Fishing, Counting, and a Medical Update

The lovely Ann Voskamp had a blog post yesterday that I just had to share with you.

So many of us special needs parents are tired.  Worn out.  Exhausted.  We collapse into bed at the end of the day, only to wake up in the morning to do it all over again.

And again.

And again.

24/7/365.

And the future can start to seem overwhelming.

And we can start to wonder if God even remembers us, let alone cares about us.

I always love it when I get a reminder, a little "refresher course" in God's great love for me.  And for Bird.

Just in case we're not Facebook friends, here's what I posted this morning:

Lana Rush

Today, I am fishing yet again. And like the disciples in John 21, I am tired of the work and the long nights of catching nothing. I am tired of bloodwork and medical tests and crushing pills and medical mysteries. I am tired of cleaning toilets and doing laundry and mopping sticky floors. And there it is - Jesus telling the disciples to do it one more time, to cast their nets yet again, even though they have been empty time and time again. Jesus asking me to wake up and do it all over again. He is asking them to trust Him still. He is asking me the same. Peter casts and gets a net full of fish, 153 of them. He actually counted the fish. He counted to see what God had provided. And that is my reminder to count. Because even when it seems like Jesus has forgotten, there are at least 153 ways that show He has not. So today, I fish. I cast my net and I count. I write it down and I highlight in yellow. Because "it's a life that counts blessings that discovers its yielding more than it seems. The secret to joy is to keep seeking God where you doubt He is." 

Here's the link to Ann's blog post that I hope will refresh your body and soul this morning. 

And maybe even the next few mornings.

Medical Update:

Ryan and I have a phone call with Dr. Najjar tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:30 Texas time to go over all the test results from Lily's stay at NYU.  Together, we'll come up with a new plan of treatment which might possibly require us to head back to NYC the following week.  We are still very hopeful and feel certain that Dr. Najjar has a good handle on Lily's medical issues and how to treat them.

Dr. Souhel Najjar is most definitely one of my "153".  He is counted and highlighted in yellow!  God has blessed him with incredible intelligence and the gift of diagnosing and treating what often seems hopeless.  God is using him in mighty ways to bring hope and healing to so many.  And I am so thankful God opened doors for us to see him.

I'll keep you posted on what's next for Bird!

Now get out there and have a great day, sweet ones!

Update from NYC

Most of you are probably wondering how the trip to New York City went.  What we thought of Dr. Najjar.  What Dr. Najjar thought of Lily Bird.  And what is next for us.

Well.... it's hard to put into words all the thoughts spinning in my head.  In fact, I'm still processing so much information that I haven't been able to put anything down in writing quite yet.

But my husband has, thankfully.

So for those of you who want either a quick summary or for those of you who want the nitty-gritty details of what went down in The Big Apple, I'm going to send you right along to Ryan's blog, www.ryanrush.com because so far, he's the only one of us who's been able to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and get everyone updated.

Click here for the link.

One more thing - please know how much we appreciate each and every single one of you for your prayers, good thoughts, kind notes, and words of encouragement.  Honestly, we have never felt more prayed for in all our lives.  What a blessing to share this journey with you.  

And we don't mind one little bit if you keep right on praying!

NYC - See You Real Soon!

Remember this post?  The one about the neurologist in New York City?

Well, you may have seen on Facebook, but we received word last week that Lily has officially got an appointment with Dr. Souhel Najjar and we are beyond excited!

Dr. Souhel Najjar is the doctor who solved the medical mystery of Susannah Cahalan, whose story is told in her book, Brain on Fire.

Want to get a peek at Dr. Najjar and hear the fascinating story of how he took a girl considered to be schizophrenic by all other doctors, doomed to a life of possible institutionalization and psychiatric treatment and proved it was actually a rare, and treatable, medical condition?  Click this link to see the short video and the doctor who will soon be facing his next medical mystery, this cutie patootie right here:

So. We'll be heading to New York City this month.  And just like you prayed for us to get the appointment in the first place, we'd really appreciate your prayers yet again.  And we'll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Have a fantastic weekend!

*If you clicked the video link, make sure you select the video captioned "She went mad for a month" rather than the one showing 3 people sitting on a couch.  That way you can see Dr. Najjar!