Andrew's Conference Meet

We were so thankful to be able to see Andrew run his last track conference meet in Louisiana.  Even though he had no PR's, he still was 9th in the 10K (31:54) and 10th in the 5K (15:16).  I know those races were hard.  He was so tired.  But he did very well.  I am amazed to look at his 10K splits, and I knew there were a few slower laps here and there.  But overall, he ran really good splits, and I cannot help but think the slower ones were from the fatigue from his immune system.  Knowing all of that, I was still so thankful.  Because he was able to go and run.  His team flew, and I think it was a good time for him.

He is already sick again though.  He went to the doctor Friday and has another two week round of his best antibiotic and was instructed to do three breathing treatments a day for a while.  One side of his lungs was clear, but the other side was awful.  He was moving air very well, so we did not have get an x ray.  We went and cleaned Thursday evening, and he did not remember me talking to him on the way home.  He was out of it, and I was concerned that he was not doing the same things in order.  So we are watching him closely.  He sat in the rain and cold for Luke and Emily's graduation at JSB this morning, and he was so tired by the time it was over that he could not even eat.  I brought him home, and he has slept a lot.  He has done a breathing treatment but still sounds awful.

This is exactly what I have warned my insurance company about while I was begging them to get him his medicine.  Their actions caused him to miss most of his senior track season.  And I just pray we can get him better before he has a seizure or gets pneumonia.  I know God will take care of him no matter what.  But I am struggling again with that anger.  When things calm down a little bit, I will try to focus all of this "wasted" energy on bringing Andrew's situation to attention of people who may be able to do something about it.  This is not the first time with this medicine.  They have held it up in January before.  And they have held it up waiting for authorization that they could be very vague about.  They have also done this with his seizure meds before, causing him to half doses until I could get it straightened out after days of constant work on my part and his doctor's office.  They also changed Sam's insulin to a different "preferred" brand last year which caused a delay - because his prescription on file was for the insulin he had used since 2009.  We also had to buy new insulin pens.  Our insurance covers the insulin cartridges with a co-pay, but they won't pay for the pen that you have to use to give the insulin!  And since those pens malfunction on occasion, we have to stock up some.  It's very frustrating, and I need to do something constructive and helpful with this.

Sam's best part of the meet was wearing his ASU shirt and hat and sitting with Andrew and his friends on Saturday night watching other friends run.  He felt so big.  Andrew is such a great big brother.

It was a good meet with a lot of great performances from Appalachian athletes.  It is sad to me that these events are so far away and that I am not really familiar with any of the other teams in the Sun Belt.  I felt like the Southern Conference was much more familiar!

Thanks for those of you who pray for Andrew and our family.  I would ask that you remember him in the next few days as he tries to get rid of most of this before summer school starts - Chemistry 2 with a lab!

Thank you!

Wendi

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

This verse is for me.  I think I feel more discouraged than angry.  I just need to keep turning all of this over to Him.  God already knows what is coming!

I love that new song by Lauren Daigle.  I do trust in Him and need to remember that when things come my way and cannot get checked off my list.

"Trust In You"

Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see

I’ve tried to win this war I confess
My hands are weary I need Your rest
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight
No matter what I face, You’re by my side

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings
There’s not a day ahead You have not seen
So, in all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

You are my strength and comfort
You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher
Your plans are always good
There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

I will trust in You!
I will trust in You!
I will trust in You!

May 9, 2016

Just a quick update!  

Pete leaves for Israel tomorrow for 10 days.  He is so excited.  I have gotten his "surprise" candy at least five times, and he has found it and eaten it.  So I got a little more today, and we'll see.  He already found it!  The Holy Land is usually one of the safest places for American tourists, and I try to remember that when I hear things on the news.  I need to get his itinerary so I can email it to Rev. Thrasher - and anyone else who wants to know where he is!  Sometimes we look every day to know where he is.  And he is good about texting me.  But sometimes when he has been gone, it's been good enough to keep everyone alive - literally.  We hope this is one of those times where it's nice and calm on both sides.

Sam and I leave near the end of the week to drive to the conference meet with my dad.  He will love Nichole Nordeman, Mercy Me, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Beth Moore by the time we get home.  We are excited to visit a church there on Sunday morning.  It will be a long trip, but we are so excited to see Andrew and his team run.  Sam put them in our prayer journal at Sunday School yesterday - "Andrew and his team."

