A is for...

Attitude! I just wanted to share a quick and funny story. Yesterday (Monday), Patti's speech therapist was about 20 minutes late for her scheduled session. Patti had all of her homework ready for her and was really proud of the fact she completed it all accurately and with only a couple of restarts. (More great progress, by the way!) She was in the wheelchair they provide up here so she looked at me and indicated there was a therapy session scheduled and I let her know that speech was due in at 11:30 and it was now 11:50. She still uses just her left hand for motion and her left foot for direction in the wheel chair. She wheeled herself out into the hallway, tracked down the speech therapist, handed in her homework and basically let her know that late appointments were unacceptable!! The therapist definitely got the message, we all had a good laugh, and Patti now has the reputation of the one patient on the floor who is controlling the treatment priorities!

Weekend Update (Apologies to SNL)

Patti had a great weekend! Along with enjoying all the family members in for Thanksgiving, Patti had surprise visits from Jan Brooks (with her sister from Arlington) and Tom and Jan Miller - all from our L.I.F.E. group at First Baptist West Monroe! To say that she was thrilled would be a serious understatement! She was overjoyed! Thanks for the love and encouragement!

Sunday night Gail Jones Stanart (from our Champion Forest Baptist Church days in Houston), husband Stan and mom Ann came by. We had a great visit with them and Gail prayed over Patti as we joined hands in agreement.

I took Patti out in the wheelchair for about 45 minutes Sunday morning. The weather was warm, but windy. There are several beautifully landscaped areas on the hospital grounds and she enjoyed spending some time there and also browsing the gift shops. I threatened to sneak her out for a ride in the car, but she decided to wait a while on that.

Then this morning, Monday, we got the surprise of the week!!! Patti is able to lift her right leg from the hip this morning!!!!!!!!!!! She can't straighten out her leg from the knee yet, but she is able to pull her knee up which indicates returning strength and control both in the upper leg and torso! She'll be back on a bike before you know it!

Prayer requests:

1. Patti's patience and encouragement. Progress will be slow, but steady and events like this morning are very encouraging. But, as you can imagine, she wants back in the game today!
2. We have already seen abundant evidence that lives are being changed through this time, and not just ours! Patti's sweet spirit, the love of our family and friends, and our testimony of faith in Jesus is creating all kinds of ripples among those we know and many, here in the hospital and elsewhere, we don't. Pray for the lives of those whom God is calling, encouraging and changing! Pray for a new birth of ministry in Patti's life as she gives glory to God in the midst of her circumstances.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Thanksgiving Update

Psalm 9:1, 2
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Patti enjoyed a wonderful family time yesterday with Mike, Morgan, and Aidan and Todd and Paige in attendance. We really missed Nick Abbey and Cadence and Stephen, but had a good time in spite of it. Patti's days begin with breakfast and then a relatively non-stop therapy schedule the rest of the day. Her speaking is improving very slowly, but her writing and reading skills are progressing very rapidly. There is a lot of focus on restoring feeling and function on the right side now and Patti intensely looks forward to the work. She does not like the early morning or evening hours when it is lonelier and there is less to do, so we've been doing her speech homework and other exercises at night as often as we can.

She really enjoys looking at all of the cards we have up on the wall. We talk about who sent them from time to time and we have gotten all kinds of comments from the hospital staff about how loved Patti must be to have so many decorating her wall. We miss being home!

For those of you have prayed for Pastor Phil who was in our last post as a prayer request, please take a minute and praise God for his homegoing. He stepped into the arms of the Lord Thursday afternoon and, no doubt, had a most incredible Thanksgiving feast. Back in the early eighties I had the privilege of spending a lot of time in prayer with Phil and enjoying God's anointing on him as a worship leader. My every remembrance of him is as a dedicated servant of the Most High and a seeker of God's face. He will be missed down here.

Finally, I got a chance to look at the actual MRI which was taken on Patti on Wednesday. The image shows just how large the stroke was, but, as reported before, the center and deep parts of her brain were untouched. (Thank You Lord!) There is an intense area at the front and one at the back of the left side, but in between it is very sporadic. (Thank You Lord!) The doctor indicated that had it been a persistent clot and blockage, there would have been extreme damage with a far smaller chance of recovery. This is particularly true since she was alone for such a long time when it happened. But apparently the clot rapidly dissolved sparing her the kind of damage that might have occurred. There is only one way to expain all of this...and His name is Jesus!

They that wait upon the Lord shall...

Renew their strength.

