Weak and Needy DNA

Ps. 72:12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.

Sorry I'm not keeping up. People keep asking me how Grant is doing so I will try to keep you better informed.

I've heard it said that you can't pick your relatives, but never really thought about not picking your genetics. What God gives to each one of us is exactly what we get. Every last strand of DNA is designed and given by God, WOW.

Grant is a very laid back guy. Teresa and I have been trying not to bug him about how he is feeling, but we are parents after all and that's what we do:) If you ask him, he will say something like "I feel great, the same as before". Which I think is mostly true. We pressed enough to find out that his legs are going numb a little faster than before. We went to Seaside for a couple of days last week and when he was out on the beach and he developed some florescent orange spots on his hands. It was very interesting looking with the purple from being cold, but even though he was very cold he didn't complain.

So armed with those 2 new pieces of info Teresa talked to the doctor and she said that she wanted to reduce his Beta Blocker to half the dosage and this should help both of these. The blockers slow down the heart rate slightly, which slows down his metabolism, which makes him colder and less blood goes to his extremities.

Other than that, he went to school on Monday and seems like he is back to normal concerning the heart issues.

When we were at the ICD doctor's office we were talking to the nurse about doing CPR on Grant and whether this would be performed as "Ninja mom" had done it previously. She said, "Well you shouldn't ever need to do CPR on him again and if the 4 of us had heart attacks in the middle of the night Grant would probably be the only one to survive, because he has 'heart insurance'".

I look at him and am still just amazed at how great he looks compared to just over 2 weeks ago. God is Amazing!

So on to the other 2 kids. Our blood is precious to God, really? It's amazing to me that He cares about our blood.

Kimmy's Eco and EKG are absolutely normal, and her CK is not elevated nearly as much as it has been previously. The CK is a blood test that determines the level of a particular heart enzyme. A high number is 200. At the start of all of our testing Kimmy CK was 1600. So there was some concern that but we couldn't really get an answer as to why this was so high. So today at 300 it looks much better. When we tested Grant the first time he was at 9000 and has been as high as 19k. His is exercised induced, so the more he plays soccer and basketball the higher it goes. This number would normally be higher after a heart attack, and Grant's was 3000 when he was in the hospital, so that is much lower than his "personal best", but still high.
Garrett's Eco and EKG look great and his resting heart rate is around 40, he's in really good shape. But we did just get his CK number yesterday and it is 2000. So there certainly seems to be a genetic link between all the kids. 3 of 3 seems a little too "coincidental' and a lot providential.

We have appointments all over the calendar, but this means that we get to spend more time with Grant while driving to them all. He is fun to be around.

Last night we were all standing around in the kitchen talking. Teresa needs a lot of positive reinforcement right now, ok most of the time:), so she said, "You guys don't appreciate me" and with a huge smile on his face Grant immediately said, "We know". We do appreciate Mom, but we probably aren't telling her enough right now.

Teresa had her Eco yesterday as well as a blood draw for CK. They want to find out the connections of all of this for future patients as well as for our extended family. There must be a genetic link so it is important to figure out how far it goes.

My tests are next week.

Yesterday I received a written letter in the mail from Tom on the east coast. I don't know Tom and he doesn't know me except for the blog and my youngest sister Joy and his wife apparently do some home schooling classes together.

First off, most of us don't write enough letters, or in my case, any. We should do this more. No promises, to those I would write to, as this blog is a big start for me.

Secondly, what an encouragement to get a sweet letter telling of his encouragement for the blog and how he connects with our family because he is a father with sons and we share the same Heavenly Father. This event is truly much bigger than Grant and our family and God is using this little blog to accomplish things that I never dreamed possible. His Word does not return void and His ways are much higher than our ways. I don't have the slightest idea what He is doing in all this, but it's nice to know that He already has it totally planned out, mapped out and scheduled. "I love it when a plan comes together".

Pray for those reading and writing this blog that we would be changed by watching God work in such a dramatic way. That we would not just see this a nice thing that happened to a nice young man, but that we would see God's power shown in a personal way. Remember the markers. You now all should have markers to think about as well.

Thanks for your encouragement and prayers. There are still so many people hurting around the world, we need to intercede on their behalf.

Another great song from Scott and Judy Frankfurt's CD. If you don't have it you should get it.

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34"For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?"
35"Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Weak and needy, but God is my Help and Strength,
Chuck

Click here to read the next part, "Don't Be Ashamed, Proclaim"