Update on Rachel's Medical Equipment

Lots of people have been asking so I thought it would be a good idea to give an update on the medical equipment for Rachel. As of right now our insurance company has pre-authorized payment for 70% of part of Rachel's wheelchair. As expected, they denied payment for the hi-low chair. However, unexpectedly they also denied payment for a needed part of Rachel's wheelchair. The charges for the denied part of Rachel's equipment is a little over $9,400. I have requested an appeal in the hopes that our insurance will reconsider their decision. If they reconsider they will pay 70% of this as well. The remaining 30% is where the funds you gave will come in. Thanks so much for giving! Pray that all the "red tape" will be taken care of soon and the orders can be placed on the chairs! God bless you all!

Update on Surgery

Rachel came through with flying colors! Praise God for answered prayers! We got to see pictures from before surgery and it is amazing she was even able to breathe! The doctor was even impressed she could breathe. We had a great doctor taking care of her and he even knelt down and prayed for Rachel before they took her to surgery! WOW! I was not nervous at all and I had every confidence God had her in His hands. Thanks for all your prayers. We are all so thankful for them!

The Benefit Was A Success!

The Benefit was an astounding success. Jason and I are still overwhelmed at God’s goodness and the caring hearts of friends, family and even total strangers! I want to sincerely thank everyone involved. You all worked so hard and we are so very grateful. There were many, many people helping with the benefit. We also had so many donations! Our parents and family, their church families, my church family, my dear friends and neighbors, our co-workers, local businesses…WOW! How could we ever thank you enough? We praise God for taking care of Rachel and supplying ALL of our needs. God is AMAZING!

Rachel's Surgery Tomorrow

Rachel will be having surgery tomorrow (Thursday) to help her breathe easier. The doctor will be removing some excess tissue from her vocal cords as the tissue keeps falling into her airways making it harder to breathe. The doctor will also be moving a bone in her nose to help her breathe better. While I am not looking forward to whatever pain this will cause her I am excited about the possibility of her not having to work so hard to breathe! Please keep her in your prayers! God is good and faithful and I know He has her in His hands!

Rachel's Benefit

Rachel's grandmother has put together a benefit for her that is scheduled for Saturday, May 2nd at the Hartsville Rec Center on Antioch Rd. in Hartsville (Byrdtown). Many thanks to Mammaw and all of the others that have put so much effort into making it a success! The proceeds for the benefit will go towards her wheelchair and braces (whatever insurance does not pay). Any funds received above what is due for the wheelchair and braces will go toward any needed accessories or customizations to her chair. Anything after that will go towards her hi-low chair (whatever insurance does not pay) and any accessories or customizations to the hi-low chair. After these are paid, anything left will go towards making Rachel's home wheelchair accessible. If there are any funds left these will go towards installing her wheelchair ramp (praise God, He has already provided the ramp; it just needs installation!). Any funds after this will go towards Rachel's outstanding medical bills or other medical equipment she may need. If there is anything left over it will be saved for future use towards medical equipment or medical needs. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will try to answer you or direct you to someone who can answer your questions. Again I want to thank everyone who has been involved and I want to thank God for all He has done! Many, many blessings to you!!!

Here is Rachel in her stander. Many thanks to Amber and her family for donating this stander after their sweet angel, Allie went to be with Jesus.

Some New Info on Rachel

Rachel has finally seen the new surgeon! He has made some suggestions and has also referred Rachel to an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist. (She will see him next week.) The surgeon was very concerned about her strider and breathing difficulty so he said she needed and evaluation from the E.N.T. Dr. before anything else could be done. When the surgeon said the worst that could happen would be that Rachel needs a tracheotomy and would breath from a trach my heart sank but since I feel quite a calmness about that. I don't think she'll need it at all!

Rachel also got her leg braces in last week! She hated them at first but she's getting used to them now. I have seen progress with her legs lately and I thank God for it!


Rachel was able to go to the park the other day and I got some great shots of her and her sister and daddy! She's growing so much! Thanks to all for your continued prayers and encouragement!

Going to See a New Surgeon

Rachel will be going to see a new surgeon on Wednesday. Her new doctor thinks her vomiting may be because of the placement of her button in her stomach. They are looking at moving the hole in her stomach to another location. Hopefully the surgeon will tell us he can go through her existing button and down her throat and will not have to cut her open again. She does have another hernia and he may want to repair this and redo her Nissen again. If this is the case, it will mean another extensive surgery. Pray all goes well and that we hear good news. Above all, pray God be glorified in it all! Also, please be in prayer for my sweet pastor's wife, Nancy. She is having some medical issues and needs divine intervention. You can read about it here: http://www.justforjesus.net/2009/02/update-for-nancy-allen.html
Thanks for the prayers and God Bless!

