Shea on iTunes!

This morning Shea got the call -- she's on iTunes!! Our great friend, Sarah Snodgrass, has been working on this for a couple weeks. What a great help she has been -- Thanks, Sarah!!

Shea's new 10-song album, "Song in Me," can be downloaded starting today. What an amazing opportunity for this music to minister to so many. The album was recorded about six months before the accident, and the words take on an even deeper meaning to our family as we listen to it now.

To God be the glory!

Thanks For Praying

Amy called to report that her mom, Sharon Thomas, came out of surgery and is doing very well! She told us that normally when a kidney is transplanted, it sometimes takes three days before it begins functioning. Before Sharon even awakened after her surgery, her new kidney was functioning beautifully! She had been on dialysis for six years. Thanks to all of you for upholding her in prayer -- we are grateful to all of you for your concern for someone you may not even know yet have it in your hearts to pray anyway.

God bless --

The Hickoks

Sharon Thomas

We have seen two doctors this week. On Monday Shea saw Dr. Kaylin for her follow-up appointment at Shepherd Center. It seemed like ages ago when we wheeled her down the halls of the Acquired Brain Injury Unit. We saw the therapists, nurses and some of the patients who are still there. Dr. Kaylin kept saying he was "tickled pink" to see how Shea has improved. At this point, we do not need to go back there anymore.

Shea had an appointment with Dr. Mills this week as well. Once again, we were there for hours! He is going to do his best to get Shea's first surgery moved up, so we will wait to see if anything can be done. At this point, her surgery is set for July 17th. Four months is a long time to wait when Shea could be healing from the first surgery and anticipating the second surgery, but we will continue to pray for God's perfect timing. Dr. Mills spent a lot of time talking to Shea as he is so interested in her story. He told her that his guess is that she will probably never look exactly like she did before the accident. It was hard to hear, but in comparison to -- "We don't think she'll make it through the day" and "There's nothing more we can do" we just nodded and listened. Doctors are oftentimes very wise, but we know from experience that God, Jehovah Rapha, is the great Healer. When we got in the car, Shea said, "Well, that was discouraging." It was, and it wasn't what we wanted to hear, but it was honest. We wil continue to pray for complete healing and trust God for it all.

Last Sunday Shea went to church. It was her first time to sit in the congregation since the accident. It was sweet to see her junior high girls gather around her waiting for a hug. We watched as moms and dads ran to get their little ones and bring them to see the girl they had prayed for. Here is living proof of a miracle -- a result of many prayers.

Amy Thomas, Shea's friend from Scottsdale who wrote the last blog, is back in Texas finishing up her first year of college. The girls had the best time together, and it was a tearful goodbye when Any left last Sunday. Shea just got a call from Amy this morning asking for prayer for her mom, Sharon Thomas. She has been on a donor list for a kidney and was called this morning that the kidney is available and they are ready to operate. Sharon has also had a heart and lung transplant and skin cancer as well, so she has been sick for a very long time -- ever since Amy was born. This is a very risky surgery, so we are asking all our blogger friends to please pray for Sharon and for her doctors today. Sharon has sent cards to Shea and prayed for her the last few months, and Shea really wants all of us to uplift Sharon at this time. Thank you.

Have a beautiful weekend --

The Hickoks

Spring Break

Hey Blogger Family!

This is Amy Heart, Shea’s friend from Arizona! I have had the amazing opportunity to spend my first Spring Break of college with my beautiful friend Shea Stahrr. People keep asking me how she is different from before the accident, and truly I believe that aside from the cosmetic, she is the same beautiful person she has always been. We have been busy running all around town; shopping, getting coffee, getting our nails done, getting spray tanned, and seeing old friends - you know, the important things in life!

Last Friday we went to the salon where Shea worked before the accident and will eventually go back to once she is released to work. She was received by a group of giddy salon workers who were eager to have her back. Shea almost immediately tried to get back to work and put dishes back in their places. It was great to see the looks on peoples faces as they realized that she really is going to be okay, and God is good.

As many of you know Shea also went back to her church, The Bridge for the first time since the accident. She was asked to come up on stage to be interviewed and give a testimony to all the amazing things that God is doing in her life. Jason Garcia, one of the pastors at The Bridge started off the interview by giving a recap of the night of the accident. He shared pictures of Shea in the hospital, in rehab, and with many of the people who Shea interacted with. This was truly a tribute to how far she has come. Shea began by thanking the congregation for their continuous prayer throughout this whole experience. She shared how Proverbs 3:5-6 has been a key verse for her throughout her recovery. In times where she did not know what to do she had to lean on God and trust in Him to direct her paths.

Jason then asked how people can pray for her. We were hoping that Shea could get into surgery next month but they are now saying that she can’t get in until July 17th. Shea is on a waiting list to get the next available surgery date. For us, it seems like the sooner the better, but we know that God’s time is what we are waiting for. Please continue to pray for God’s timing with Shea’s surgeries. Also, pray for wisdom for the doctors who will be working on her.

