IT'S SHEA DAY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE!

It's midmorning and February 7th is exceptionally special for our family today. Shea is nineteen! We quietly covered her doorway with streamers and then brought her breakfast in bed! She has always loved her birthday and had been awake for an hour waiting for us to come in!! We sang, she blew out the candles on her pancakes and, once again, that moment of joy -- she's here, she's back to celebrate the day God blessed us with our baby girl. Actually, at midnight Shea came to all our rooms and screamed, "It's my birthday!!"

Thank you for all the great comments from our last post. It seems that God gave all of you just the right words and scriptures to uplift Shea and all of us. I remember when we were in the Emergency Room praying for Shea's life, Isaiah 43 repeated over and over in our minds --

"Don't be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross the rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you. This is because I, the LORD, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . .you are precious to me, because I give your honor and love you . . .Don't be afraid because I am with you."

Some of you have asked some questions -- some have even asked about our dog!! So we're going to answer as many as we can remember, and if you're not the least bit interested in our dog, Cali, then feel free to skip that paragraph!

Shea's trach -- When Shea left Shepherd Center, Dr. Kaelin examined the hole in Shea's neck and said that instead of it healing in less that a week, which is normal, hers would maybe take three weeks. It actually took over a month to heal. The bandages are off now and the scar is very small. Shea is pleased with how it looks. She said that having that scar will always be a reminder to her each day of God's grace in giving her back her life.

What can Shea eat? -- Shea started off with very thin liquids and then moved to thicker liquids. Even after her mouth was unwired, she could still barely open it. It still doesn't open all the way, but soft foods like mashed potatoes, puddings, ice cream, pancakes, canned mandarin oranges and bananas are her staple foods right now. She's craving salads but can't chew hard things as she has a plastic plate that covers her top teeth. I did try to blend a vegetable drink for her, but that was not a hot recipe to be repeated! Someone wanted to send us soup recipes, and we definitely welcome that! Our email address is shickok@charter.net and our home address is 3041 Woodward Park Way, Suwanee, GA 30024

Shea getting counseling -- Shea has received counseling, and we do want to continue that. Even though she has left Shepherd Pathways she is stil being monitored by them for the next year. Luke has received some counseling, (and Jess as well). Some have sent us info on counselors specializing in grief and trauma, and that has been helpful. If any of you in the Atlanta area have first-hand experience with such counselors, we welcome the referrals.

Will Shea write on the blog? -- Someday she will, but she's experiencing some anxiety, and sometimes, even the smallest suggestions are overwhelming to her. She is journaling, as some of you have suggested, and we may ask her if we can share some of her entries.

Why won't Shea call or see us? -- The swelling in Shea's face is down considerably, but even after almost ten weeks, her face isn't back to normal. That isn't what bothers her as much as her missing three front teeth. Her top lip rolls into her mouth since there aren't teeth there to hold it out. When she smiles, it's the best! We are so used to seeing her without teeth, but others are not. Shea may get temporary teeth in the next few weeks, and that will change things drastically for her. Her biggest concern is feeling "up" for people and the pressure right now is too much. She's afraid to contact some of you and not others as that would show favoritism, but too many people overwhelm her more than you can imagine. For example, our family has always been rather loud -- we all talk at the same time -- if you know Steve, just imagine how wild it gets around here. That's all Shea has ever known, but for now, she prefers it very quiet with little stimulation, and we're trying our best to keep it down!

Ok, Cali, (short for California) our dog! -- At the end of October, Cali, our 3-year-old brindle Boxer joined our family. We are her fifth owners, and sadly, she was abused somewhere along the line. We had Cali for three weeks, and then the accident happened. Our great friends, the Kucala's, took her home with them for six weeks while we were in Macon and loved her like she was their very own. Cali and Jess are the best of friends, but it's amazing to see how Cali has warmed up to Shea right now more than any of us. We call her Cali Cat because she curls up into a ball, (all fifty pounds of her!) sits on Shea's lap and follows her around the house. We were gone for a couple hours one night and Shea spent some time alone crying. Pretty soon Cali was on her bed licking her face, trying her dog best to make her feel better. For some reason, everyone loves this dog!

Time to make a birthday cake and get ready for a party. Mike's family and all the guys in the band are coming over tonight for soft foods! We rejoice that our sweet girl is here to celebrate yet another year. By God's grace, her life was spared, and we will celebrate it especially big today with lots of balloons and streamers. If you know Shea, too much is never too much -- we're gonna glitter it up!

Much love,

The Hickoks