We were able to all go down to the hospital today to spend time with Steve and celebrate Devon’s birthday. Steve is very tired and it is hard for him to stay awake for long periods of time. I don’t know if this was already mentioned, but he has been moved out of the ICU and onto a step-down unit.
Thank you all for praying. Again, we are asking for no visitors, as Steve is so tired. By the time the nine of us crowd into a room, it’s stimulation enough for Steve (and the rest of us!;)
Thank you. And please continue to pray for Ian as he walks through this with his dad.
This afternoon they let my dad wake up to talk to us. He is alert, oriented and talking! He is really really tired and cannot move his right hand very well. His speech is slightly slurred, either from the medication or the injury. We don’t know exactly what kind of tumor it is yet, so when the results come back the doctors will know what to do next. There are still pieces of the tumor left inside, so they still have to work on getting it out, probably by chemotherapy and radiation.
It is good to talk to him, but it’s not a promising diagnosis, so we need God to strengthen us, both physically and spiritually. Thank you so much for your prayers, it glorifies God when his children cry out to him!
Since last night, they’ve run a EEG to test for seizures and didn’t find any. He did respond when they asked him to move his arms and legs, and he also squeezed my mom’s hand. They’re going to take him off the respirator today and and let him wake up (he’s under medication) to see if he’s alright, to see what effect this has had had on him.
If you need to contact us, you can call the church or my cell phone.
Devon’s birthday is tomorrow, and my dad’s birthday is Friday (the 28th). Pray for them particularly on those days.
Steve is out of surgery and the doctor thought that it went well. But it’s not all good news. The tumor was cancerous- treatable but not curable. Right now Steve is being held under with medication, but they will periodically bring him up to see what his functions are. He is also on a respirator. We will know what the lasting effects of the tumor and seizues will be in the next 48 hours. Within that time period we will be able to see if there has been damage from the events of today. That will then deterime further treatment.
I will try to keep the blog updated- instead of emails or texts, please check here as it’s easier to write it once.
We are asking for no visitors at this time. Please call the Murphy’s house or my cell phone if you need to get in touch with anyone.
We have a very urgent prayer request- early this afternoon, Steve started having seizures. Long story short, he was lifeflighted and we are now back at UPMC Presby. During one of the brain scans, they found a tumor on his brain the size of a squished orange and it is bleeding. He is now heading into surgery to remove the pressure in his brain and then eventually remove the tumor.
Not able to process any of this yet and personally not even knowing what to pray. Please lift Steve up in your prayers, as well as Mary and the rest of the family. Everyone is here but Lydia.
We will try to keep you posted after the surgery.
He was fine this morning. It’s unbelievable and we have no idea what tomorrow or even the next hour will bring.
Back from a great vacation. Thank you for your continued prayer.
Specific prayer requests- part of Ian’s injury has affected his vision. He has lost his ability to gaze and definitely has fields of vision that he cannot see from. Also, his right eye is not in sync with the left and doesn’t do much to help with his vision. Medically, this condition is permanent. But we want to believe that God can heal his vision, make his eyes work together, and give him his full vision back. Please pray for this, along with his initiation.
Back to reality tomorrow with therapies and work-outs. Praying for grace for that.
Joy in Christ is not the opposite of suffering. The fight for faith or the fight for the joy of faith is not a fight for the prosperity gospel. It is not a fight for health, wealth and prosperity. What I would in fact argue is that it’s a fight for that alone which can enable you to suffer. It’s a fight for a relationship with Jesus that enables you to say “I count everything as loss bcause of the surpassing worth fo knowing Christ Jesus my lord.” That’s what I want more than anything. I want to be so related to Jesus that if my wife dies and I get a phone call tonight and my little girls dies…. if that happened and my wife and child were gone I would say “Christ is all.” And He will be there. And I will not ever abandon Him. I will not ever fault Him for anything. I will always embrace Him. I will always fly to Him. That’s the way I want to relate to Jesus. That’s saving faith.
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:15
Today we were blessed enough to be sitting by the Altrogge’s pool for most of the afternoon. I asked Ian what would be the first thing he would do if God totally healed him in that moment. I was thinking maybe jump in the pool, Lydia suggested dancing with her, I suggested proposing to me. Without missing a beat, when I asked the question, Ian said, “Thank him.”
I was immediately convicted of what I loser I am and how godly of a man I am dating. My mind had immediately jumped to “doing” and Ian immediately jumped to “thanking.”
We are studying Luke, and when we read the passage above, Ian said that he hoped he had those qualities- the qualities of someone who holds fast to the word in an honest and good heart. His response to my question today was one more regular example of just how much Ian is holding fast to the word. Ian is persevering and through much patience, God continues to work in him and sanctify him.
I love these examples of Christ in Ian. No one else in my life displays Christ in the way that Ian does. Even though he is a man of few words (for now), there is much to be learned about our savior through intentional conversation with Ian. The wisdom he has gained through this trial is beautiful. For those of you who are close with Ian, I would encourage you to seek him out in spiritual conversations- you’ll leave with a fresh love for and display of Christ.
Thank you for praying. Ian asked for prayer for strength for therapy.
This is when Ian told me to risk it and stop in Altoona for the fireworks, even tho my cell phone was dead, the gas station was closed and we had been on E for several miles, and we had already been in the car for seven hours that day.
(fake smile)
We can’t give up on this and we can’t give up on each other. We have to keep believing that better things are coming.
Thank you for praying. Ian asked you all to pray for his walking.
