A NEW DAY HAS BEGUN.................

A POEM FROM DAD WITH LOVE

In between the shores of despair and tragedy is a ship called hope.
Jessica, so many times you have come perilously close to these destructive shores. And, each time the ship of hope has rescued you.
The captain of this ship is the Lord and its first mate is Mommy. I am simply an observer who is in awe of your strength and of your will to live.
And the sheer will of Mommy who has reached out to grab your hands every time you begin to sink.
Jessica, eventually the ship of hope will dock at the peer of life. And it is then that you will walk ashore with healthy legs surrounded by your loving family.

Love, Daddy


A MESSAGE FROM NITA IN MEXICO WITH JESSICA

The last two days have been nothing short of miraculous. Jessica has been unable to move for over 2 years. She has had to live in a totally black room and even then, required sunglasses and earphones due to her incredible sensitivity to noise and light. No one has been able to even touch her slightly without screams. I could go on and on about the hell that this kid has lived with – something no human being should ever have had to endure.

Yesterday was the 5^th day of the coma and the ketamine was turned off but she was then put on Propofol. The intention was to allow her body to truly rest in preparation for a tough road ahead. Last night, although she was still asleep, she moved her legs!!! What is amazing is that her one leg has been in a full contracture for two years. She continued to rest through the night and then the Propofol was weaned this morning. She woke up and began to move her legs all over the place. Her left foot had “drop foot” which was believed to be permanent damage but it looks like it is resolved. She was extubated and has been breathing fine all day. She has continued to move all day. Early this afternoon, it was obvious that she wanted to talk. We had a board for her to write on and when we gave it to her, she wrote “I love you Mommy”. It was heart wrenching. Then she started talking. Her first word was SHIT. We all laughed. She then went on to say a million things and it was clear that she understood where she was and what was happening. The doctors were absolutely amazed. When the nurses came back in the room, she said “se hablo espanole??” She stopped talking for the rest of the day but then started again tonight. She has gotten combative at times and her strength is incredible. Sarah Gina and I have bruises but we are ecstatic that she has the strength to move in the way that she does. When she was really upset, Sarah Gina started to sing to Jessica and Jessica sang with her. She remembered every word from a song they used to sing when she was younger called “House upon a clouds”. It was a precious thing to watch.

This has truly been a day of “firsts” for Jessica. She listened to the music coming from my IPhone – something she has not been able to do for three years. She has socks on which has been too painful for her to endure for a long time. We were able to brush her hair. She shows no signs of being in pain and seems to be loving all that she can hear and all that she can see.

The road will not always be easy but there is no doubt that God is leading the way on this journey. I am pretty convinced that Jessica will be impacting so many other lives. She has already been an inspiration to every doctor, every nurse and every other person who has met her. But most of all, she has been an inspiration to the two other families whose daughters are still in their comas. They have seen Jessica’s miracle and can’t wait for their daughter’s miracles to also unfold.

God is alive and well in Mexico!!!

Nita

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