Power of prayer

I have been praying along with others for baby Ethan for some time now. I want to encourage us to pray for the impossible.

I do not know where to start, so I will use Lisa's words.  Forget everything that you have heard about Ethan.

 

Lisa and Shaun talked to Dr Hanley at the Lucille Packard Children Hospital in Palo Alto, California on Thursday Jan 6.  He told them that  he will perform surgery and that Ethan should have a fairly normal life.  He will not be a star athlete, but he will be able to ride his bike and play with other kids. 

 

The pediatric heart specialists in Western Canada including the Stollery Children Hospital in Edmonton have given Ethan very little chance of survival, doubtful that he would see his 2nd birthday.  The doctors at Stollery recommended that he be sent to Dr. Hanley (California).  This has raised many challenges, but one by one they are being overcome.  The first obstacle was whether or not Medicare would cover his hospital expenses.  That has been okay-ed, and also air ambulance costs except for $2400.00.  Many details still need to be worked out and questions asked including just what Lisa & Shaun will need to take, or if they can take them, ie his formula, his medications,  will they be able to take enough clothes for him and themselves for their stay.  They will also need to make arrangements about where they will stay.  They need to be in Palo Alto approximately a week before Ethan's surgery.  The recovery time should be between 10 days and 3 weeks,  and that is not when he would be transferred to a hospital in Saskatoon.  It is when they would be able to take him home. (absolutely amazing)

 

When Lisa and Shaun heard this, they told Dr. Hanley that all the doctors here had said that Ethan was going to die.  His reply was that he heard that all the time (from parents).  Lisa and Shaun could hardly believe  Dr. Hanley's optimistic prognosis.  It is quite a change from being told that your son is going to die, to being told that he can be fixed and that he can leave a fairly normal life.

 

Ethan is our miracle, and he was been since he was 2 weeks old when Lisa & Shaun took him off life support.  He was expected to die very shortly, with the doctors and nurses giving him from minutes to several days at the most.  God obviously has a plan, we do not know what it is, or what the time frame will be, but we do believe that HE has a plan.  Many people have and continue to pray for Ethan, and we are very thankful for that.  It says in the Bible that we should continue to pray for what we want.  It says that we should not give up, but that we should continue to ask God.  We sometimes feel like giving up, because we want our prayers answered in our time frame, we need to be patient, continue to pray and believe that God hears our prayers ( and those of others) and that in HIS time he will answer.

 

Ethan's surgery is booked for April 13.  Please continue to pray for Ethan, Lisa and Shaun,  Pray that they all remain healthy, especially Ethan, so that surgery does not have to be delayed.

 

Shaun's parents are organizing a steak & chicken fundraiser at Mulberry's on Tuesday January 18, starting at 6pm.  Mulberry's is in the Sturdy Stone Centre on the corner of 23rd and 3rd Avenue.  They have room for 150 people.  If you are interested in coming please contact me for tickets at 931 1297.  Please leave a message if we are not home.  Hope to see many of you there.

 

Ernie & Wanda