Well, the answer that we have all been waiting for is... Yes, Joe can have surgery. If fact, his surgery is scheduled for next Mon., Feb. 18th. We will be leaving for Augusta,GA, the day before. Joe should be the first surgery for the day.

The first surgery is to find out exactly where the seizures are coming from. The neurosurgeon knows that it is on his right side, but they need to pin-point the exact location. Joe will have an incension from the front on his right ear, all the way to the back of his head, then around to the front of his right side. They will remove the right half of his skull and put in grids that will record his seizure activity. The surgery will take approx. 5 hrs. Here is where we desperately beg for your prayers. The second surgery is scheduled for the for the following Mon., but the neurosurgeon said that if enough seizure activity is recorded, then Joe could have the second surgery in the same week, that Thurs. or Fri. This will be so much better on Joe because, #1, he can't leave the bed because the wires will be attatched to his head, and the grids are left on his brain, cause swelling. So, if he can have that second surgery as soon as possible, that would be better for Joe. So, that is the exact prayer request that we are asking for. That and of course, minimal pain, and his safety.

The second surgery will involve going back in and removing the grids and removing the part of the brain that is causing seizures. It should take approx. 4 hrs. The neurosurgeon said that Joe has a 90% chance of being seizure-free, off medications. Praise the Lord!!!

I am just so thankful that God is allowing Joe to have this surgery. Seizure-free? Is it possible? I have waited so long. Thank you Lord!!! Of course there are no guarantees that Joe will be able to have the second surgery, but as before, we are trusting God. So, please pray for Joe and our family. I dread, once again, watching them take him away. Please pray that God will give us strength. Please continually lift Joe up in your prayers all next week. Thank you once again, for caring. A thought just occured to me. I had to quit typing because Joe woke up from his nap and was having seizures. It then struck me that I am counting down the days until Joe is seizure-free. Today is one less day. Today was one less episode. Next Mon. will be that start of his new life. Thank you God. I'll just claim the victory and trust the Lord with the rest. He loves Joe more than I do.

Updated December 14, 2007.

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've last updated. Sarah is growing like a weed and requiring quite a bit of my attention. And of course, now with the Christmas season upon us, time is not a luxury. It never was really! :)

Joe is having seizures. Almost every time he wakes up. Amazingly, by only seeing, the seizures look the same, but they are remarkablely different. They mostly affect his left side. Sometimes, he only has seizures on his left side. If I would close my eyes, and hold onto his right arm or leg, I couldn't tell that he was having any seizures. Amazing! Then, sometimes, they would start on his left but kind of like a wave wash over to his right side. Really, describing a wave is the best way that I can describe it. I was very concerned about the fact that they were still affecting both sides. We went to the neurologist yesterday and he said that he has no doubt in his mind that Joe's seizures have focalized. That's what we have hoped for. He said the "wave-like" seizures were called Marching seizures, and that just because he had a corpus callasotomy doesn't mean that the seizures can't find other routes to reach both side of the brain.

We go back to the Medical College of Ga in Augusta for another Vidoe EEG and SPECT scan on Jan. 2nd and come home on the 4th. That test should determine if Joe can undergo a second brain surgery called a Labectomy.

What do I ask you to pray for? Of course the Lord's will. But can I go through another brain surgery when the last one went so perfectly? Yes, the same God will guide the same surgeon's hands. I dread it again. But my mother always told me that worrying about something that may never happen is pointless. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! :) :)

I think that I am mostly scared of a "no". That there is nothing else that can be done this side of Heaven. That is what brings pain to my heart. For five years I have fought for my son. I have never quit trying to find something that could help him. We have fought doctors. We have traveled hundreds of miles. Even to another country to help Joe. God help me if they say that this is it. That the seizures are unoperateable. I am bearing my heart. I can deal with developemental delays, and all the challenges that comes with raising Joe, but I just want the seizures to end. Sometimes, it just takes all the strength in my heart. Now, he asks me to pray for him when he has seizures. I want to wake up and not deal with seizures every single day. I beg your prayers. I am so scared of a "no". But God's grace is sufficient. It always has been.

I will try to keep everyone updated. With the Holidays, more that likely it will be when we know an answer. Please keep my family in your prayers. Have a very Merry Christmas! Thank God for your family and your blessings! One thing I have learned by visiting all these children's hospitals, there's always someone worse off than you. Thank God that you can hold your kids! Thank you, as always, for your prayers. God Bless! And Merry Christmas!

Updated August 1, 2007.

Well, it's been 6 days since the surgery and I did manage to update within a week! Impressive!

How do I begin to thank you all for your prayers! God showed up and revealed His awesome power in so many, many ways!!! First of all, we are home, and Joe is doing very well. He had small seizures on Saturday, but has not had any since. The Neurologist said that Joe might have seizures for the first 6 weeks as his brain is healing, but they pay attention to the type of seizures that might develope after the brain is healed. But these few days of no seizure activity has been wonderful.

The day of surgery was one day that will forever be in my mind. I cried when they took him away, but the peace that followed was undeniably God's hand on my heart, and His arms around me. The surgery lasted half of the time, only 2 1/2 hours, and Joe did not require any blood, as 40% of the children undergoing this procedure do. One account of God's presense. The Neurosurgeon is not a born-again Christian, and he had no choice, but to acknowledge God's hand in this surgery. He told us that Joe's surgery was one of the easiest that he has ever done, and he has done hundreds of these procedures.