Andrew feels much better, and we thank those of you who have prayed for him.  He is still a little bit tired, but he seems to be much much better.  He is flying, so his trip won't be as long.

Peter will help me get some of our odd jobs done before I leave, and I am thankful for his willingness to go late at night to get things done.  I don't like being in places alone after dark!  

Will gets his diploma soon!  He won't walk at graduation, but I am so happy for him.  I cannot thank his one teacher enough.  I know she will be thrilled too.  Not all teachers are the same, and God gave us an extra special one to help Will get to this place.  Looking back over his entire education, those special teachers made a huge difference and played a part in getting him to this point.  I remember his second grade teacher making a huge impact one time with something she said.  I told her about it a couple of years ago, and she did not remember it at all.  But he does.  And I do.  It's true that teachers impact more than we know.

Sam had his last reading lesson today for a few weeks.  He is doing really well.  And I love to sit in the observation room and see him actually learning things.  He catches himself, and I saw one time when the light bulb came right on.  And he was so excited, and his teachers were too!  It's slow, and it will take time; but I can already tell a difference in him.  And I think he knows he can actually learn to read.  We pray every morning on our way to school, and he knows we have been praying about his reading for years.

I got to meet with a special friend today that I have not seen in forever.  She is going through some medical issues - just had surgery for cancer.  And now she must decide what treatment path to take.  I am praying that her second opinion at Duke will give her peace and clarity.  It was such a blessing to hug on her today and to meet her children that I have not met before!

I also feel so thankful that someone else has only one more chemo treatment to go.  I don't have permission to share, but I am thankful that God has seen this special person through his journey thus far.  And I know He will continue to.

So much illness and sadness.  Missing children and young people.  Confused and hurting people.  People who need the Lord.  Our sermon Sunday was on salt and light.  Matthew 5:13-16 from The Sermon on the Mount.  Pete will get to go where Jesus was when He preached - the Mount of Beatitudes.  I want to spend more time praying and being what God wants ME to be on this earth - to be salt and light.  To be what He wants me to be.  Not what I want to be.  Or how I want to seem to people.  You've probably figured out by now that I am NOT that person most people want to be like!  I think people have started running and hiding when they see me in Walmart!  No one strives to live in the sometimes constant chaos of my life.  My life is not perfect or orderly or desirable.  

I did not get that song "Blessings" when it first came out.  My friend Lisa told me to listen to it.  Then after a few times of listening, it  hit me.  The things that DON'T tie us to this world are blessings, because this is not our home.  Oh, to be that perfect person who points others to Christ constantly because my focus is constantly on Him and not my circumstances.  And not on what others are doing or have.  And not  how great everyone else seems to be doing on Facebook.  I cry thinking of wasted time and opportunities.  But because His mercies are new every morning, I still can strive every day to be that light.  To be that salt.  To be the one He wants me to be. 

Okay, the "quick" was a stretch.  Thanks for reading this.  Thanks to those who pray.  

If you want to see track meet results, they should be under Sun Belt Conference.  I think there is a championship tab, and you can go to Outdoor Track and Field.  Dad and I are not technical geniuses, so we won't be posting pictures from the meet on Facebook!  Besides, we cannot do that and time and write splits and cheer.  We are just praying for good efforts and a safe trip for everyone.

Love,

Wendi

Update

Thanks for reading this!

 

Andrew is doing well, except he has been sick for the last few weeks.  And I have struggled with anger during this time.  I begged BCBS since the first of February when I knew there was trouble showing he had insurance to the drug company.  Once that was fixed, the reimbursement rate for the company (that we have used since he was diagnosed a few years ago) was way too low (like from 42% to 3%).  So the drug company - after having weeks of trouble even reaching BCBS - found us another company.  I tried to get one dose on my credit card - whatever we could do.  I warned BCBS through phone calls and private FB messages that this would probably happen.  They did not care as they held up his meds for over two months.  So he has had a bad upper respiratory infection with coughing and bad fatigue.  He has missed every track meet since the 5000 he ran in Charlotte.  And we started him on antibiotics even before the doctor thought we really needed to.  It escalated fast, and he is on round 2.  I have talked to BCBS twice in the past week for an hour each time.  They called ME.  Maybe I am on their priority list, because they know that I know I have proof of contact and begging.  They did offer to maybe get a gift card to "compensate" for what Andrew has been through.  We are in the process of getting a case manager, and I told them a gift card (and I don't think I said "stupid" gift card) would not make up for Andrew missing most of his senior track season.  

