Here is his room at the PICU of UNC Childrens Hospital.
Much has occurred since our last post. Jordan & I met with Dr. Mill & part of his team yesterday to discuss the full details of tomorrow's surgery, as well as clarify the diaphragm condition. Isaac has an eventration (raising & thinning) of the central tendon of his diaphragm. This means he's not able to pull down deep breaths on his own. There is a test that can be done to measure the severity of this, but with his weak condition & impending surgery, they've decided to wait until recovery to address the diaphragm issue. Two possible treatment options should he need it are to placate the diaphragm, which means to stitch it down so that the whole functions more properly - this is done on small eventrations. The other is to put in a tracheotomy for an unclarified amount of time. All that said, his diaphragm condition does not jeopardize surgery. It does however decrease the overall success rate from 70-75% to 50-60%. So please pray! God can do miracles & we're asking him to correct the eventration of Isaac's diaphragm.
Today has held many bumps in the road. Isaac has had several episodes of hypoglycemia, as well as surges in lactic acid (indicating his body is working overtime to function) & random, severe drops in his oxygen saturations. Labs have been drawn throughout the day to try & clarify what is going on, but so far it remains unknown. Doctors are trying to determine this cause - whether infection or change in the heart or something else. Please pray as proceeding with surgery tomorrow pends on what is causing these influctions. It has been scary at times, not knowing the root of these changes. Jordan & I keep reminding ourselves that nothing is a mystery to God & when we walk through the fire, He IS THERE with us!
Isaac goes in to surgery at 7am. The operation will take 5-6 hours if there are no complications. Once he is under anesthesia, all necessary additional lines put in, he will be opened & put on full heart & lung bypass. Once his body temp has cooled to the designated temperature, Dr. Mill will proceed with the Norwood Procedure (see previous blogs for details). At the end of the operation, he will decide whether to close Isaac's chest then or wait a few days for swelling to go down. If the ribcage is closed prematurely, pressure from the swelling will compress the heart, causing failure. Finally, he'll be cleaned up & sent to recovery. The first 48 hours is the most critical, allowing only for parental visitation during this time.
This is a huge surgery! Please be in prayer for our sweet boy! It seems today as though he is under attack, with so many random things coming against him & trying to compromise this life-saving surgery. But we rest in the knowing that all of Isaac's days were ordained for him before there was yet one! (Psalm 139) He is fearfully & WONDERFULLY made! GOD knit him together in my womb & His plans for Isaac are good, for a hope & a future, filled with blessings & not cursings. (Jeremiah 29.11) Who can know the mind of God & who can understand His thoughts? For His ways are HIGHER than our ways & His thoughts HIGHER than our thoughts! (Isaiah 55) In You, O Lord, do we lift up our souls & in You do we trust - our selves & our sweet boy in your Hands. No one whose hope is in You will EVER be put to shame. ALL the ways of the Lord are loving & faithful for those who keep His covenants. (Psalm 25) The Lord is our light & our salvation; whom shall we fear? The Lord is the stronghold of our lives; of whom should we be afraid? We are confident in this - that we will see the GOODNESS of the Lord in the land of the living! (Psalm 27) For we are convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will EVER be able to separate us from the love of Christ! (Romans 8)
No matter what tomorrow brings, God is in control! He has ordained Isaac's days & holds him in perfect keeping the mighty palm of His hand. We will lift our eyes to the hills for there our help comes; it comes from the Lord who made heaven & earth. God, You are in control! While fear & death loom around the corner, our eyes remain fixed on You. You have created Isaac with a purpose & just as Abraham laid his son at Your feet, we lay our son before You - trusting that You will provide!
PRAY!!!!!!
27 comments:
We are praying for healing and strength for Isaac, wisdom and guidance for the doctors and nurses, and strength and peace for you and Jordan. This must be an EXHAUSTING journey for you. Be sure to take care of yourselves--Isaac needs you to remain strong and healthy. Waiting for a loved one to come out of surgery is a difficult task. We have to fight the fear and uncertainty with our faith in God's wisdom and mercy. Know that, during surgery today, your C3 family is waiting and praying with you.
Our prayers go out to you all. We have to continue to have our eyes fixed on him and put everything in God's hands. I will be praying that God will lead and guide the doctors on Friday and that Isaac will be placed in the hands of God.
