Bro-to-go!

Hello! Well, my heart is much lighter than the last time I wrote. Let me fill you in on what has happened since Wednesday when I posted about Chris, my Brother-in-law.

Wednesday night the surgeon came in to look over Chris's leg ~ the infection had spread up to his derriere, and no antibiotic was touching it. It was time for drastic measures. According to my sister's e-mail the doctor prepared them for three different scenarios:

1) They would open up his leg and discover the infection was still only in the soft tissue, and not in the muscle as they suspected, and they could do a biopsy and stitch him back up. (45 minutes approx.)

2) They would open up his leg and discover that the infection had indeed gone into his muscle. They would remove all of the infected muscle as well as any infected tissue in the thigh, do extensive skin grafting and transfer him to St. Elizabeth's in Lincoln for recovery in the burn unit. (maybe an hour and a half)

3) They would open up his leg and discover the infection had done so much damage that the only option was to take the leg. (a couple hours at best)

They had already done a MRI looking for an abscess where they could drain the infection to help the antibiotic get through, but nothing showed up anywhere. Chris's foot and ankle, where it started, were swollen and beginning to turn black, but there hadn't been extensive change to make them believe there was anything happening other than the fact that his foot was "dying." All of the cultures they had done had plenty of time to "grow" something, but nothing was showing up. His blood tests were showing that his white blood cells were increasing...as was his fever. Because of all of this the doctors really were preparing Tami and Chris and the family for #3 above. They were truly expecting the worst when they opened up his leg.

So Thursday morning they prepped him for surgery and brought him in at 7:30 Central time. Tami waited with our Mom & Dad, Josh, Josiah, Beth & Jake, as well as Chris's brother and sister-in-law, Dan & Dusty, and I'm not sure who else was there....but they all waited.

An hour went by.

An hour and a half went by.

Tami left the room and when Dad went looking for her to see how she was doing he found her out in the hall crying softly by herself. When he walked up to her she turned and said, "Oh, Dad, it's been so long. They're taking his leg...I just know it. It's taking so long." Everyone was preparing for the worst.

Everyone, that is, except for the surgeon in the operating room with Chris! God had other plans for him....

An hour and 52 minutes after they rolled Chris into the operating room my sister left me a message saying he had just come out.

The surgeon explained that the infection was not in his thigh muscle as they had originally thought. Because of this they were able to get a good biopsy and a good look at the infection and stitch him back up. However, as the Dr. stood there looking at Chris's leg he said it just wasn't sitting well with him ~ he wanted to know where the source was. At this point they were concerned about the entire leg...and were really focusing on the upper leg. The foot was a concern, but it wasn't the main concern at this point so they weren't paying that much attention to it. But as the Dr. said...as he thought about the source he looked at Chris's foot and realized it was a lot worse than it was last night at 5:00. So he went to the foot and opened it up. He was surprised that the outer layer of skin was still pliable, but the interior layers were done...they were pretty much dead.

That wasn't the only surprise.

Inside his foot was a three inch abscess that wasn't there before. As he applied minimal pressure along the abscess he said the pus and infection simply poured out of his foot. Someone, I believe Mom & Dad, told me it was about a quart-sized fruit jar's worth that poured out of this abscess. (sorry, I know it's gross) They were then able to remove much of the infected tissue around his foot ~ and I believe (but don't quote me) they were able to leave all his muscle around the foot...if I'm remembering correctly my conversation with my sister she said they were able to leave all the meat.

Now, I don't know if that abscess was there and the MRI simply didn't pick it up, or it happened to grow overnight, but what I do know is that God heard and answered the prayers of all who are and have been praying for Chris. The God who sees all, knows all, hears all, and loves us like we've never been able to comprehend was directing the thoughts of that surgeon to look at something he wasn't there to deal with and see that it was worse than it had been 12 hours earlier. Most surgeons I know, although that's not many so this isn't that big of a "gotcha," don't go into surgery thinking, "well, if it's not there maybe we'll open up his liver and see if there's anything there. And if there's nothing there maybe we'll check this or that out too. Afterall, he's already under ~ why not do a little more checking under the hood while he's there?" This surgeon was preparing for a surgery on a thigh...or an amputation of the entire leg...not an abscess in a foot!

I could go on, but my husband just came out to the computer for the third time and gave me "that look" and said, "well, I guess I'll just say goodnight." So...I'll end this post with this...

Chris was up walking around for the first time in a week today! (He wasn't UP and walking around like he is fully recovered, but the Physical Therapists had him out of bed and moving ~ the beginning of recovery!) He's in good spirits and everyone is feeling good about the direction this is now taking.

Praise God for His mercies! They are new every morning...thought for the day....

Psalm 119: 105-112
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous laws.
I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord, according to Your Word.
Accept, O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me Your laws.
Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget Your law.
The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from Your precepts.
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end."

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.....

...Amen.

