Joy in Place of Mourning

Rachel and Sarah Nyman with Kiara

The sound of princess laughter has filled the ICU, drowning out the sighs. Kiara’s friends have brought a simple playdough game and they are making girly jokes. They have to be patient with her when it looks like she might have something to say, but they get it and they wait. They are rewarded with many, many words, though not all of them make sense. Soul friendship wakes up a part of Kiara we haven’t yet seen, and we give the girls space but we can’t help peeping through the curtain.

Her physio gets her doing knee bends and standing up on her toes, and we educate her that ballerinas call them pliés and relevés. Kiara and I add a few battement tendu’s and agree that tomorrow we’ll attempt some ballet barwork.

Now that she’s up on her feet, it’s time to do her own ablutions, so she’s off down the passage to the bathroom every hour. Saline drips keep you well hydrated!

The big news of the day is that we start discussing plans beyond just the next few hours. They’re talking of moving her into the surgical ward on Monday, and taking out her stitches on Wednesday. There’s a neuro rehabilitation center in another hospital and it’s time to get on to the waiting list.

In ten days time they can see how the wound on her head and abdomen are managing without stitches, and then it will be time to think about scheduling the reparative surgery.

If her last surgery had a fatality risk of 80-90%, this next one to replace her skull is more like 10-20% risk to life. Wow, I don’t like the idea of my baby having a 1 in 5 chance of death... but as I write this I determine that’s the last time I’ll mention it. I just want the pray-ers to know.

The timing of the surgery depends on many factors. Some research recommends waiting 3-6 months. Latest research says the sooner the skull is put back the better. We have trusted our medical team implicitly. Neither of us has googled medical info once. The team of doctors and nurses and rehab specialists has been world class. They communicate every detail with one another and defer to each other’s expertise. It’s a miracle in itself watching what good teamwork can accomplish.

Yes, it’s been a good day’s work with a few naps in between. Emotions are settling into something of a more natural rhythm. We start to think of everyday things, like feeding the dog and ordering books for school. Friends are still carrying the majority of the load, but it feels like our legs can carry more weight. I even answer the phone a couple of times. Hello, people of the world! Thank you for your prayers!

Prayer points for the soldiers:

A good night’s sleep for EVERYONE in ICU.

Healing of the scalp skin flap.

Healing of the abdomen wound.

Freedom from infection.

Brain pathways: muddled speech centre to continue being rectified; confusion in memory - long term, short term, and working memory to keep improving; reading - we don’t know if it’s really making sense or not because she can’t yet tell us; writing - she’s not written anything but her name; co-ordination and fine motor skills.

Kiara to continue to be motivated and encouraged.

Medical team’s wisdom in timing her next surgery. And peace and success when the day arrives!

Blessing on all the medical team and nursing staff.

Protection from falling and injury as she becomes more mobile.

For a radical harvest of souls in all churches, everywhere, tomorrow!!!