways. We received gas cards for hospital trips; homemade meals delivered to the hospital and home; bed-side prayer; donations to help with expenses; toys and books for Ahnya and her sister Olivia; respite time for mom, dad, and Olivia; company at the hospital during emotional times; encouraging phone calls, e-mails, and cards; and care for Olivia. The generosity has been way beyond our expectations and understanding. We truly have felt your support and prayers. There is no way to describe how thankful we are.
On Friday, May 12, the doctors decided enough progress was made and the healing needed to continue at home. We couldn't have agreed more! We were reminded once again of the long road ahead, but were encouraged daily at the progress being made with her condition. When we left the hospital, we still had 12 days left of her antibiotic that would be given to her by a PICC line (a more permanent IV) every eight hours. She would also be continuing the anti-seizure medicine orally for another 2-3 months. The infection in her brain (never completely diagnosed other than encephalitis) left only a “few” immediate concerns. It has centralized in the part of her brain that affects her speech. She understands everything we say to her, but only has about half of her original vocabulary back. Her vision is also a major concern right now. She sees things up close, but anything out past her reach, we don’t think she sees clearly. Her depth perception seems to be off, too. The neurologist said that part of the brain might affect personality and mood, too. This was the major concern of mine, of course, because we can therapy and adjust to the speech and sight. I was afraid of losing who our little Ahnya truly is. Luckily, we are only seeing/dealing with some mood swings - and her personality is almost back to full swing! Yeah God! We saw evidence of Ahnya-isms already when we returned home! After clogging her PICC line once and pulling it out twice - she is now off of her IV meds and can play and interact without her mom saying, “Careful of your owies!” Everyday is a waiting game, but we are thankful for the daily progress.
I know not all of you share the same beliefs that I do, but there is NO way that I could have made it through this experience 8 months pregnant and sleep deprived without my relationship with my God. He has already performed a miracle on our (His) precious child and I have complete faith that he will continue to heal her and equip us for her life to come. In a time like this, it seems easy to say, “Why me? Why her? This isn’t fair. How could this happen to an innocent little child?” Yes, it doesn’t seem to be fair, but Ahnya’s Heavenly Father never left her side and has decided that He still has a purpose for her here, and I am forever grateful for that.
We serve an amazing God.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your encouragement, thoughts, and prayers. PLEASE pass this e-mail on to your family, friends, and churches that have been involved in thoughts and prayers as well. Please continue to pray for her vision, inflammation still in the brain, speech, and ability to learn new things!
Blessings,
Melissa, Jonathan, Olivia, Ahnya, and baby boy Kloster