Joe also did not not experience the "detatchment syndrome." This is typically the "stunned-like" behavior that the children that undergo this procedure have. We were expecting Joe to be withdrawn and quiet for 2 to 3 days post-surgery, but aside from the actual day of surgery where he was tired and in a little pain, he was himself again, by the next afternoon. The doctors couldn't even believe it. Another testimony to God's power, and what prayer can do. The neurosurgeon said that he knew that Joe was prayed for.

Thank you for your prayers. They were felt, as Kelly and I both had peace throughout this ordeal and everything went so smoothly. Thank you so much. What a difference there is when I just step out of the way and let the Lord have control. I will do my best to keep everyone updated as time goes by. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

Updated Tuesday, July 24, 2007.

I will try to be as detailed as possible, but it is definitely a challenge to be on the computer with my kids running around like heathens!!!

Joe will be having surgery Thurs. He is having a procedure called a corpus callosotomy. It is where they will go into his brain and split it in half so that the seizures can't travel from side to side. Children his age do very well with this procedure and there should be minimal side affects. I know it sounds aweful, but the doctors assure us that this is the best thing for Joe. No, this surgery will not stop Joe's seizures, but it will help the severity and the longevity of the seizures. This procedure could even focalize the seizures and the neurosurgen could go back in and remove a part of the brain and then Joe would be seizure-free.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared to death, but I also have such an unexplainable peace that only can come fron God. The Lord led us in this direction, and I rest assured that He's going to take care of Joe. There has been so many times in the last 5 yrs of Joe's life that I have pushed for things and then asked the Lord's opinion, but I can honestly say that it feels good to know that I had no hand in this and the Lord had led the whole way.

I will try my best to let everyone know how the surgery went. We will stay in ICU for the first night and then in a reg. room for 3 to 4 more nights. The doctors has said that Joe will not lose any abilities that he has acquired, nor will this surgery affect his ability to learn.

Just please pray. Pray for me and Kelly. What I dread the most is letting him go. I want to be in there with him. I don't want them to take him away from me. I dread the 4 hr surgery wait. Just pray for our strength. Of course, more than anything pray for Joe's safety and the Neurosurgon's hands.

Thanks for your prayers. And I will try to keep everyone updated.

Updated Friday, May 5, 2007.

I must update as quickly as poosible. My kids are awake and making huge messes!:) God has once again led us and directed us. We went to a new neurologist a month ago and he wanted to do some tests on Joe. We went to the Medical College of GA in Augusta and got back this weekend. The doctor said that after looking at his EEG, he beleives that Joe can have surgery! We are going for more tests this month to see if surgery is a definite! Please pray. As soon as I know any dates and plans. I'll update again. Just please pray.

Updated Tuesday, February 27, 2007

I know that it's been forever since I last updated, but time flies! Especially with 3 kids. Sarah is now 10 months old and walking and getting into EVERYTHING!!! She is definitly my curious one. She is beautiful, if I don't say so myself.

Rachel just turned 6 on the 20th of this month. I can't believe that she's 6, but even greater than her physical birth, was her spiritual birth 2 days before her birthday. She gave her little heart and soul to the Lord. Praise God!!!

We started a new therapy with Joe at the beggining of the year. It's called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT. I honestly can't describe the difference it has made in his life. How can I explain that his aggitation level has changed, his speech has improved 100%, and his attention span is greater than ever!! It's remarkable and unexplainable. The Lord led us to this place. Actually, He led Kelly there first. The place is called Allternative Gym and Kelly just happened to walk in to give out information on one of his stores on Thornton Rd. in Douglasville, GA. Kelly walked in, gave a coupon to the lady standing there, invited her to the store, and walked out. He said that something stopped him from leaving and told him to go back inside. He listened, thank God, walked back in and asked what kind of place it was. The lady standing there was actually a mother of a little girl that recieved therapy at Allternative Gym. She explained how HBOT had changed her daughter and it went from there. Joe now goes to Allternative Gym 4 days a week. It is very time consuming. We drive about 45 min. there and back, and the therapy lasts for an hour and 15 min. But it's worth it. Joe is actually saying phrases. He's even starting to talk back to me!!! Praise the Lord! It is amazing to look back over the past 4 1/2 yrs. and see how the Lord has led us every step of the way.

I realize now that life would be so much easier if I would just give everything to God first instead of trying to fix things myself, messing up, and then giving the broken pieces to God. It would be a lot less painful that way!

I am excited about what this year holds for my family. How much more blessings God will send our way. How much more power He will show us through Joe.

The HBO Therapy has done such wonders that we are praying about purchasing one ourselves. The chambers are rather expensive, but driving almost an hour away, plus the expensive therapy itself, doesn't equal to how much cheaper it would be to just purchase one ourselves. Time is very expensive too. 3 hours is gone out of my day almost every day, plus not counting his other therapies that I still drive him too. So still continue to keep us in your prayers. We need it!

Again, I will TRY to do better in keeping everyone informed on how life is going, and how God is blessing. If you want to check out Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy just Google it. Also, where Joe recieves the therapy, they have a website. It's allternativegym.com. God Bless!