Christine Update

Tima here - I am sure that updates will get more and more infrequent. But I'm thankful that Rob is so diligent at letting us know what is happening. Christine still needs the prayers. The health risks are still there and her little baby girl needs our prayers as well. It seems more real somehow now that I know the sex of the baby. Please continue to pray!

From Rob -
It has been a week now since we posted an update regarding Christine’s progress. Here is a quick update on what has happened in the last week. They discharged us from NIH Last Thursday and we flew home. What a relief it was to be home and sleep in our own bed again. We have been here trying to recoup and get our lives sorted out and regain some sense of normality. Elliot has been readjusting to life in quiet, rural Arkansas. He misses Megan and his cousins that he had so much fun with for a few weeks.

Christine continues to improve in strength and stamina though it seems the improvement comes more gradually now. We take morning and evening walks down the lane behind our house and get in about a mile each time but it wears her out and she has to rest a while. Her speech is also improving and seems to be almost normal at times but when she gets fatigued it starts to becomes more delayed and she struggles to find the words. She has been off all medication except the Keppra.  After she stopped the steroids to control the swelling she started to get some headaches. Some extra strength Tylenol seems to knock it out for the day if she takes it in the morning. I’m sure the surgery and the steroids have affected her immune system and after Elliot came down with a cold after Sabbath, Christine has caught it as well. She even has a slight fever with it now.

We have been blessed by friends and staff members who have been helping to provide some lunch meals for us this week.  It is one less thing to have to worry about and has been such a blessing.

We feel now a little bit like Elijah by the brook Cherith right now - the calm retreat after the storm. But I think the waiting is harder than active service. We must wait and depending on the Lord for our daily bread. He has led us so far and we trust he will continue to do so.

We are so appreciative to hear how many people are lifting us up in prayer. It is a blessing to be part of the family of God – a family much larger than we ever will know. We have heard of many people we don’t really know who are praying for us. Times of suffering draw us closer together and we thank you for your prayers in our behalf.  Please continue to pray.  We need the Lord’s guidance to lead us to any specific natural treatment options that he would have us follow. Pray for the little baby girl. Pray that the second opinion on the tumor will reveal that all of the tumor is a slow growing oligodendroglioma.  They were concerned there may be a spot which is faster growing. More on that next time.

Blessings,
Rob Neall