Quote from Forum Archives on June 12, 2004, 1:49 am

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Friends:

 

There is considerable good news today, so this letter will be longer than others.  Be patient.

 

As Jo Ann and I continue observing things from afar, we see God's fingerprints everywhere.  A fingerprint is evidence that someone has been here, that something has caught their personal attention, and that they've touched and/or handled something.  He has been here, and has left the mark of His presence.

 

We don't have a clue about what's going on, nor do we know the details of "why", but we both sense that there is something extraordinary involved with Nicole's conception, birth, and current condition.

 

We even see it here ---- things like Jo Ann's remembering and "singing" "A Perfect Heart" in the middle of the night on Thursday.  The most recent Divine fingerprint happened yesterday at the dentist's office.  We have known from almost the beginning that our dentist was a believer.  She had been recommended by our friend, Glen, who had been administrator of St. James Bible Institute where we have taught here in Kiev.

 

She and her team of other women dentists are absolutely phenomenal.  Yesterday, as I slipped into the chair, I shared the danger of my falling asleep in the chair because of the short night before.  Speaking through a translator, I told her and the others about Nicole's birth, and about the meaning of her heart.

 

The dentist's name is Anya.  Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she said she understood exactly what Deanna was facing because three years ago that very day her little baby girl was taken away from her and placed in a "box" and transported to another hospital on a bus, of all things. 

 

Then she insisted that we pray before we got started on the dental work.  Her prayer was passionate, tender, genuine, and filled with authoritative faith as she pleaded for protection, restoration, healing, and health.  She then told us that the night before, at about the same time Nicole was born, they were celebrating the third birthday of a very healthy little girl.

 

Then she got to drilling.

 

Now the news on Nicole:  During the night we received two letters from our daughter, Cheri, and one from Jim.  Basically, the information is very encouraging.  Here is Jim's letter he wrote upon return from St. Louis (about 120 miles each way)before he went to bed with a bad headache.

 

--------------------

 

Nicole is stable.  Her heart defects are not critical at this time.  She is having some difficulty breathing, but they can't figure out why.  The most recent sonograms confirm that she does not have the structures of the brain they were unable to detect while still in the womb.  The Genetic doctor says that just from observation (the actual chromosome test won't come back till Monday at the earliest) she does not think Nicole has Downs Syndrome, nor does she likely have the most common - and
most lethal - chromosome problems.  What is more likely is that she is either missing a chromosome or that they have been "rearranged."  This, if true, as I understand it, can have a WIDE variety of effects.  We won't know till she begins to grow and develop more.
 
The most serious current issue is the most recent sonogram revealed bleeding in the back of the brain.  She was to have a CT tonight to determine more accurately what's going on and any treatment necessary.
 
I think that's all I know.  The rush of information and emotion is a bit overwhelming right now. 
 
Thank you for continuing to pray,
 
Deanna is recovering well and is expected to be released on Sunday.

 

-------------------

 

Additional information from Cheri's two letters:

 

Wednesday afternoon as I was preparing to leave for Des Moines to take Misha and Anya to meet Jim and Cal, I looked through the mail and found that Nicole's name plaque was in at Northwestern Bookstore.  Deciding that they'd love to have that plaque ASAP, I ran over to the bookstore and picked it up.  Jim was quite pleased to receive it.  Less than an hour later we find out Nicole is on her way into the world.

As I was running errands on Wednesday, I was encouraged on several occasions by things I heard on the radio.  They were encouraging to us in our situation/s and I also felt pertinent to Jim and Deanna's situation with Nicole.  Last night after reading Jim's report on Nicole, I wanted to share about these various "encouragements."  One was a song the other was a passage in Job that Charles Swindoll had taught on.  Jim responded to my message and said that the verse on Nicole's plaque is from the
passage in Job (Chapter 23).

I called Deanna last night about 9.  Jim had just left to go home.  She told me that she did not cry all day.  She definitely felt people's prayers throughout the afternoon.  Though bluish/gray at birth, by the time Nicole left Quincy she was pink and moving around and her heart was steady and strong.  Though still on the ventilator she was breathing on her own.  She remained stable in the ride to Barnes and was stable last Deanna had heard.  Though not happy to be in Quincy, Deanna believes that
Nicole is where she needs to be and so is Deanna.  Deanna had a friend from church with her through the whole ordeal until Jim arrived.  That same friend is with Deanna today while Jim is in St. Louis with Nicole. I don't know if Jim is alone today but on the drive back he had Cal (their former youth pastor) with him.  So, not only were they both surrounded by prayer, they were supported by friends.  It seems to me that Deanna had a better day than many of us others did.  (I had to fight tears several times as I drove back to St. Paul yesterday afternoon/evening.)