PD
Dear Patience (and family),
I remember a very long time ago when I heard you singing a duet at our church. It was a lovely and beautiful song and I wish I could remember all/any of the lyrics. It went something like this:
Love, love, love makes you happy.
Love, love, love when skies are blue.
Love can make you do
the things you know you ought to do.
Love like this was made for you and me.
Again, I didn't have to memorize the song and sing it proudly in front of the congregation, but my heart knows the song even if my mind can't remember the words. Thank you for your joy. May you and your husband and your baby boy know that joy in the fullest way.
Sincerely,
David Billingsley
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God: and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts (and Isaac's) and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Dear Jordan and Patience it sounds like you are already doing the above, so since this is a promise of God, we can count on His supernatural peace, and the guarding of your hearts and mind. You both amaze me with your strong faith and wisdom. God truly chose you for Isaac, and even though we don't understand any of the "whys," He chose this path for you and your sweet little one. But we do know that He is already receiving much honor and glory from this situation. I have asked many, many people to be praying, and they in turn have many, many people praying. So one more thing we do know is that God's Will will be done.
With much love and millions of prayers,
Patty Honeycutt and family
Clint and I and some around us are on our knees with you this morning!Its amazing how the Lord has given us the capacity to know how to do surgery and how sometimes HIS miracles include HIM guiding the hands of mere man!
We will continue to pray!
Always, Patience and Jordan, we are praying. We love you.
hey, family. baby isaac is gorgeous & chunky. you know how we love our chunky monkeys :-) amazing how God is bringing His family together from places unknown to agree on one thing; on baby isaac. pretty cool, huh?
the best thing you can do, you already are & that's holding on to God's promises & confessing them. Faith grows by hearing & it's the hearing of God's word that produces the nutrients for faith to growth. to hear something, you've got to speak it. as you go through this journey, i'm reminded of a worship song by matt redman:
Even though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death,
Your perfect love is casting out fear.
And even when I´m caught in the middle
Of the storms of this life,
I won´t turn back; I know You are near.
And I will fear no evil,
For my God is with me.
And if my God is with me,
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?
O no, You never let go,
Through the calm and through the storm
O no, You never let go,
In every high and every low
O no, You never let go, Lord You never let go of me.
And I can see a light that is coming
for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare.
And there will be an end to these troubles,
But until that day comes,
We´ll live to know You here on the earth.
Yes, I can see a light that is coming
For the heart that holds on,
And there will be an end
To these troubles,
But until that day comes,
Still I will praise You,
Still I will praise You.
so, we'll still praise Him, regardless of what the circumstances surrounding us may say. for we know that these circumstances are subject to change, but God's word is not. His promises are true & do not stand in our time, but in God's eternity. What He has spoken cannot be broken or bound by anything human. He is the everlasting God, the ever-present God, the all-knowing God & for that we will praise Him. when all is said & done, the glory will be, as it always has, God's alone.
we luv you, as does everyone!!!!!
<3 the figs......
Father, God, we lift up this precious baby to You. You are the Great Physician. We put our trust, hope, and faith in You. Please guide the surgeons hands and give the doctors wisdom. May Your sweet Holy Spirit comfort this family during this difficult time. May they feel Your arms wrapped around them giving them peace and strength.
In Your Mighty Name,
Amen
Wow, you and Jordan amaze me with your strenghth and faithfullness. We are praying for you constantly. We pray that Baby Isaac will stay strong during this procedure. We pray that the lord will work a miracle out for sweet Baby Isaac. Whatever happens it is in God's hands to care for him!
With Love,
Hilary & Bryant
You are all in our thoughts and prayers. Isaac is so beautiful!
Even though I know that you both have such great faith and that you know that God is with you there, I have been down on my knees praying that He allow you to really physically feel Him there with you. Even if for a moment to feel His wonderful loving arms around you both.
As a mother, my heart is with you, Patience. I remember the waiting. I remember the giving the control and well being of my child over to the doctors. I also remember giving my child to God and praying that He will give her back. Thank you, Jesus.
The strength, courage, and faith you both have is amazing and is instilled in your sweet little boy. Your beautiful boy!
Please remember, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him" 1 Corinthians 2:9
Praying for all involved, for peace, paitence, wisdom, discernment, rest and healing.
