Day 15-

Good evening everybody! Sorry I'm late tonight. It's almost 11pm. It's Friday. Thank heavens. 15 days. Can't believe it's been 15 days since the accident. Things have come a long way. That being said, we've got a long way to go. The reality of the long recovery is starting to set in. Right now the next surgery is scheduled for Monday. This is when they will be working on the left foot. We have been waiting on the clotting issue to resolve itself. It's going slowly. Please pray about this issue as things are held up because of it. The good news is, that since we've had to wait, there has been some healing of the tissue in this foot! It has actually worked to Makenzie's advantage to have waited. Thank you my praying friends! The foot plastic doc said there is more good tissue to work with! This next surgery will be very tedious, and the recuperation following is tedious as well. She will have to keep her foot elevated for 5 days, and will not be able to move it. It will be hard. Please keep praying about this.

When I trained to run the Houston Marathon last year I learned a lot. Most of it had little to do with running. Here's some thoughts I had: I was at mile 21. Twenty one miles is already a LONG way. Wow, I just ran 21 miles. Look at me, I'm tired! Oh no, I have 5 more miles left.....Oh no! I can't do it! My legs hurt, my body hurts, I'm tired!!!!! It is about this point that temporary insanity sets in. You know, you can't even make heads or tales about anything because your exhausted? Yeah. Even good news sounds bad. Your whole life is going down the tubes. Why? Exhaustion. Fatigue. I'm saying this as this is also starting to really set in as well. After 15 days of being in the hospital not sleeping it gets ya. Who does sleep in hospitals? It's certainly not the patients! You just want to get out, go outside, even if it is downtown Houston. It's mile 21.
So, when our brothers and sisters are running the marathon and on the verge of collapse, what do we do? We start to really encourage them, hand them water, yell at them, lift them up. We might have to help them limp to the finish.
So, what can you do? Keep praying. Pray especially for Pam & Chuck. Pam is staying with Makenzie pretty much all of the time now. It's exhausting.
I hope you all have a great weekend with your family!
I love you, good night!
Mary

Day 14- Tempus fugit....

"Tempus fugit" is Latin for the expression "time flies". Not too sure how tempus fugit applies to hospital time however. It's more like "tempus crawlus". Time and schedules have a whole other meaning in hospitals. In a few minutes can mean in about three hours, or right now, or sometime this afternoon. Tomorrow could mean in two days, or it might mean in ten minutes. Ya never know. It's pretty frustrating after you've been there 14 days. And when your Makenzie and you've laid in one position unable to move for 2 weeks, it's like watching the paint dry.
So, not too much happened today. Maybe that's a good thing. Some decisions are being made as to when the next surgery on what is. Hopefully this will be clearer tomorrow. Even in the best hospitals there are times when things lag, especially the longer you're in one. The blood clot situation is getting better.
Keep praying for clarity, for dissolving of blood clots, for healing of left foot as they prepare to work on it, and other stuff as it comes up. Everyday is a new one for something...
Peace my friends.....
Mary

Day 13- Holding Pattern....

I hate waiting. Not one of my better traits. Probably the same can said for most people. That's pretty much what today was like. Waiting. One time when I was flying home from somewhere, Hobby Airport was conjested due to weather. We had to go into a holding pattern. Basically it was a huge figure eight sort of route that took us way out to Lake Jackson and back two or three times. It was also at night. Seemed like forever.

We are waiting for some complications to themselves out. Today Makenzie is in the SIMU (Intermediate Care) so as to work on the nuisance blood clot issue. She had a stint put in this afternoon to help alleviate the situation. Now we wait. Like figure eights to the waiting area and back. Holding pattern.

The good news is she is looking better and better, and is eating when possible. Eating is a good thing. She's talking more too. Hopefully we can get the surgery going soon.

Pray: for the dissolving of blood clots
for continued healing of her foot
for more stregnth for her and her family

Finally, I know I mentioned a couple of days ago about finding information on giving blood. Makenzie has needed a tremendous amount of blood over the past two weeks. Hermann Hospital if full of accident patients like her who need a lot of blood in order to recover. I hope you will seriously give though to it. I'm going to!
Good night my friends, and praying for you as well....
Mary

Day 12-two steps forward, one step back...

Actually, I think the saying goes the other way....however I choose to think we are making progress. Matter of fact I know we are.

Complications. Makenzie is having issues with blood clotting. This is a pretty serious condition, but we have been reassured that it is normal for the condition she is in. This afternoon they moved her to the IMU(Intermediate Care) floor so they can observe her more carefully. Right now surgery has been postponed until this issue is cleared up. Will let you know what's next when it is decided. For right now, this very minute, there will not be surgery on Wednesday. Remember what I said yesterday, the more things change......