Patti is showing increasing strength everyday! While Monday, 11/22, was an introductory day for therapy, her attitude and eagerness increased as the pace picked up on Tuesday. Patti is receiving three primary types of therapy: Physical, occupational and speech.

The Physical therapy is primarily related to the trunk and lower extremities. She has actually begun taking small steps and stepping up on stairs. What is really interesting is how the right leg muscles actually fire and offer support as she begins movement with her left. The memory of how the right and left side work together is in the brain and in the muscles and they naturally react. This means toning and strengthening of the right side muscles even though she is not voluntarily moving them yet.

Occupational is primarily working with her on basic tasks from getting dressed to brushing teeth. It will escalate to household tasks, clothing selection and any other task she performs during a day including work related functions.

Speech is working with her on reading, writing, eating and swallowing, thinking and speaking. She is even getting homework to do!

Every day she continues to speak new words and communicate more clearly. She is frustrated she can't do more, but is focused on doing as much as she can during each session. I believe God is beginning to give her a vision of wholeness for herself which she can pursue. She still is having emotional ups and downs, but the doctors and therapists all say that continues to be a good sign of recovery. Most importantly, she picks herself up and pushes forward.

On Tuesday she actually spoke her first intentional, complete sentence to me since the stroke! She looked at me and said, "Do you know what?" The only problem is I never found out what "what" was!!!

Today Patti was given another MRI by the Dallas staff. We look forward to the results. A neuro-specialist has been assigned to review her case to try to diagnose the cause. Please continue to pray for the doctors. Once they can identify a cause, the more accurately they can work to prevent future occurences!

Patti's sister Theresa came by to sort through her clothes and to go shopping for anything else she may need. Needless to say, I came under a great deal of scrutiny for my packing. We have all had a few laughs over some of the items I put in her suitcase! (Sorry, no specifics!)

Finally, Patti spent almost five hours sitting up in a wheel chair today. Her previous best was about two and a half. She was tired, but her strength is increasing. She is also able to sit up on the side of the bed with minimal assistance now. God continues to lift her up!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year in our household. Chief among them are:

1. Patti's miraculous preservation and recovery.
2. All of the prayers and support of our friends and many around the nation and the world who have interceded on behalf of Patti and our family.
3. The power, presence and peace of God.

We still have a long way to go and, perhaps, there will be some setbacks, but God continues to encourage us on a daily basis. We are learning clearly the importance of today and receiving what God has for us today rather than regretting the past or worrying about the future.

May you experience the presence of God as you gather together to give thanks tomorrow. Remember, He inhabits the praises of His people! Praise Him! Not FOR all things, but IN all things give thanks!

Psalm 92:1 - It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night...

Prayer Requests:

1. For Pastor Phil Webb. Phil and his wife Wanda are old friends of ours from our Dallas days. Phil is in ICU at Baylor Hospital - Garland, Tx with kidney failure and several other problems. He has recently been teaching on warfare and healing. Pray against the spiritual forces that are attacking him and for God's healing power to raise him up.
2. Continued progress and positive attitude for Patti.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving day with your families and friends!

Mike and Patti

The Phantom Blogger Returns

Hey everyone! Sorry to be offline so long, but circumstances have been a little out of my control for a few days. (Imagine that) Fortunately, God never takes a day off!!

Let's go back to last Thursday. Late in the evening we received a report from the Neurologist on a CT scan performed on Wednesday. I sat down with the Doc 1-on-1 and here is what he told me on a miracle-by-miracle basis:

1. The MRI done on Monday of the previous week was amazing in that it showed a complete restoration of the blood flow through the central artery into the brain. That was highly unusual being so close to the event of a "massive" stroke. He reiterated that with me to lead up to the next entry.
2. The CT scan from the day before showed such a dramatic decrease in the swelling in Patti's brain that he had to verify with the radiologist that it was the correct scan. He had never seen such a rapid decrease.
3. Also, when the swelling goes down, you have a chance to see the amount of dead brain cells in the area of the swelling which is normally extensive. The vast majority of Patti's cells have not died. He was amazed at the amount of life in the area.
4. They did find a small area of concern which looked like a potential area of bleeding, but it was described as clinically insignificant. They tested again on Friday morning and found no change indicating it was not active, no threat, and possibly just a protein accumulation.

I told Patti we have medical proof of God's healing touch upon her and that it was more than you get from some of the folks on TV!!!! Lord, thanks again for preserving her in such an obvious way that we might give you the glory!

