Still Fighting

Annie is still fighting to stay with us. This little girl has such a strong spirit! Her chest tube drainage has not decreased and we know that this, by itself, is not compatible with life. However, she is still alert and very aware of her surroundings. She watches anyone that approaches her bed very carefully and draws them in with her beautiful blue eyes. Even puffy and swollen, she is such a darling baby. It is hard to reconcile all of her normal baby behaviors with what is happening to her body. Yesterday, we requested to meet with the cardiologist that specializes in clots. We know that the doctors have exhausted all conventional means of dealing with this problem, but were hoping that they might be willing to look outside of "the box." Today, after much discussion, they approached us with one more idea. They feel that placing a stent in her superior vena cava could help reduce some of the pressure in her venous system and decrease the amount of fluid draining from the chest tubes. Placing it could prove to be difficult or even impossible. As always, this procedure carries a fair amount of risk to Annie. We are willing to take the risk involved, as the alternative is to stand by and watch her decline.

We have struggled to keep our spirits up during the last week-and-a-half as the doctors have lost all hope that Annie will survive. We are not in denial about how sick our daughter is, but we still have hope, and will hold onto that hope until she is taken from us. We understand the reality of what is happening to Annie, but also know that if it is God's will for her to stay with us, He can overcome all obstacles. It is not our desire to change His will, only to respond in faith to whatever we are called to pass through.