We will believe!

Hey everyone. . . I'm sure you are all wondering about the Care Team Meeting for Dad yesterday. They shared a lot of dad's progress and they have wonderful things to say about dad in general, however, his occupational and physical therapist feel he most likely will no longer qualify for "medicare" covered therapy after May. They feel he is reaching his maximum potential for recovery, although they admit that many stroke patients continue to progress minimally forever. They say dad is mastering his "sit to stand" with minimal assist - which will help significantly with transfers from his wheelchair to other surfaces. . . however because his balance is still not good enough, it doesn't look like they plan to work on "walking" with dad as it would not really be possible for him to accomplish at this point. The balance issue is a result of the damage he suffered from the bleed on the brain during his stroke - the part of his brain that controls balance has been damaged so much that - at this stage - they do not feel good about him re-learning that in order to attempt the walking.

They still plan to test out a "motorized" wheel chair for dad - we are in the process of getting one in there for him to experiment with. We will be doing a "home visit" with mom and dad next Friday to determine what changes we need to make before bringing them both home. We are going to be asking our family members who are contractors for some advice on reconstructing their 2 bathrooms into 1 that would feature a shower that a chair could be wheeled into. . . we are also going to look at some other minor changes. The therapists will recommend the best things to help them live at home successfully. We want to continue dad's therapy or some time of wellness program for him at the Wellness Center after he leaves Heartland, so we are checking into that as well. We are also investigating the purchase of a wheelchair van. Lots to plan for. . . at this point we are not sure how much help mom and dad will need at home in June - we are going to see how that goes once we get a little closer. The therapists say mom may need to stay a week or 2 longer this month to build up her endurance and strength. While she is mastering a lot of skills, and is cooking for them at therapy and doing her exercises well. . . she is still a bit weak. Her therapist has had to "catch her" several times during her work outs - so we don't want to bring her home too early- we do not want her to take a fall! I meet with her care team on Tuesday, then her surgeon on Wednesday.

NOW. . . all that being said. . . I want to share with you an excerpt from Dodie Osteen's book on her supernatural healing of cancer from God. It is a part of the book where the doctors are confirming her healing. . . "What happened to Dodie Osteen? The answer is simple. She was healed, not in the traditional medical sense, but supernaturally, in answer to prayer. God touched her in a special way. We're discovering some tremendous things in medicine today, especially about how attitude affects healing. We're learning now that a person's positive attitude in fighting and refusing to accept illness can literally change white blood cell counts in the body. Why don't I see more or hear of more miracles like Dodie Osteen's? The answer is straightforward. God manifests Himself to us in the area in which we are willing to believe Him. If a person believes God for salvation and eternal life, God will manifest Himself in this way. Dodie Osteen believed God for her healing, and God manifested himself to her in this way. God is no respecter of persons. He is willing to heal anyone if they will only believe."

If Attitude can heal a body. . . dad's miracle is on it's way, because there is definitely no man with a better attitude or more faith in God to heal him. . . so we just want to ask you to BELIEVE WITH US - that God can and will heal dad and he will walk again one day. . . we won't rest until then - we will stand on God's Word and His promises and do all He says to receive the miracle dad needs. It may not be easy, hey-if it was, everyone would be doing it. It will take obedient faith, even on the days that seem bleak - but God's word never returns void. . . if it says healing is available, then we will find it - won't we??? We must be vigilant!