God is in control.

So it's been a little while, but I wanted to share a little bit of what's been going on in my life lately with you all. The internship with Cru is going great. I love working with the staff and students at West Chester. It's awesome to see what God is doing on this campus! I have been seeing more students get involved than I ever have before. More to come on WC . . .

On a more serious note . . .

Last week, on Wednesday (Sept. 23), my youngest sister (Moriah - 16 yrs) collapsed on the field hockey field during her game and had a seizure. She was taken to the ER by ambulance and doctors began checking her out. She has never had a seizure before, so this was all new. On Thursday the doctors found a blood spot on the back of Moriah's brain, and scarring from older bleeding (some things that shouldn't be there). They placed her on seizure medication and kept her over night again. On Friday they did more tests and found that Moriah has a medical condition known as Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM).

AVM is a very rare disorder, found in 1 in 1000 individuals. When the brain is forming, the blood vessels don't form properly and form a tangle. The capillaries (that connect the arteries to veins) don't form and the blood is transferred straight from the arteries to the veins, not allowing the brain to absorb oxygen from the blood. This also puts extreme pressure on the weakened blood vessels and over time these vessels may rupture and cause hemorrhaging (strokelike symptoms). Seizures are also symptoms, which is what Moriah experienced.

This past Tuesday (Sept. 29), Moriah went to Hershey Medical Center to see a neurovascular surgeon. She found out that this is going to be a longer process and road to recovery than we were hoping . . . Moriah is going back up to Hershey next Thursday (Oct. 8) for an angiogram. For this procedure, the doctor will insert a catheter into a vein in her groin and thread it up to her neck (advances in medicine are pretty crazy, huh?). They will then inject a dye to track the blood through an xray to get a better picture of what they are dealing with.

A week or two after the angiogram, she will have to go back up to Hershey Med. Center for an endovascular embolization. This will again involve a catheter like the angiogram. This time the doctor will inject a gluelike substance to block the targeted blood vessel and reduce blood flow to this area. A week or two after this (end of Oct./early Nov.), Moriah goes back for surgical removal of the AVM. The embolization helps reduce the chance of bleeding during the surgery and can also reduce the size of the AVM. The neurovascular surgeon says that it is riskier for Moriah to live with the AVM than to go through the removal procedure. One risk of this procedure is a stroke. The doctor says, though, that Moriah is at a perfect age to get this procedure.

Needless to say, this is all very troubling for Moriah . . . and has been challenging for our entire family. It's very hard watching someone go through things like this, especially when it is someone you really love and care about deeply. We are resting (or at least trying to rest) in the confidence that God is in control. He loves Moriah and is watching over her. If you could be praying for Moriah, our family, and the doctors that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your prayers and support.


Moriah . . . I love you!! We'll make it through this baby sister!