Journey to China

This blog documents the Spitlers' progress towards the adoption of Xia Ping He (Noah Spitler) from the PR China. It also documents Noah's medical process in pursuit of a total repair to his CHD (congenital heart defect).

Saturday, September 10, 2011

More Good, More Disappointment

Hi Friends,

Please forgive a long gap in the blog. We are often encouraged and humbled to hear friend say, "We check the blog first thing each morning!". And when we cannot post for awhile, I know that is disappointing to you. Thanks for understanding.

The good news is that Noah's health continues a positive trend. To my (Adam) understanding, he hasn't had a fever for a week now. That is an answer to prayer.

The other good news is that last night (Fri), Noah was discharged from the hospital and moved to Robin's room in the Ronald McDonald House! The doctors considered moving him to Emory Univ/Egleston Hospital in Atlanta, but that would require us to charter a medical bizjet flight, (he cannot fly on an airline and insurance won't cover a private flight) so for now, he'll stay 5 blocks from the hospital in the RMH.

You all know how hard Robin has worked through the past 9 weeks. (I'm so proud of her!) I'm asking you to pray even more for her, as her workload will now double with Noah's move to the RMH. Not only will she provide his nursing 100% of the time, but she'll also have to cook his meals (in the RMH kitchen) and administer his 5 medications several times a day (via his I-V PICC line). The latter has required Robin to receive hours of training- how to correctly mix his medications and hook them up to the I-V line. Please pray that she'll get the hang of it quickly and all the meds will be given on schedule.

We've been holding back some disappointing news, in hopes it might improve (but it hasn't). About 10 days ago, we were informed that Noah would not be allowed to move from Palo Alto until his antibiotic course was complete (on Sep 27th). That was a big blow, as we'd been led earlier to believe we would be allowed to take Noah home and get the last few weeks of meds at a local hospital (or in the home). Then, this week, Robin was told by ID (infectious disease) doctors that they plan to extend his antibiotics course 2 MORE weeks- until October 11th! That, I'll admit, was a heavy blow to our family. Just when we thought we were seeing the 'end of the tunnel', it got extended once more. As it stands now, Noah has an appointment with these ID doctors on September 28th, and at that point they will determine how much longer he'll stay in California.

Thank you again for reading and praying for us. We've gone through many ups and downs in the past 2 years, and I must admit it's hard not to throw up my hands and cry out "Why, Lord?". And then I consider dear friends, neighbors, and church members who have experienced the sudden loss of family members, the loss of jobs, the loss of houses to fire, etc. It is tempting to say "Where are You, Lord?", and I have done that. But we must choose to deny the feelings of loneliness (because He promised to never forsake us) and choose to believe He is there when we don't see Him. I'm reminded that Psalms 46 says "Be still and KNOW that I am God." Interesting that this doesn't seem to address how I feel. And Proverbs says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."

Thanks for letting me share some transparency; please pray for us as we struggle with the disappointing time line.

Thank you, friends;

Adam

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bless all of you! We love you all dearly, The Scotts

September 10, 2011 at 5:09 PM  
Blogger Jennifer said...

I too am sad at that last bit of news, but I am encouraged by his progress toward complete recovery. I just can't imagine how hard this has been on your family.

Praying for some extra special blessings to come your way.

I so appreciate your transparency. The walk is never easy! Learning to live what you believe only comes through trial.

I look forward to the day we can meet. Maybe Carowinds next summer?

Blessings friends!
Jennifer

September 10, 2011 at 6:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I did not think we could possibly have more respect for the job Robin is doing in caring for Noah, but we sure do now. Robin, we have never even met you, but you are a tremendous, incredible inspiration to us. We pray for your continued strength! Adam, your transparency makes you even more of a hero to me. We pray that the Lord will help you and your family through this difficult period of healing. Linus

September 10, 2011 at 9:39 PM  
Anonymous Kim said...

My heart breaks to hear such disappointing news. As Christians we KNOW God can handle anything & we are in His mighty hands, but as humans we suffer and hurt. I am so proud of your whole family and humbled at your sacrifices. The Lord led you down this path with Noah and He will not leave you now. Love you guys!

September 11, 2011 at 12:36 AM  

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