Wednesday, September 10, 2008


We are praising the Lord…Evie tested negative for Cystic Fibrosis! What a relief!


The procedure this morning was a bit more of an ordeal than we anticipated. Miss Priss just wouldn’t sweat enough for them to do labs on. The procedure involved probes on her arm that sent a small electrical shock to induce sweating and then they collected it on a disc device for thirty minutes. Since they didn’t have enough to work with, they had to repeat twice. 2 1/2 hours in the hospital and then another anxious few hours of waiting and we got the results from the doctor. If her numbers had been above 60, they would have re-tested or done a genetics blood-work…Evie’s numbers were 16… well in the safe zone!

“So………………what?” C didnt skip a beat.
Yes, with every “whew!!” comes a “what now?”
She will see the pulmonologist next week and discuss where we go from here and if there are further tests he wants to run.
But for now, we’re lingering in gratitude that she is not going to battle CF on top of everything else! Thank you prayer warriors!!

For those who have asked, C got out of Cuba hours before the hurricane hit. We have a couple great days as a family before he heads to Ukraine, Russia and Portugal for 3 weeks.

This picture best describes how Evie feels about cereal being added to her diet:-)

Shalom

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

So, the plan from here…….

Evie’s pulmonologist contacted us today and wants to move forward with a screening for Cystic Fibrosis. A “sweat test” has been scheduled for Wednesday morning. Its a non-invasive procedure that simply involves collecting sweat from the bottom of a baby’s feet and testing for elevated salt content.

While the waiting game is unnerving, some time to process and ponder over the weekend has been good for me. I feel much more at peace today than I did when the heavy words “Cystic Fibrosis” were first uttered on Friday. I look back over the past 7 months and see amazing grace for unbearable circumstances. How can I doubt that there will be anything less than that for whatever the future holds.

An epiphany about Evangeline’s middle name has been evolving recently. “Shalom” means “peace”. The irony strikes me at times. Why did God give us the name “peace” for our daughter who’s short life has been anything but.
There are names that might seem more appropriate…
Audra = storm
or Achan = trouble
or how about Hermokrates 🙂 = God Saves

But no…God clearly led both C and I to Shalom. And yet this is a different kind of peace altogether. God is teaching us much through this little one. The “peace” He has given us is not serene…it is not winsome or quiet or secure. This is a peace when those very things are crumbling around us at times. A strength. A resolve. Evie is teaching us peace within the storm.

So that is where God is working on my heart as we wait for further tests to be run and conclusions to be drawn. There, resting in that Shalom can we face the unknown.

Thank you for praying for our appointment on Wednesday morning!!!!!