On a positive note, my niece really looked so much better today! The swellling in her face and eye area have gone down significantly. To me she looked downright beautiful! I was really glad to see her try to smile at me, knowing how crappy she was feeling. She was even trying to eat some of that yummy hospital fried fish! That in of itself tells you how brave the girl is!

We are going to pray for a better day tomorrow.
Specifics: Pray for those clots to dissolve
Pray for a safe surgery on her foot
Pray for healing, and good decisions by docs...

Today I saw some beautiful flowers, cards, and care packages. So many of you have reached out to my sister's family.....each time I see a sent note, gift, card, know that I think of you. Thank you so much for being there. I am thankful for you.
See y'all tomorrow!
Mary

Day 10- The more things change, the more they change....

Ever built anything? My husband is a chemical process engineer. He helps in building designs for chemical plants everywhere. He's really the "no" guy. The guy who looks at plant drawings and states what "else" needs to be done and how long it will take. He goes to a lot of meetings. Often I've accused him of being a professional meeting go-er! Sometimes he's not real popular. Sometimes what he says doesn't go over real well. He's a tedious guy; he wants things done right the first time without any serious consequences.....

That about wraps up today. It's Monday, right? Ok. So Makenzie went into surgery this morning around 7:30am. The plan was to repair the upper L femur, repair the fracture in her knee, and work on her R ankle. Wednesday they were supposed to work on the L foot and ankle, and then supposedly she was going to be done. She got out of surgery around 5pm. Long day for her and the surgeons. They repaired the entire L leg and knee and left ankle as far as the bone stuff was concerned. On Wednesday the plastic guy works on her L foot to repair the massive tissue damage. This will be another long day, and she will have to remain in the hospital 3-5 days thereafter. THEN, another surgery is scheduled for next Monday to repair the R ankle. Today's surgery went very well. We are thankful for that. Hearing of adding another surgery was a little discouraging today. It is in her best interest to do this, the safe way. Ok, not what we planned. The "no" guys have spoken. They are tedious. They want what's best.

Some of you know I sing professionally. Many years ago I sang a song called "The Journey" by Cynthia Clausen. The last part of the song goes like this:

"Give me the heart to be pure,
Give me the faith to be sure,
Give me the strengnth to endure
All of my tribulation."

Pray for my sister and brother-in-law. Pray for Kaleb too! They're getting tired. They need the stregnth to endure....
Thank you all for being here today. Thanks for you continued prayers....
Mary

Day 10-"Oh we're moving on up...."

Remember that song from the TV show "The Jeffersons"? Yeah, I'm dating myself....At any rate, that's the song I was thinking of today when we found out that Makenzie was doing well enough to get off of the STICU floor and move on up to the 6th floor!!! Yeah! She is now in a private room as of this evening. My young girls (her cousins) finally got to see her as she was being wheeled into her room. She looked at them, smiled, and waved to them with her fingers....it was enough for them! This was the best Mother's Day gift for my sister and her family. Hopefully she'll remain there throughout the rest of her surgeries this week.

Ok, so tomorrow's Monday. The day everyone hates. The day we go back to work, school, or whatever. The day that everyone starts dreaming of Friday. When we were on the STICU, one of the people who works there stated that Monday's are the hardest days. It's back to the business of putting people back together. So, we're thankful to our Heavenly Father for what he has already done today. Tomorrow we go back to God to ask God to be with Makenzie through the next 2 surgeries. Let's get ready for Monday. Whether you're going to surgery or a final exam, work, or being at home, let us go before our Father and ask Him to be with us....
Happy Mother's Day my friends!
Mary

Day 9- "She's baaaaack....."

"I want to go home"....."I need water"......"Put my bed down"....."I want to roll over"....etc. Who is saying this? Makenzie!!!
The docs took the respirator out early this morning and called Pam & Chuck. She was wanting her momma!!! Yes, the girl child has awoken, a bit groggy, but awake and looking around none the less. Pam & Chuck told her about the accident. Things are still somewhat unclear for her. She was very surprised to learn that she's been there 9 days. She's not sure why everyone is wearing blue plastic gowns and gloves. She did smile when Pam told her that she had made Valdictorian of her graduating class. For those of you who may not know, her graduation is May 28. Kenzie is back and we are so profoundly grateful......
I think I wrote the other day (they are becoming a blur...) that we were hoping she would be awake by Mother's Day. This is a great gift! The best gift a mother could have....

As I sit here writing, I am so overwhelmed with emotion, so thankful for you my brothers and sisters for being there with your prayers and support. There are so many of you out there, many I don't know personally. I hope you all have a terrific Mother's Day tomorrow. Tell your mothers, your brothers, your sisters, your children, that you love them. And I will tell all of you, I love you.
Thank you my friends....
Mary