A message from Cami...

Combine all words from every language and dialect in the world with all forms of artistic expression through music, dance, art, poetry, etc. and there would still be no appropriate way to express how humbled and grateful I feel by the support of everyone checking this blog.  I quite literally sat and stared at the computer for several minutes and kept starting my first sentence over and over again until I realized that it is impossible to express the way your support has touched my heart. 

I only sat down to read the blog and all your posts a few days ago because, to be honest, I just wasn’t up to facing everything before then.  There were many scary hallucinations and frightening things in the hospital, so I think I just avoided reliving it as much as possible because I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t real.  So it took me awhile to build up the courage to remember all that had happened.

I hate to say this, but I think in the last few years I’ve lost bits and pieces of my faith in general.  Whether it has been losing a little of my faith in God or just my faith in humanity I’ve felt sort of “blah” about life....maybe just a little “burnt out” might describe it.  I feel like everyone’s too busy to really care about others...I’m too busy to really help others the way I’d like to help them, etc.   Whether this is due to just becoming an adult and being more aware of the evil in the world or what, it’s just how I’ve felt lately.  As I finally got up the courage to read the blog, I sat and read it with tears streaming down my face.  I was awed and humbled by the demonstration of God’s love through His people.  I just simply can’t begin to wrap my mind around the number of people who are praying for my family and me, and I KNOW those prayers have made a difference in my recovery.  If the first thing I said to everyone I see from this day forward every time I saw you was “Thank you so much for your prayers,” I wouldn’t be thanking you enough.  You have not only carried me (and my family) through an incredibly difficult time, but you have let God use you to restore my faith.  I never lost it entirely, but it is much stronger due to your prayers and demonstration of love.  I just can’t being to put into words how it feels to know there are so many people loving and caring for you.  I don’t want all of you to go through this, but I wish you could feel that power.  Hopefully you can get a small sense of it through the posts on the blog.

I have to laugh as I type this because I was always telling Seth, “Keep the posts short...no one has time to sit and read my blog all day...people are busy,” and here I am writing a book...SORRY!  We met with our surgeon today, and I’ll tell more about that in a second.  Before I do that, however, I can’t go one more second without bragging on my amazing husband.  Seth has been there for me above and beyond anything I could have imagined.  He has stayed strong, rational, and calm when I have been weak, irrational, and panicky.  He has helped care for me in ways that I’m sure he didn’t envision having to do when we said, “I do.”  I can’t fathom a man more perfect in the role of my husband, and I am so thankful God placed him in my life.  At our wedding we played a slideshow to the song “A Page is Turned” by Bebo Norman that says “And all this time, preparing her the one to hold her up when she comes undone.”  I know God has given Seth special wisdom to know how to hold me up through this all, and he has done so without the slightest hesitation.  Let me give you one tiny example of the devotion and patience he’s shown.  After 2 weeks in the hospital, my hair had become indescribably tangled to the point that I figured I’d just have to cut it off.  A nurse had told me that’s probably what I’d have to do too.  Seth spent about 10 hours over the course of 3 days detangling my hair (many times literally separating one or two hairs at a time) so that I wouldn’t have to cut it.  I just don’t know many guys who would have the patience for that!  Thank you, Seth.  Everyday I love you more!

Anyway, on with the latest update...we met with Dr. Pritz today, and he indicated that he’d like to wait until I’m feeling stronger before doing the next surgery.  We have another appointment set for 3 weeks from now to see how I’m feeling.  If I’m feeling pretty strong by then, we will do another arteriogram (the initial test we did in August) to see the status of things.  That would be followed a week or two later by the 2nd surgery.  So it looks like my 2nd surgery could be mid to late February???  I was able to get my staples removed today too!  Also on Monday I will start my outpatient therapy.  

I want to thank you again for all your support and prayers in this tough time.  Although I’m improving all the time, I beg for you to keep praying fervently because I know it’s due to your prayers that my recovery has been so speedy thus far.  Seth and I are lucky to have each of you in our lives and words can’t express that enough.  Thank you for standing by us.  Please continue to pray for a quick recovery, perfect timing for the 2nd surgery, and God’s glory to be revealed through every detail.  I was very anxious this morning thinking about having to do this all again and came across this scripture which was a comfort.  Ephesians 3:20   Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 

Thank you so much for everything!

Cami and Seth