I feel so privileged that God has allowed me to be a part of Shea’s recovery and be here for my best friend. I have met so many wonderful people who have been praying for her. I got to meet the Jones family and hear so many wonderful stories about Mike. It is great to be able to remember what a wonderful man of God that Mike was through the stories of everyone that loved him. This journey has been a roller coaster ride! Although times are good right now, there are hard times ahead. Please continue to pray.

With Love!
Amy (Heart) Thomas

Spring Wrinkle

Thanks for all the great comments this past week. It has been a good week for Shea. When you have something to look forward to, it's always easier to cope. Amy Thomas, Shea's friend from Scottsdale, AZ, got here on Thursday to spend her spring break with Shea. We wondered what it would be like when Shea and Amy saw each other for the first time, and it was a sweet reunion. They hugged and laughed and hugged somemore. I could see Amy looking at Shea as she talked. Shea sounds the same (except for a lisp) but she doesn't quite look like herself. The girls have been going nonstop since Thursday. It's music to our ears to hear the girls talking and laughing in Shea's room -- just like old times. Yesterday, Shea and Amy went to Salon 124 for the first time since the accident to see all Shea's friends she works with. She was a little apprehensive to see them, but of course, she was warmly welcomed.

This week Shea saw Dr. McDonald, the orthopedic surgeon from Shepherd Center. He can see that her knee has greatly improved and told Shea that she only needs to wear the leg brace when involved in rigorous exercise. She is walking normally without it, but too much walking puts a strain on it. So how do you tell a nineteen-year-old girl that maybe the high heels aren't the best idea for her right now? Too late!

We tried to set a date in April for Shea's surgery with Dr. Nunns and Dr. McKay, but were unsuccessful. Dr. McKay is not available until the beginning of the summer -- sometime in June. That is a big disappointment to Shea as she has to wait for three months to have the first of three surgeries. If it were a short procedure, they could work her in at the end of the day after another surgery, but they need a 3-4 hour block of time. We are on a waiting list, but unfortunately, there are others in front of Shea. Please pray for God's best timing in this.

As we drove through Atlanta with Amy and Shea, we pointed out the Bradford Pear trees. What a transformation! In the winter season, they are stark -- straight brown sticks pointing in every direction. As the spring months approach we see a bulging of what seems to be buds soon to appear. Now the white blooms are everywhere -- where many are planted together it looks almost like a field of baby's breath. As the sun hits the tops of these trees, one can see the lime green appearing. Spring is coming. Birds are singing. New life appears. Even in the winter months when everything appears dead, there is an inner working -- a preparation for the big show in spring! Just this week, Shea announced to all of us, "Hey everybody! Look at this wrinkle above my eye!" Sure enough. There it is! A wrinkle above the left eye has finally appeared. During the "winter" season in Shea's body, the nerves were sleeping -- and always in the backs of our minds we were thinking, "Will they ever wake up?" A good reminder to us that even when God seems silent, in the winters of our lives, He's always working.

Fresh spring love from the Hickoks

No advertising, please.

The reason the posts were working differently is because we were trying to eliminate comments where people advertise stuff.

We'll change it back, but ask that comments not contain advertisements or links to other products or services.

thanks

Night Cry

This week we had a follow-up visit with Dr. Nunns. He removed all the plastic and metal from Shea's mouth last week, and this visit allowed him to have a good look in her mouth without all the hardware. Her back tooth needs to be extracted, and he told Shea he will remove it during her first surgery. Many of her teeth are broken, so it looks like she'll need at least six crowns. Dr. Nunns said that we can decide on the surgery date as long as he and Dr. McKay are both available as they will perform the surgery together. We have decided to have the first initial surgery in April, and next week we'll find out the actual date.

Around 2:30 this moring Shea came into our room apologizing for awakening us, but she needed to talk. We sat on her bed, and she poured out her heart. When our kids were little we could kiss their owies, put cartoon band-aids on them and smile as they happily skipped away. Not so last night. "Mike is dead, and I don't look like myself anymore." Trying to process it all is overwhelming right now, and Shea needed to cry and talk into the night, and so we did. We didn't have anything profound to say except that everything she is feeling is normal -- time can be the enemy. We told her that one day she will awaken and the first thought of the day will not be of the accident. How long will that be? Wouldn't we love to know. Shea recognizes that God is doing a great work in her life. She knows "all things work together for good . . . ." . . . she "will come forth as gold" and "God meant it for good" -- and on and on, but sometimes the daily battles are just plain hard.

At about 4:00 this morning Luke came out of his room and joined us on Shea's bed. It was sweet to see the two kids lying next to each other -- both wounded in different ways but feeling each other's hurts. Sometimes the sweetest times come about in the simplest ways. We left Shea's room and peaked in again at about 8:00 this morning to see both kids snoring under Shea's electric blanket! It took us back to when they were little. Luke, afraid of the realistic life-sized jungle animals Steve painted on his bedroom walls, always ran to his big sister's room for comfort in the night. Last night was different. Luke sensed his big sister needed him, and he was there to comfort her.

Shea just read what we have written and said, "You guys, don't depress our awesome bloggers"! So you can see that today is sunnier and brighter for our sweet girl!

Love to all you awesome bloggers! --

Steve and Susan