Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Trip

Feeling good enough to smile!

Yes, one of the Gerhardt's landed in the hospital again!  Why us?  I'm not sure either but by now we're feeling well prepared to encounter whatever medical issues come our way.  God is in control and He just proves that over and over again to us. 

Imagine my joy when they transferred my oldest son from the E.R. now able to respond to us with verbal communication to the pediatrics unit for an overnight stay.  Who should open the doors, but the same pediatric nurse that attended our youngest son in the NICU a few months ago!  I was so happy to see a familiar face I gave her a hug!  I love this hospital and the people that serve in it.  Everyone has been so helpful and caring.

For those of you wondering what happened, join the group.  We'll keep you posted as best we can and continue to thank God for answering our calls for mercy and healing.  Our son had an A-typical (meaning there are things that happened that don't normally happen this way) migraine two Sunday's ago.  I found him on his knees on the bathroom floor at church, unable to communicate with me other than some moans and was too weak to stand.  I flagged our Pastor down who was already teaching S.S.  He helped my son down all the flights of steps and prayed over Him with my husband and then we left for the hospital.  On the way we realized he was going in and out of consciousness so we called 911 and they let the hospital know we were on the way. 

In the E.R. we knew he was having great pain but was difficult to know where because he couldn't tell us.  He was shaking and having trouble breathing so they gave him oxygen and ruled a lot of scary things out with a chest x-ray, a cat scan of the head, and an MRI of the brain stem.  I told him I loved him several times because I knew he could hear us and one time he even smiled! 

To make a long story short, they released us the next day with some answers but also some questions remain.  I debated whether or not to blog about this, but I wanted to post this picture that my son allowed me to take. 

Even amidst suffering we can smile.  Even amidst the unknowns we can know Him who holds the universe in His hands.  Even amidst pain we can find something to laugh about and find encouragement and hope for the future.

So he's doing great now, but we still have some unknowns that might have to stay that way or perhaps we'll know but for now we are rejoicing that he has all his former abilities back.  Thank-you to all the people that prayed for us and transported our other children home and sat with them, and for just being concerned and loving us and calling and texting us.