So far so good...

The nurse called a few minutes ago and said that everything was going well and that they started on his right hip about 45 minutes ago.  Thanks for your prayers--K

hip surgery

They just took Sam to surgery.  For those of you who don't know,  the purpose of this surgery is to improve mobility in Sam's hips.    Sam was a trooper- no tears, cracking the staff up.   He took his little stuffed dog, Lilly with him, because he didn't "want HER to be afraid".

Recently we were talking about fear.  I asked him if he had ever prayed to God when he was afraid in Lithuania.  He replied, "OH NO (with Sam it is never just yes or just no) ..OH NO, mama, I did not know God back then!"  

We have our computer , so we will update this blog through out the day.  They expect the surgery to last three to five hours.  Recovery will be 3-7 days in the hospital.  He may or may not have hip spika casts....

Please pray---K

A Dragon named Sam

Thank you for pestering me to continue this blog. It is a great privilege to journal this amazing journey. The last few months have been a blurr- We went to Disney World, celebrated Christmas and moved to Kansas (burr!--It's cold!)

In November Sam penned this little story- which we used as part of our Christmas letter this year.

“Once up time there was a Dragon named Sam. Sam the Dragon did not like mamas and he did not like daddys and he did not like no bode. But one day he herd sumthing. He herd God wisper Sam I love you and evry thing chanjed.” Sam Huey Nov 2007

The part B --or actually the Part A to Sam's dragon story ---we learned from the another family who met Sam in Lithuania. They were at his orphanage to adopt their son, Wyatt. Sam asked this couple to also take him. It broke their hearts to tell Sam that they could not. Sam was furious; he told them that he hated Mamas and Daddys and then, Sam spit at them! Sam's health deteriorated and he actually refused to eat for a while. To see our happy, extroverted, energetic, chatterbox now, you could never imagine that he was such a depressed and angry little guy.

And now the Part C --On our trip "out west" (to Kansas) we stopped in Tennessee and had an amazing reunion with this family and another family who also adopted from the same orphanage. To see how God has worked in these children's lives and in all of our lives through them is truly overwhelming. We watched them laugh and play and we are still in awe at God's work.

We continue to covet your prayers.. Kristin

Who do you love?

Since our last blog update Sam had another surgery and we received an important third opinion regarding back and hip surgery. Sam is doing very well and continues to be an amazing trooper though all of this. Thankfully, he has grown quite comfortable in Dr's offices. More often than not, Sam will tell the Dr that he or she "did a good job". He recently surprised two docs by handing a "Super" sticker to one and a lollipop to another.

Last week we traveled to Atlanta to see Dr Dennis Devito for a third opinion regarding Sam's hips and back. The first two Drs recommendations were vastly different (re type of surgery, time frame and prognosis.) Dr Devito (like one of the other Drs) is optimistic re Sam's prognosis but recommended a completely different type of hip surgery than either of the other two Drs. He also recommended a different time frame for both surgeries----that Sam have hip surgery FIRST, possibly this fall, that we wait one to three years for back surgery.

So now we essentially have three very different plans about how to proceed, but we feel most comfortable with Dr Devito (the most recent Dr in ALT) and his experience so that is whose plan/recommendations we will follow.

We know that this is all in the hand's of our gracious God and that knowledge USUALLY provides us a peace about all of Sam's medical needs.....

God has sustained Sam, against ALL odds so far....At birth no one expected him to live much less thrive, sing, pass out "Super" stickers, or practice for basketball games with Jesus. (He recently asked does Jesus play basketball?---Does anyone know???)

On a totally different note, Chip was very proud today when Sam sang and danced to the George Thorogood tune, "Who Do You Love? "

Once again, I close with a sincere thank you for your prayers and support.

Love,
Kristin

except maybe the day you are circumcised

Monday Sam had an out patient surgery -circumcision and two other procedures to help stop urinary track infections. He did really well except, like most kids, the anesthesia made him sick most of the day. We discovered that he DOES have sensation that low...a very good thing--- except maybe the day you're circumcised. However, he was just a champ through it all. Last night, a little high from pain meds, he said, "I am not sick anymore; my Pempee does not hurt; I am SO Happy!" (Chip would want me to note that "Pempee" is Sam's word choice not his...) He has an MRI with sedation this month and another outpatient surgery in four weeks. And we are scheduled to go to Duke on 10 SEPT to get a third opinion re back surgery... So we are busy but manage to have a ton of fun through it all. Life is good. More than that--God is good...K

Ortho visit

Yesterday we went to see another orthopedic surgeon. He was far more encouraging than the last one we saw and recommended that we have spinal surgery sooner rather than later, possibly even before we leave in December. This surgeon is recommending a slightly different type of spinal surgery and and a radically different hip surgery. He said that the spinal surgery is a very serious but that "his odds are far better" than what we were originally told. So we've been give two different courses of action, two different prognoses... We have much thinking and praying to do...

Thankfully Sam is very comfortable with Dr's visits these days. He constantly entertains the medical staff. Yesterday he began giving the X-ray technicians instruction about how high the X-ray machine should be positioned. He cracked everyone in the room up and came away with a handful of stickers.

Sam is a source of constant mirth for us also ....Last week we were reviewing the Bible story of the previous night- Joshua and the Battle of Jerico. (For those of you who are not familiar- At God's instruction, Joshua and the Israelite Army marched around the walls, blew their horns and the walls of the fortified city, Jerico, came down.) Well in Sam's rendition, Joshua "huffed and he puffed and he BLEW the house down." A story now referred to as "Joshua and the Three Little Pigs"... We have a little work ahead of us...

As always -thank you for your continued love, prayers and support...K

Pictures from the beach and 4th of July

Pictures from our recent trip across the South.














Sam's first 4th of July Celebration and his first trip to the beach. He loved it all.