The neurologist said that Patti is a lucky lady. I shared with him about all the prayers lifted and faith exercised on her behalf. He stated that he believed a lot of events down here are controlled upstairs. I asked when he came to believe that we actually control anything down here? He just said to keep praying. He changed the subject when I mentioned Jesus. Pray for this guy that the Holy Spirit will help him to see the obvious and turn to Jesus.

On Friday we were supposed to transport Patti to Dallas, but several minor things got in the way and we postponed to Monday as we didn't think the Dallas hospital would take us on a Saturday. Late Friday they called and said they would take us on Saturday, so we made plans. Thanks to Marsha Linam who rode with us to keep me awake and to take care of any needs Patti had on the trip (including reading jokes to her), Kay Harrison who loaned us her Suburban to carry Patti in, son-in-law Nick Bowman for acquiring an ambulance stretcher from the Ruston Fire Department and worked out the techniques for strapping it securely into the back of the Suburban, and to Christie Dollins who got the whole ball rolling by calling Kay!!

We left the hospital at 9AM Saturday morning and arrived at the Zale-Lipshy hospital about 1:30 PM. Son Mike's father-in-law Jimmy Britton went to the hospital about an hour ahead of us to alert the staff and make sure they knew when to expect us. Two male nurses met us outside and took Patti out of the car, took her to her room where three nurses from the floor immediately began taking care of her needs and getting her settled in. I was directed to admitting to complete the process. Everything went beautifully and we really felt the peace, presence and provision of the Lord.

This morning Patti got introduced to her personal physician, her therapists and regular nurses. She began therapy today with light rounds just to get her started. She will have three intensive hours a day including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. There is also a recreational therapist to help her get back into things like reading, games, television, driving, needlepointing, or anything else that she enjoys. She has access to a psychologist and just about anything else she needs including friends and family from the Dallas area.

We left the Monroe area with a lot of mixed emotions, but we believe God will bring Patti back with everything restored!!

Please remember her with cards or e-mails. The next few weeks will be physically and mentally very hard for her. And whatever you do, don't quit praying!! Many are being ministered to by the work of God in Patti's life. Faith is built up, the Word is being searched, people are re-evaluating their values and God is being glorified. We love all of you!!

Mike

And that spells....

Dallas! Patti is located now at:

Patti Everett
C/O UTSW
Room 806
5151 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75235

I have so much to blog and no time to blog it. However, all will be caught up tomorrow! Patti's doing great, sleeping a lot and will start intensive rehab tomorrow.

Mike

On the Road Again...

(Update from Paige)

My Dad sends his apologies that he has not blogged recently, but as you can imagine he has had his hands full!

I want to save the majority of the details for Dad when he is able to blog, but I just wanted to give everyone the low down of what has happened over the last 2 1/2 days.

Wednesday, Mom passed her swallow test and is now off of IV foods and medicines! Praise God!

She is also now able to motor around her floor in a wheelchair using her left arm to propel the wheel and her left foot to steer! Watch out! She's mobile!!! I'm waiting for her to escape for a shopping spree ;)

Dad got an update from the Doctor last night and again I'll save the details for him, but the Doc basically said that Mom's speed of recovery is nothing short of a miracle. (No offense, but DUH!) Prayers work and since we've got people all over the world praying for Mom...what does he expect! God is faithful to those who follow him!!!

One detail I'll spill is that the swelling in Mom's brain has reduced DRASTICALLY and has done so in a much shorter time frame than normally expected.

And now the exciting news....TODAY IS MOVING DAY!!!!

Mom, got some much needed pampering yesterday in preparation for her trip today. At this time she should be almost or already loaded in her FABULOUS limo (aka Suburban) that will be whisking her away to the Zale-Lipshy University Hospital Rehab Center in record time!
Wait, scratch the record time, cause Stephen holds the record in the family and unless they bring the concord back, I'm not sure any of us can beat it. ;)

Prayer Requests:
1) Safe and smooth trip
2) For the doctors and therapists who will be taking care of Mom
3) Easy transition for Mom in her new environment

Psalm 52:9 - I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Transitions - November 16th

Details began falling into place today for our transfer of Patti to Dallas. We have ground transportation arranged for Friday (thanks to good friend and insurance agent Christie Dollins) and son-in-law Nick Bowman secured an ambulance stretcher for the ride from the Ruston Fire Department where he works. I'll get details out on address for writing to Patti in the next day or so.

In the meantime, Patti's appetite showed up today (welcome back) as she scarfed down her entire breakfast of scrambled eggs, grits, applesauce, a banana and pineapple juice. She hadn't gotten through more than about 35% of a meal until now. She is having a swallow test today to make sure everything is going down right and by this evening she will be off of IV foods and medicines in preparation for the the Friday trip.