My Brother - in - Law

My brother-in-law, Chris, has been a part of my family for about 3/4 of my entire life. I met him when I was 7. My sister was in 9th grade and she met Chris at Youth Camp in Weeping Water, NE. At the time I thought he was the cutest boy on earth. He was strong, muscular, had a great smile and looked at my sister as if she was the queen of the world. I remember when he came to take her to her Jr. Prom...he drove a Nova then, and it was jacked up in the back (because that was cool in the 70's!). He painted the axle black and in red paint he wrote "Chris loves Tami" in a big heart. I thought it was the most romantic thing ever ~ like proclaiming his love for my sister (who, being 7 years older than me, was worthy of it all in my book) wherever he went. He wanted the whole world to know how lucky he was to marry Tami.

The cool thing was, Tami felt the same way about Chris. When she'd talk about him she'd get this silly little grin on her face...and her eyes would twinkle. We used to tease her because it was all so sappy and wonderful. I remember sitting in our living room on New Year's morning watching the parade on TV surrounded by pink, blue, white and green petals and leaves that we were attaching to little buds to make the flowers for the bouquets that would be used in Tami & Chris's wedding just over a month away on February 21, 1981. At 11 years old I couldn't help but want what they had when I got married.

Flash forward 26 years ~ Tami & Chris are still very much in love. I am amazed when I'm around them with the love, the honest-to-goodness love, that shines in their eyes when they look at each other. They don't have the starry-eyed kind of look anymore. No, now they have the look that says "I fell in love with you for all the right reasons and they still stand today."

That's why it's so hard to be 1500 miles away from the hospital where my sister sits by Chris's bedside and prays for the infection that is in his leg to stop proceeding up to his bum and beyond. The doctors are confused. The infectious disease specialist is confused. The surgeons are confused. They are all concerned and preparing for the worst. Nothing is touching the infection ~ they have no idea what started it, they have no idea what the strain is, they have no idea about anything at all except that the red streaks that are going up his leg are obviously putting him in more and more danger everyday. And Tami stands there, sits there, reclines there in the almost-an-open-taco chair they've brought in for her to rest in and she prays and she cries and she prays some more.

The picture above is from last summer when we were in South Dakota. That is their family except for Joshua, their oldest son, and his wife Andrea with their son, Isaiah. (Andrea is pregnant and due in May sometime) Chris is an outdoors-kinda guy. He loves to bow-hunt, ride his motocross bikes with his sons, and has a career in construction. He's active, strong and muscular. Losing his leg is not something he ever thought would happen. None of us ever do.

I would appreciate your prayers for Chris & Tami. We all know our hope isn't in a healthy leg, although we're praying for it, but our hope is in the God who made the leg in the first place. our faith isn't in a "favorable outcome" according to what we would want, but our faith is in the Lord who has given us the ultimate in favorable outcomes through His Son's death & resurrection. We are safe and secure in the arms of God ~ and our hope remains in Him. With that said, our prayers are that He, being the Great Physician, would heal Chris from this weird infection that no one but He knows the details of.

Chris really is more like a brother to me than a brother-in-law. It is he to whom I owe the greatest amount of gratitude for helping me through the dark parts of my pregnancy with Sophie. It was Chris who introduced me to a singer by the name of Steven Curtis Chapman and told me to listen to "The Treasure of You" over and over again until it sunk in. It was from Chris I received the inspiration to play that CD in my CD player with the headphones on my belly so Sophie would know she is precious, loved, wanted and beautiful despite the circumstances of her birth. (and I can say with confidence that was the case for both of her biological parents...we just all handle life differently when we're young and stupid.)

Treasure Of You by Steven Curtis Chapman
(warning, this will take you away from this page ~ I suggest right clicking and then clicking "open in new window" to listen to this song...)

I can thank Chris for that, too...the grace to forgive the pain of being abandoned. It was his perspective of a father, and the desire for her biological father to experience the joy that comes from freedom in Christ, that encouraged forgiveness in my own heart. Yes, Chris really is more of a brother to me than a guy who's married to my sister.

My heart is weary knowing all they've gone through in the past 12 months. This infection is not the first "issue" that has tested their faith. Not even close. And, to be honest, if only the other issues could simply be opened up, removed and patched back up.....they'd be a whole lot easier to handle. Thank God we don't have to carry them!

I'm rambling because my heart is so weary ~ I desperately want to be flying to Nebraska right now and not sitting in my loft in Vancouver writing about the people I long to be putting my arms around. Thank you for praying for all of us ~ and thank you for praying for God's healing power in Chris's leg, but mostly in their family.

with a great big sigh and prayer of surrender,
Trayc

here's a picture of my grand-nephew, Chris & Tami's first grandchild, Isaiah Tate. He's Josh & Andrea's son, and about to become a big brother!



Here's a picture of my second nephew, Josiah, and his (then) girlfriend, Emily from last summer...



And here's Bethany, my neice, who is now a Freshman at University of Nebraska, Lincoln ~ yup! She's a Husker!!!



And finally, here's Jacob, the baby of the family. He's a High School student anxiously awaiting his 16th birthday on June 19th. The boys loved hanging out with him a couple of years ago....