I am still praying for Isaac big time and have posted prayer requests on my blog too!! He looks so precious!
This little boy already has an incredible testimony coming from your womb and into our hearts. He has a devine purpose orchistrated by God's hand. He is in our prayers this morning. The Riba's
I am praying for you little baby boy.
Jordan and Patience,
Words fail me right now as I seek to thank you for your example of trust in God through this unimaginable trial, but know that I truly thank God upon every remembrance of you. Your posts are so compelling - I can only hope that mine would be as informed by God's word if I were in your shoes. I believe God will use your faith through this season for years to come as a witness to his goodness to his people in times of trouble. Know that our small group here in Gaithersburg, Maryland has joined the hundreds who are praying for you and Isaac today.
Kevin Rogers
From Ellie all morning, a song of joy, "Baby Isaac, Baby Isaac, Baby Isaac. Amen!"
We have been praying throughout your journey and continue to do so, lifting you up as the God loving parents you are and lifting sweet Isaac up to Our Lord with outstretched arms. You have both been such an inspiration to others and are most definately a living testimony to Our God working through us. May God Bless you and keep you safe especially today and just know that he is wrapping you in a blanket of his compassionate love.
Dear, Dear Patience and Jordan,
What an amazing display of HOLY SPIRIT power at work! We cannot possibly stand in your shoes, but we are with you in love and prayer. Thank you for sharing with us so that we can be part of your family. Let me know if you need ANYTHING...I can taxi to/from UNC and Clayton, run errands, bring food, etc... PLEASE don't hesitate to ask.
Isaac is unbelievably precious!!! (This morning Sam and I were praying for the fingers on each hand of each doctor, nurse and helper through Isaac's surgery, that everything would be done perfectly for Isaac's well being - and to God's glory!) We will not stop praying,
Steve, Dell, Rushton and Sam
all of you are in my prayers... times of trials are times of blessing oddly enough.... easy to say not easy to understand... God is in control and im praying for you guys.
We're praying for you guys today. Issac is such a sweet little boy. I think I see some of Jordan in his face.
Please know that you and little Isaac are in our fervent prayers. May God's grace, peace, and love continue to envelop you beyond understanding during this time.
Patience, Jordan, & Isaac,
Just wanted you to know that we are praying HARD. God has shown you all about REAL faith through this and I know it has brought encouragement to others. You have such a unique story to tell about Isaac. Unique because you've surrounded this child by the LOVE of God the entire time. Our small group is praying as are many people Mary works with. We know that God performs miracles every second and your little miracle is living evidence of this! Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. You have so many brothers and sisters praying with you. As we know 2 are better than one and 3 are even better. I guarantee you'll never know how many people have prayed for this miracle...and God hears all of those prayers before they're even spoken! What an awesome reason to have FAITH!
Hello Patience and Jordan....
We are praying for your beautiful little Isaac!! The Dabbs' cousins are looking forward to meeting their new little cousin and pray that the doctors will be given the wisdom to know how to help Isaac.
Our prayers are with you.... you continue to inspire us all...
Love,
Aunt Megan and Uncle J.
Patience and Jordan-
My family and our Connect Group are all praying for you and Baby Isaac! The surgeons hands and mind are being covered in prayer by SO many people! Your family's story has been a HUGE witness to so many people! Your faith is like a briliant lighthouse, shining for the world to see! We love all of you!!! Please take care of yourselves, as that precious little boy will need your strength!
Yaw Family
God Is in Control!
We love you guys and are praying for everyone involved. I don't have the words to express my feelings, just know we are praying for you and that God will be glorified through all of this.
We love you Guys,
Matt,Michelle,Victoria,Caroline,and Hannah.
What a beautiful precious gift from God! I pray for complete and total healing for this precious child of God and for peace for the family. I know God is with you and comforting you during this time. Know that your C3 family loves you and is praying for you and are here for you!
Patience, Jordan and Isaac,
Our whole family and many friends are praying for healing. We continued to be amazed at your strength and courage. I met your Mom and sister yesterday, beautiful people, and as I told them, I have gained much strength this week from your beautiful words and beliefs. I will continuing checking the blog and we all will continuing praying.
Love,
Angela, Billy, Clay Clinard and our families
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