She was aware of the possible chromosomal defects: the webbed fingers and toes and low ears.  I don't think she was aware of the seriousness of what that could mean if tests prove positive.

AND . . . .

 

Deanna called tonight and was ready to talk (for an hour on Mother and Daddy's calling card).  The following is a brief summary of what has progressed last Deanna talked to Jim this evening.  Jim had a bad headache and will write tomorrow morning.

Nicole:
        - Good news:
                - drs. had put her on meds immediately to keep the hole in her heart open so they could do the various  initial testing (How in the world can meds keep a hole open??? Amazing!!)  Once they took her off the meds everything has worked beautifully.  The four areas of concern all seem to be balancing each other out.  At this point it looks like she will not need any procedure or surgery any time soon.  PTL!!!
                - After 24 hours of life outside the womb she is off the ventilator.  The nurses in Quincy were amazed to hear this.  She is breathing on her own.  She is on oxygen because for some unknown reason she's not getting enough on her own.  Deanna thinks it could just be due to the lungs not being fully developed yet.
                - She's strong, moving and even cried today (a good sign).
        - Minor concerns:
                - under a belle ruben light
                - blood sugar was low (they were keeping a watch on it last night; Jim did not mention it to Deanna today so she doesn't know if this is a concern or not)
        - More serious concerns:
                - What the sonograms were never able to detect in her brain was the corpus collosum.  She does NOT have this.  This is the part of the brain that exchanges information between the left and right hemispheres.  There are actually people who don't have this.  Deanna mentioned somebody's college professor (or something like that) that doesn't have one.  For people with severe epileptic seizures, drs. will sometimes go in and clip this part of the brain.  At this point it is unknown what kinds of complications this could cause for Nicole.  The results are not all in yet.
                - Part of the brain (Deanna couldn't remember if it was the back or lower part) is bleeding.  They will be doing a CT scan tonight and have results tomorrow.  The doctors were only mildly concerned about this.
        - Chromosomal concerns:
                - won't have results until sometime next week
                - the genetics specialists said that by her appearances she does NOT seem to have down's syndrome or whatever it is that is caused by an extra chromosome
                - there could be some missing or rearranged chromosomes 

                - it could mean only something as simple as slightly webbed fingers and toes that can be corrected surgically
                - or it could be more severe; something that could result in a very short life span as Jim indicated in his e-mail last night

Deanna:
        - will be released on Sunday (JoyLinn's birthday)
        - she can travel to St. Louis that day if she chooses, the dr. said he'd load her up with pain killers
        - she may go home for one good night of sleep and then head to St. Louis Monday; she hasn't decided yet
        - she's getting up to go to the bathroom every three hours or so
        - she had a lot of visitors today
        - the kids are coming to see her tomorrow
        - she said she was having a harder time this evening controlling her emotions but wants to be in better control before she gets to St. Louis.
        - her biggest concern is simply NOT KNOWING.  It seems to be really bugging her not knowing how long Nicole (and they) will have to be in St. Louis

Jim:
        - by himself at the hospital
        - is getting over a cold
        - not getting much rest
        - fighting some pretty good head aches
        - he does have the digital camera with him and will take pictures as he's able
        - has not been able to make contact with the church that offered a place to stay; the rooms at the hospital and the Ronald McDonald houses are full; they are on a waiting list; he is currently staying at a nearby Red Roof Inn (for $60/night)

So now we know where to shout, "Hallelujah!"  and where to shout, "Lord, I know you're able!"  I told Deanna that it seems on the things that people have known to specifically pray for, there seems to be very good reports.  So, as long as we keep getting the specific requests out to the prayer warriors, Nicole is in good hands.

 

--------------------

 

So, what can we say,other than "Praise Your Name, Father, for your faithfulness!" and "Thank you, friends, for your intercession!"  Please continue praying for Nicole, Deanna, Jim, Michael and JoyLinn, and for the rest of us.  There is no doubt that God is being glorified in all of this, and it's our prayer that even at Barnes' Children's Hospital staffed by many Jewish medical professionals, skeptics, and atheists, Nicole's little life, no matter how long it lasts, will continually reveal God's fingerprints as the doctors examine and work with her.

 

Please continue praying for complete and total healing and restoration.  If Jesus can heal blind eyes, deliver a boy from demonic oppression, and raise a dead man, then it's no big deal for Him to stop the bleeding in the brain, and then rewire it so there are no damaging effects.  After all, it's His creation anyhow.

 

We will continue notifying you of developments as appropriate.  During the interim, continue to pray daily for our family.

 

And, thank you to all who are writing us as well as Jim and Deanna.  If you'd like to write to them directly, their e-mail is prov2525@socket.net.

 

In His Bond and For His Kingdom,

 

Bob and Jo Ann

Bob Tolliver
IBC - Hope4Kyiv
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
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