July 24 Update

We decided to have the aneurysm evaluated at Johns Hopkins since we were only 3 hours away in WV and everyone was getting pretty tense about being up there with Amanda. We had consulted their neurosurgery dept about the risks of waiting for evaluation, flying, etc and they took a real interest in her case. So we headed to Baltimore on Tuesday after numerous discussions with their doctor who specializes in this sort of thing. He has evaluated her records and gave us some good news in that it appears the aneurysm is fairly stable (i.e. not growing fast). He also helped to walk us through the events of last night when Amanda had another seizure. We spent 6 hours in the ER but Amanda is doing much better today. She is a little mellow but is otherwise acting ok.

In terms of where we head from here, the next step is a pre-op appointment on Monday the 28th and a procedure on Wednesday that will allow them to get a better view of the aneurysm. Of course, we are praying that it will either not really be an aneurysm or that it will be a minimally risky one that is easily addressed. Once they know what it looks like and what the shape is, they will know better what we are dealing with, what the risk of rupture is, and what the best course of action is. We will keep you all posted as things progress.

Unfortunately, we will be missing ELLIE's graduation this weekend, but we need to stay close to Johns Hopkins for Amanda's benefit. The paws4people organization has been wonderful to us. We had a great time with them last week and they have been tremendously supportive. One of the really neat things we learned during our trip to the prison last week is that the inmates have been praying hard for Amanda every day. There are some really special people in that group of inmates -- so caring and thoughtful! The other good news is that Amanda's current issues don't change anything with respect to ELLIE. The paws4people group told us we could get ELLIE once things calm down for us and we return to Wilmington. That definitely gives Amanda and the whole family something fun to look forward to.

We will continue to post frequently as we head through the next couple of weeks. We know God is in control of Amanda's situation and that he has a perfect plan for her life. We believe she will come through this even better and stronger than she started.

God Bless and thanks for the love and support!

Susan