Monday, November 16, 2009

Community - It's not a new tv show

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It's carnival time again. I hadn't planned on joining in this week because I couldn't come up with anything to write about. Okay, that's not exactly true. I could have come up with something, but it would have been fluff. Not even funny fluff. Just something to fill the space. A word to the wise: Be wary of wishing for writing material.

Sunday morning, I woke to the sound of a crash and then my husband yelling my name in a tone of voice that let me know that it was something horrible. I ran downstairs and into our office to find him on the floor with our daughter who was having a seizure. Shock. Panic. Fear. I grabbed the telephone and dialed 911 and tried to get help while listening to my husband tell my daughter to breathe. The operator told me to calm down as I watched my precious girl start to turn blue. I prayed to God to help her as I saw her color return. Somehow I made it through the phone conversation then dropped to the floor to hold my daughter. My husband ran outside to wait for the paramedics to arrive and I stayed with my girl and watched her look right through me as I talked to her and prayed. She just wasn't really there. Exhausted from her ordeal, she closed her eyes to sleep. I held her chest with one hand to make sure that her heart was still beating and with the other I stroked her sweet little freckled face. It took years for the minutes to pass while we waited for help to arrive. I stayed by her side as the paramedics checked her out and tried to ease her stress when she couldn't figure out what was going on. She was still incoherent, but was in a panic. I held her hand. I talked to her. But it was still too early. The seizure still too fresh. She needed time. I wanted my little girl back now.

My husband went with her in the ambulance so I could get dressed and throw things into a bag that my daughter might need. Clean jammies, clothes, a storybook, a beloved stuffed animal. Things I wanted her to need. Before I ran out the door to catch up to the ambulance, I stopped at the computer. After having a terrible time trying to find the correct keys, I managed to get out an email and a tweet on Twitter asking for prayers for my little girl. I sent out my plea to my little community because I knew that my friends would support my daughter with their petitions to God. What I didn't know is that the community was much larger than I had anticipated. Word spread and people I didn't even know were praying for my daughter. Like ripples on the water, my community was growing and spreading. It's an amazing and wonderful thing to see, and I know that the prayers are still going.

As for my daughter, she's been acting like her old self. There's running, giggling and smiling. There's complaining, whining and asking for more food. The doctors aren't in agreement as to what they think is going on. Some blame her diabetes saying she had low blood sugar. The neurologist says her blood sugar wasn't low enough to have caused the seizure and wants to do an EEG. The endocrinologist wants to do a full workup on her to see what can be found. So the mystery, as well as this mother's worry, goes on. Thankfully, I have a wonderful community around me who is covering my daughter in prayer and for that, I am so very grateful.

If you'd like to read what other carnival participants have to say, please check out the "One Word" blog carnival hosted this week by Bridget Chumbley. Also, there's the "What I Learned This Week" carnival at Musings of a Housewife.

22 comments:

Helen said...

I will continue to pray for your daughter, hon. I am glad she is back to her old self, and that her doctors are doing the tests and not just blaming her diabetes.
I will also pray for you to have the peace of mind you need, and she needs for you to have.
Love you!

Unknown said...

Yikes! Just now catching up -- was offline most of Sunday.

And secondly, YIKES.

And thirdly, keep us posted, and we'll be praying.

Anonymous said...

Wendy, my heart stopped as I read your email when I woke up Sunday morning. There were so many praying, and I was overcome with emotion as I read all the replies.

I'm glad it seems your daughter is on the mend, and am very happy she's going to be checked more thoroughly, just to be safe.

I'll be praying for all of you!

Glynn said...

So, we add a name to the ongoing list of people to pray for. It's a privilege. Thanks for this, Wendy.

Janet Oberholtzer said...

Hi, visited you a few times in the past, brought here again via the carnival.

Sorry about the medical concerns with your daughter - will pray for healing for her and for peace for all!

And you are so right - community when dealing with a medical situation is priceless. Thank God for internet connections that can start a chain of prayers happening around the world.

katdish said...

I was in church when I got your email. I usually put my phone away while I'm at church, but I was showing my pastor a Francis Chan video before we got started. I don't believe in coincidences. Had I not had my phone out, I wouldn't have seen your email. Prayers continue to go up for your little girl.

Candy said...

It was an honor for us to circle our wagons and pray for you and your daughter Sunday. So glad she's doing well. Bless you, Wendy, for allowing us in your community.

Beki - TheRustedChain said...

I prayed for her all day.
Crying as I read this.

Thank you for allowing us to pray for your daughter and family.

God bless you guys!

Lianne said...

Oh, Wendy! I am so sorry you guys had to go through all this. I had no clue that this had happened. I will be praying for you all! Blessings to you!

Jeanne Damoff said...

Wendy, this is the first I've heard about your daughter's seizure. I'm so thankful she is better and adding my prayers to the mix. I understand the panic, helplessness, fear, AND the power of community to sustain through prayer. Ripples on water is the story of my life (literally).

May the Lord, who counts the hairs on her head and freckles on her face, grant wisdom, peace, and complete healing.

Love, Jeanne

Bernadette Pabon ,Teacher, Director of CCD, Author said...

Coming together in time of need, s community in action, how blessed you are, for God truly loves you. I know how much you needed prayers for when it involves a child, there are no words, except those in prayer.

Peter P said...

I read the tweet about the seizure.

I'm so glad you're part of this online community that can lift you all up in prayer!

jasonS said...

Definitely what community is all about. I like how you said the prayers "keep going." That's so true. Even after we fall silent and we're "done," the prayers and His Word keep going...

Didn't mean to get all serious on you, but it's your own fault for writing such a great post. :)

Viki said...

Thank God everything turned out well. Hopefully, they will figure out what triggered the seizure. Good luck.

Casey said...

Wendy I am so behind on all this! I am so sorry that sweet little girl of yours had to go through all that. Wow... scary stuff for a kid to deal with, not to mention mom and dad.

I will pray for her healing and for you and your husband.

Blessings to you sweetie!!

Heart2Heart said...

Wendy,

Adding your sweet daughter to my prayer list and asking for discernment and wisdom for the doctors that are working on a cause. Strength and grace for you and your family!

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Kevin said...

I find that the amazing thing about community is that you don't realize how much you need it until you NEED it! Praise God for community!

Kelli said...

Wendy - I'm privileged to be part of your prayer community. Blessings to you and your family, K

jen@odbt said...

How frightening for you all. I'm glad to read that your daughter is doing better. Thank goodness for prayer and community. I will keep you in my prayers.

Matt said...

Wow. I will certainly say a prayer for your family. I'm glad you have a community to rally around you guys and support you!

~*Michelle*~ said...

Popping over from Bridget's place...

.....can I tell you that *my* heart was racing reading this? I was thinking of this happening to me with my own daughter and how I cannot imagine the intensity of the moment.

Praising God that she is OK.....praying that God keeps His hand on her health and you have some answers with the testing......and peace.

stranger.strange.land said...

Didn't even know you till I saw a comment on Chris's "Sacred Sandwich" blog. Will definitely keep your family in our prayers.

Craig and Sheila