Home Stretch!
We're excited to tell all of you that Shea is on the home stretch . . . at least we think! You never know, but we're excited to see a glimpse of the end.
Shea has a surgery tomorrow morning at 8:30. This time they will implant the posts into the bone that she has grown over the last number of months. They will also graft more bone and do skin grafts as well. Hopefully, if all goes well, this operation will last about three to four hours.
Last week we met with Dr. McKay, one of Shea's plastic surgeons, and instead of waiting six months after tomorrow's surgery, he is confident that in eight weeks they should be able to procede with the final surgery -- a rhinoplasty, fixing Shea's collapsed nose, reconstructing deteriorated bone in her jaw and repairing a number of scars. It's hard not to get too excited because we're always fearful of a setback, but we're praying that all will go well. In November, it will be three years since the accident, and although Shea has been unbelievably patient, she's ready to move on with her life.
This morning I heard an explanation of Proverbs 14:10, and it reminded me of Shea and all that she has suffered. "Each heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can share its joy." Sometimes she meets others who have endured similar sufferings -- car accidents, diseases, loss of teeth, anxiety, etc. As they share their experiences, no one has the same story -- each suffers differently, and even though we have walked this road with our girl from the very beginning, we will never really know the deepness of her suffering. It has changed Shea profoundly. She understands the preciousness of life, and desires to know her purpose. "No one else can share its joy." The uphill climb is extremely overwhelming at times, but this downward (yet bumpy!) ride is a joy that is truly hers.
A friend of ours who has been by her husband's side as he endures the final stages of cancer, shared a great quote with us -- we don't know who wrote it, but it was just what Shea needed the other day. "It is not what I would choose, but it is what I will use to bring honor and glory to Jesus." We are grateful that beauty grows from despair no matter how hard it is to see -- we have to look with squinty eyes sometimes, but it's there.
Thanks for enduring with us, for standing in the wings and cheering Shea on to the home stretch!
We love you --
The Hickoks
Shea has a surgery tomorrow morning at 8:30. This time they will implant the posts into the bone that she has grown over the last number of months. They will also graft more bone and do skin grafts as well. Hopefully, if all goes well, this operation will last about three to four hours.
Last week we met with Dr. McKay, one of Shea's plastic surgeons, and instead of waiting six months after tomorrow's surgery, he is confident that in eight weeks they should be able to procede with the final surgery -- a rhinoplasty, fixing Shea's collapsed nose, reconstructing deteriorated bone in her jaw and repairing a number of scars. It's hard not to get too excited because we're always fearful of a setback, but we're praying that all will go well. In November, it will be three years since the accident, and although Shea has been unbelievably patient, she's ready to move on with her life.
This morning I heard an explanation of Proverbs 14:10, and it reminded me of Shea and all that she has suffered. "Each heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can share its joy." Sometimes she meets others who have endured similar sufferings -- car accidents, diseases, loss of teeth, anxiety, etc. As they share their experiences, no one has the same story -- each suffers differently, and even though we have walked this road with our girl from the very beginning, we will never really know the deepness of her suffering. It has changed Shea profoundly. She understands the preciousness of life, and desires to know her purpose. "No one else can share its joy." The uphill climb is extremely overwhelming at times, but this downward (yet bumpy!) ride is a joy that is truly hers.
A friend of ours who has been by her husband's side as he endures the final stages of cancer, shared a great quote with us -- we don't know who wrote it, but it was just what Shea needed the other day. "It is not what I would choose, but it is what I will use to bring honor and glory to Jesus." We are grateful that beauty grows from despair no matter how hard it is to see -- we have to look with squinty eyes sometimes, but it's there.
Thanks for enduring with us, for standing in the wings and cheering Shea on to the home stretch!
We love you --
The Hickoks
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