It's been a While!

Wow! Has it really been since Sept. that I have had an update? Sorry Guys! Rachel is doing well. She has still been having a lot of vomiting but she's progressing! Her seizures seem to be under control right now, praise God! She is holding her head up some and getting stronger every day. We now know that she has cerebral palsy but God is working miracles in and through her because of it. She has had many doctors appointments and tests and we hope to have some results soon. Attached is a video of her in her saucer. She'd been trying to get that toy for a month! Keep praying for her...your prayers are availing much!

Please pray for this family!

I received the email message below. I know how much prayer can impact a child so I am asking everyone to pray for this family. Thanks!!!

"Hi everyone! I'm asking for a very special prayer request for the little guy in the green shirt you see here, being held by his dad, Rob. His name is Bayler Teal and he is 5 years old. He was diagnosed with a rare childrens' cancer called Neuroblastoma this week. He is a very sick little boy and the Teal family desperately needs our prayers!

When I heard this news Pete and I immediately called our church (Highland Park UMC) and had him placed on our prayer list. Our church secretary also sent out a mass email prayer request for him. I encourage each of you to add him to your church's prayer list as well as your own. We all know that prayer is a powerful thing! I can only imagine how terrified Rob and Risha are at this moment, so they need our support as well!

Rob's sister Brittany gave an update today with a little good news: After hours of testing they've determined that Bayler's cancer is not in his bones and spine as they first thought. Praise be to God!!---Our prayers are being heard already! Bayler will start chemo on Monday.

This is a picture of the Teal family: Rob, Bayler, Bridges, and Risha. I have known Rob and his family my entire life. (Benefit of growing up in a small town.) I will continue to send out updates on Bayler and I ask for your continuous prayers. Please pass this along to everyone on your email list. You can never have too many people praying!

Thanks!
Kathy"

The Latest on Rachel's Surgery

Rachel came through the surgery yesterday! Her pain management was MUCH better last night than her last surgery. Praise God! Thank you so much for all of the prayers. I know that's what carried her through. Today she is doing good. She is still having some retching so please PRAY this goes away!!! The surgeon replaced her G/J Button with a G button. This means all her formula will now go directly into her stomach again. Pray that this is successful. If it is, it will mean no more feeding pump to lug around everywhere!!! Pray that Rachel will learn how to eat again. She will no longer be offered a bottle. The therapists are trying to introduce her to a sippy cup! She still has a VERY sensitive gag reflex so pray that God would intervene and she can learn to eat on her own. Pray that she recovers well from the surgery and that we can get her home. Thanks to you all and we love you!

It's A Party!

Rachel's surgery is Thursday, Sept. 4th (on Rachel's birthday!). Because of this we have had to reschedule her birthday party. It will be this Saturday, Aug. 30th at 11 am at the church. All are invited!

Bring the Rain

The doctor found the cause of Rachel's vomiting and retching! What an answered prayer. Rachel has a hernia on her stomach that runs up her esophagus. When the hernia fills with fluid it gives Rachel the sensation of needing to vomit. Rachel will be having another surgery(probably this Friday). They will undo her Nissen, remove or reduce the hernia and then redo her Nissen. Please pray that the surgery goes well and recovery goes much better than last time. Pray for pain management! Most of all, Pray that God gets the glory for it all. As Jason and I have learned to pray, Jesus Bring the Rain...

Checking In

Rachel has had some ups and downs since the last post. She had some issues with her seizures but Praise God they are once again under control! The power of prayer is amazing!
She is having trouble with retching and vomiting again so please continue to pray for her. We have learned that she will likely have to stay on the feeding pump for 2-3 more years. Jesus has given me such a peace about that. It's a long road, but the Driver knows where He is going!

Something New!

I am happy to announce that Rachel is finally over her stomach bug! Hooray! I thank God for all He did for us last week. We couldn't have made it with out him. On a different note I wanted to share Rachel's new accomplishment. She has acquired her first tooth! Pray that the pain is not too awful since she can't coordinate to get anything in her mouth to relieve herself. Thanks for the prayers while she was sick. They worked! (Like you had any doubt!)