Prayer requests:

1. Safe and smooth transport on Friday.
2. Easy and encouraging transition for Patti to the new environment.
3. That Mike keeps all of our personal details together during the adjustment as well.

Thanks for all for all of the encouraging notes and calls! Thanks most of all for all of the intercession.

Nehemiah 8:10 - Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Mike

God's Provision and a New Song!!

This is for November 14th and 15th.

Patti woke up this morning (14th) with one noticeable change: Her smile was balanced across both sides of her mouth rather than mostly left. Just another amazing miracle from our God!!!!

Today (14th) we learned, at around noon, that the Zale-Lipshy University Hospital Rehab Center in Dallas had completed their medical review and approved Patti for admission. They indicated that her condition is exactly what they like to work on and they are excited about working with her. Later, at 5 PM we learned that our insurance has approved the transfer as well! Looks like we're going to Dallas as soon as we can get the transportation and other logistics arranged! This will mean a lot for Patti's recovery as they are one of the premier rehab facilities for stroke in the world.

Then, still on the 14th, daughter Paige called up and shared a story from one of her closest friends about one of her family members who also suffered a stroke, but was completely unable to speak. One day, at a birthday party, he shocked everyone by joining in when they sang happy birthday! It turns out that many times the "singer" is on the other side of the brain from the "speaker." Well, upon hearing that, I couldn't resist. I immediately went in to Patti and said "OK, let's sing!" After I got her past the "whose side are you on?" look, she sang through happy birthday twice!!!! On the second time she sang it to me. That's the first time she has said Mike since the stroke!!!!! Then, just to prepare for the grandkids, we sang through Itsy, Bitsy Spider! She's having a little difficulty with the hand motions, needless to say, but she literally had a new song in her heart today!!

November 15th

Today the speech pathologist was amazed at Patti's ability to sing and instructed her to keep it up. He also brought her some real eggs and she got to eat her first banana today too. She's continually progressing!!

Thanks again for all your prayers. More later.

Mike

Update for November 12th and 13th

Hi everyone!

Patti continues to make remarkable progress. Her improvements in speech and movement on her right side are small but discernible. We are trying to focus on rejoicing in the little accomplishments and building toward the desirable outcome rather than looking at what's been lost or how far we have to go. She is adding new words daily, writing better daily and showing more and more strength in rehab. Her ability to balance herself while standing and sitting has increased dramatically. The sense of balance is one of the more difficult recovery items in a stroke.

Prayer requests:
1. Keep praying for the doctors. We still don't have a clue as to why this happened.
2. For you early risers, Patti's most difficult time of the day is the first part of the morning. That seems to be her time to grieve the most. Pray that she will recognize God's new mercies every morning and for strength through the day.
3. We are considering a rehab hospital in Dallas. It will provide world class treatment for Patti and allow me to avoid business travel during her recovery. Pray for acceptance, logistics and finances.

Patti has really enjoyed all of the cards and e-mails she has received, as have I! Thank you!

Resting in Him!

Mike

How To Write To Patti

Patti was discharged today from ICU and is in room C6008 at:
St. Francis Medical Center
309 Jackson St.
Monroe, LA 71201

Mike

Patti's First Update

Hi everyone! This is Mike. First of all, my heartfelt thanks to all who are holding up our precious Patti before the Lord and to all those who have come to our side with such love, support, encouragement, and help. We have needed it!!!!

Patti suffered a stroke Friday night, November 4th at around 8:35 PM. At the time I was travelling to Washington D.C. and was spending the weekend with Todd (New son-in-law) and Paige. Patti was in our living room just finishing dinner when the event occurred. Unfortunately, it wasn't until Saturday morning that we realized there was a problem and sent a neighbor to check. (This is a hard story to hear, but I believe God's plan was evident.) She was rushed to the hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, Monroe, LA. Paige, Todd and I headed for the airport. Mike and Morgan (Daughter-in-law) and Aidan (Favorite Grandson) headed over from Ft. Worth. Stephen left school (LSU - Baton Rouge) immediately to be at his Mom's side as did Abbey, Nick (Son-in law) and Cadence (Favorite Granddaughter) - Abbey from work in Bossier City and Nick from work in Ruston.

