Please Pray Today for Caridee Sage Gill

There are tons of political things that I could talk about today, but I'll put that aside for now.

There is something much more important and close to my heart today.

At 9:00 this morning my sweet little niece Caridee Sage Gill will go in for surgery to fix a problem with her aorta. There are two sections of her aorta that are too narrow and they are restricting the free flow of blood. This causes her heart to have to work too hard and is also inhibiting her growth and development. This is a side effect of the Turner's Syndrome. She is about 6 months old now, which is what the doctors were waiting for. She is just as precious as can be.

Please take a minute and go to her Caring Bridge website.

Also, just because it will make you smile, go to this post on our family blog and watch little Caridee laugh, it's absolutely priceless.

But above all, please pray earnestly for my sweet little niece.

Thanks,

Keith

Caridee : Another schedule change

The board of pediatric cardiologists at PCH reviewed Caridee's file this morning and they decided that it would be better for her to gain some more weight before they perform the surgery. So it has been postponed and they will be monitored. Obviously this is an emotional roller coaster for Heather and Chris.

In the meantime she has had trouble gaining weight because of the heart condition, so it's kind of a chicken/egg thing.

Please just continue to pray that God heals her heart without the surgery and that she quickly starts to gain weight and energy.

Thanks,
Keith

New Time for Caridee's Surgery

We got an email saying that the surgery has been bumped up from Wednesday to Tuesday about noon.

Please keep them in your prayers. If you would like to pass on any words of encouragement you can leave a comment below and I will gladly pass them on.

Thanks and have a blessed weekend!

-Keith

**** Update: They have also established a Caring Bridge website for her here. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carideegill

Prayer Request for baby Caridee

Well, Caridee had her check up and her heart condition has gotten worse. The surgery to resolve the shrinking of her aorta is this coming Wednesday.

Please keep my little niece and her parents in your prayers. This is just a tough thing to go through, especially for first time parents.

I'll make another post before Wednesday, but I just wanted people to be able to talk to any prayer chains that you may be a part of at your churches so that we can create a chorus of believers lifting up this little family.

Thanks and have a blessed weekend.

-Keith

More prayers for Caridee

It was so wonderful last week to be able to take the boys to see their little cousin for the first time. They were SO excited and didn't want to stop holding her. I can't blame them, she is quite precious.

She has been going for regular check ups and they were concerned that she was not gaining weight. Another echo on her heart showed that one side was slightly enlarged and further tests showed a narrowing of the aorta. Common I guess for Turner's babies, but not good news. They are meeting with surgeons to discuss what needs to be done. She will most likely have surgery within the next few weeks.

Please keep little Caridee in your prayers that her aorta will expand on it's own. The doctors have already said this would be a miracle, but hey I know someone that can handle those. :) But no matter what pray for healing for her and that the problem will be resolved one way or another.

Please keep Heather and Chris in your prayers as well. It's tough enough being new parents, but this is a whole different hurdle to climb.

Thanks,

Keith

She's coming home!!!

Last night I stopped by Heather and Chris’ empty house and dropped off our bassinet for them. They are going to need it because CARIDEE IS COMING HOME TODAY!!!!

Praise God! All of the follow up tests have looked good and they think that Caridee is going to be fine. It has been a very dramatic roller coaster ride and I know that Chris and Heather really appreciate all of the prayers. Check out this excerpt from the message that Chris sent out.

The doctors watching over her were absolutely wonderful, but even they
couldn’t really explain all the events that took place. For instance, the
bacteria they initially found in the bladder and the lack of pee after 3 days,
could have been indicative of renal-failure of the kidney’s (potentially fatal),
but this bacteria never cultured (which was perplexing in itself) and
mysteriously disappeared. This is when the floodgates were opened leading to
nice wet diapers; definitely a God thing.

Praise God and thank you for taking this very precious family before the throne of our God in prayer.

Great day yesterday

I had the great privilege yesterday of getting to hold my sweet little niece, Caridee! I might be just a little bit biased, but she is INCREDIBLY PRECIOUS! What a beautiful little baby!

And the best part is that right after I got to hold her, they moved her down to the lower level ICU. No IV. No formula. Just mama's milk. All of the kidney issues have cleared up. She even got a little baby massage yesterday to help with the puffiness in her legs.

Here is an excerpt from the message that Chris sent out this morning, I think he says it all pretty good.

God has been working in this hospital and making His mark on the nurses and doctors that have been caring for us. In fact, our doctors are completely stumped as to how Caridee has healed her biggest trial in the hospital so far (kidney problems). They are still unable to tell how exactly the issue resolved itself. We tell them it
was God taking over! He is almighty and gracious.

They are still running some more tests today, mainly repeats just be sure that everything is okay. Heather and Chris were so happy yesterday when I talked with them. I think they can finally see the day when they get to take their sweet little girl home. Praise God!

Keep praying. I'll post another update when she gets to leave the hospital. Hopefully in the next day or two.

A new message about Caridee this morning

I received an email from Chris this morning about Caridee. It is all very positive. She seems to be urinating a healthy amount now and she has been moved to the intermediate ICU and a step closer to going home! The doctors anticipate that it will still be 2-7 before she leaves the hospital, but things are definitely looking better. Here is an excerpt from Chris' email. Praise God and keep praying!

She is so much more in tune with her surroundings, looking around, and just taking in life one breath at a time. We can tell she is feeling better. It is so neat to look into her eyes and see God's miracle in our hands. If you remember, the doctors only gave Caridee a 5% chance of even making it to delivery, but God had other plans,
and we know with Him anything is possible... We just have to have faith and ask. And that is where you come in, at times Heather and I were down, and that is why it is so important to have a church family, close friends, and family like you to encourage us and help us through these trials.

Caridee Update

I just got a call from Brandi. Originally Heather and Chris were heading home tonight w/o Caridee, but a room has become available that will allow them to stay. It appears that Caridee is responding to antibiotics. Also she was previously not urinating or even producing much urine despite a lot of liquids, that has increased as well, which is a GREAT sign.

B mentioned that there was some talk of a possible horseshoe kidney but they haven't said decisively that this is the case.

Nursing is going well and it seems that Heather and Chris are doing better and feel like they are getting more optimism from the doctors.

Long story short. There are still a lot of questions, but things seem to be headed in the right direction. Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming.

No more waiting

So, Sarah Palin is the VP choice and the other event that I was waiting for... just happened!

Caridee Sage was just born. Mother and baby are doing well. I don't have the stats yet, but I'll be sure to update when I get them.

Congrats to Heather and Chris and God bless this little family!

UPDATE***** She is 7 lbs and 1 ounce, 19 inches long!