Patti was conscious and responsive when the emergency crew arrived. Her vital signs were stable and have remained so throughout. The initial result of the stroke was paralysis on the right side and loss of speech. It was obvious from the beginning that Patti recognized everyone and was aware of what was going on. Our wonderful friends from our church LIFE group were the first ones to the hospital and immediately started the work of intercession, not only with our Father, but with the doctors as well. What has happened since then is a considerable string of events and miracles as follows:

1. Patti was supposed to travel on Saturday morning to Dallas for a Believercise reunion. Thank the Lord this didn't happen while she was in the car or some other location in the house such as bathtub or stairs where we might have lost her completely. God graciously preserved her life.

2. We were told that most stroke victims experience worsening of their condition on days 2 and 3. Patti stabilized immediately and actually improved on days 2 and 3.

3. On day two she laughed and cried, huge signs of wholeness.

4. Also on day 2 the neurologist told us that she hears everything we say, but doesn't understand anything due to vocabulary loss. Patti thinks the guy is a quack!!

5. All of the initial CAT scans and MRI showed that from the brain down, Patti is in perfect health. All of her arteries and organs showed completely clear. This is baffling to the doctors as they are unable to find what appears to be a cause for the event. However, this also important for Patti's recovery as healthy people recover faster. We also have less to worry about as a recurrence is less likely as well.

6. On Sunday night a group of men from our church, First Baptist West Monroe, prayed over me. Billy Foster, one of my dearest friends annointed me with oil, both my head and my hands, to pray for Patti. Right after that Mike, Paige, Abbey and Stephen went into Patti with me as we laid hands on her, annointed her with oil and prayed the prayer of faith in agreement over her. On Monday morning the doctors replaced her nasal tube with what is called a central line that is inserted in the right clavicle area and is used for nutrition, medication and to draw blood if needed. As a result, Monday night she began resting much more deeply and comfortably.

7. Also on Monday she was taken for a follow-up MRI. When the results were in, the doctor was practically beside himself to get the info to us. The results looked at the two main areas of the brain, what the doctor described as white matter - the deep part of the brain that controls motor functions and the gray matter - the stuff we're all a little short of. The scan showed the white matter suffered absolutely minimal damage. Well under 5%. This is a good indicator of Patti's ability to recover. The gray matter was worse off but, as he put it, we can stand to lose some of that. It may cost us a couple of IQ points, but everything there can be restored or re-directed. Praise God, Patti was preserved in a special way. The scan also showed significant re-introduction of blood flow to the brain -- more than would normally be expected.

8. On Tuesday Patti finally began receiving nutrition through the central line and the results were dramatic. Her eyes returned to their normal bright green. Her physical therapy sessions immediately began to be more productive. She began showing great improvement in her hand/eye coordination and in her strength to sit up, stand up and balance.

Here is a summary of her current condition:

She is still paralyzed on her right side but is able to wiggle her toes some and can squeeze with her right hand at times. (Miracle) She recognizes everyone, remembers everything and her sense of humor is completely intact. (Miracle) She is on solid food and will be in a regular room by this afternoon (details later). She is leaving ICU in six days which is half the time the doctors expected. (Miracle) She is progressing in speaking and writing, albeit slowly, but she is adding words daily. (Miracle) She looks great and her facial expressions are very animated, as always.

Specific prayer requests.

Please pray for the following:

1. A get up and walk out miracle.

2. That the doctors would get a revelation about the cause so that preventative treatment will be accurate and effective.

3. That Patti will remain strong and encouraged as she goes through the emotional ups and downs she will experience.

4. Sustained strength for family and friends as we support and encourage Patti.

A couple of tips for visitors:

1. The conversations will be one way for a while. Patti will really enjoy hearing what's going on in your life and any funny stories you have will really help lift her spirits.

2. She tires easily so please stay long enough to make the time meaningful, but be sensitive to her needs.

3. She may cry sometimes when she sees you. If so, don't let it worry you. It's good for her. Just love on her and encourage her the best you can.

4. Avoid phrases like "I'm so sorry this has happened to you." and "We were so worried about you."

5. If you are shy about visiting or concerned about the best time just call me, Mike, at 832-423-3426.

For those of you visiting from a distance:

1. Use the blog as often as possible or convenient, but....

2. Please don't forget to send cards, letters or e-mails. Patti loves to read them and have them read to her. Also, we want to decorate her room.

3. If you have a special message you want to deliver by phone, just give me a call and we'll get you on with Patti when we can. She enjoys hearing your voice when possible.

God bless all of you for your continued expressions of love and support. Please continue to hold all of us up before the Lord, but especially Patti.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Starting a Blog for Mom

Hey Everyone,

This Blog is for my Mom. We will use it to post updates on my Mom's condition and progress.

Please keep my Mom and family in your prayers, and send cards so that we can decorate her hospital room!

Paige