 

I also told them, since they asked about my issues, that he could be susceptible to that liver disease or lipodystrophy that went away and has not come back.  I told them there was no explanation for the remission of those things except God and that I was trusting God would keep them at bay while Andrew's immune system is still so low.  They always start out with an attitude, but at the end of the conversation really act like they understand that we need help getting our stuff.

 

Andrew has not had a seizure during this time, but he did call us one day from campus and could not use his legs.  We got him into the peds office in a wheelchair, and Dr. Zimmerman gave him fluids for a few hours.  During that time, he could not even stand up alone to go to the bathroom.  He could not walk.  It was scary, and that does make me angry at Blue Cross.  But I also know that God had His hand on Andrew.  And I share that with the insurance people, so they will know that I am upset and want things fixed BUT that our family does not totally rely on them.

 

So we are praying Andrew will be back to himself by conference in mid-May.  He has run two PR's in the 5K and 10K.  And that is a huge praise, because those are the only times he has had!  My dad, Sam, and I are driving to Lafayette, LA, to watch Andrew run.  My dad does not know (unless he reads this email) that I am planning the trip with some good stops in mind.  He likes to eat inside a restaurant while Sam and I like to run into a favorite store or two on a break and go through a drive-thru.  So we will compromise and have had some help planning some stops in places we have never been  Sam and I went to BIrmingham, our halfway point, for indoor conference; so at least we have been that way already and know what to expect.

We are thankful Dad is going (I am 48, but he said I am not going alone), because Pete will be out of the country.  He leaves for Israel right before we leave.  And he is so excited.  Andrew won't graduate in May, because he has added a nutrition major.  I know his brain is working well, because he has done really well in his first Chemistry class, probably one of the toughest subjects at Appalachian.  Andrew has not always seen good grades with his studying, so we are very thankful his brain seems to work better with his school work.  He had a few tough  years while we changed his medications, and he had more seizures.

 

Sam has started reading lessons at ASU.  He was evaluated, after Laura got one of his notebooks I keep and showed it to her supervisor.  Her supervisor is wonderful and told me after his second evaluation that he needs intense one on one help, and she believes she can teach him to read.  I got tears in my eyes, and she told me I was so sweet.  Then I told her that I had prayed about his reading for years.  I knew something was wrong.  And though he has had some really good teachers, he needed that one on one.  And what is on paper at school is not always what will work.  He has struggled with a huge amount of anxiety this year, and I hate to say I did not have a clue how bad it was.  He does not act out.  But we have also been to Asheville to Olson Huff twice, and I saw it clearly in those weeks.  We are working on plans for next year, and that will include getting him the help he needs to read and whatever else he needs to feel comfortable and learn.  We have been praying so hard about all of this, and God just keeps bringing people, since March, to give us answers.  So we know He will help with the rest.  Sam is already talking more about what bothers him and handling things much better.   He was able to run into Boone Drug Friday alone (we're in there all of the time, and they know us!) to get a book he had seen, and he ended up having someone get it for him!  He was beaming, clutching that Star Wars book, when he waited for me on the sidewalk.  He could not have done that even a few weeks ago.

 

During all of this stuff, Sam has had some very low blood sugars.  He also had trouble feeling his legs when he got into the car one day after school (weird that there were two instances of that!).  But his blood sugar was in the 50's, so his knees probably felt extremely weak.  He was fine when our wonderful nurse had checked him, but he dropped right before school let out.  I was just thankful he was able to eat Smarties all the way home where he was still a little lower than he should have been.  So that was a fast, scary drop.  We went to the endocrinologist two weeks ago and found his a1c had drastically dropped - a great thing since it had been creeping up despite our best efforts.  The doctor was extremely pleased, and Sam and I celebrated with a big Lego set that he had wanted since before Christmas.  It was on the clearance table at the Lego store when we went into South Park to grab lunch.  God had it right there for him.  Now, we are changing everything around again as he starts to creep up again and don't know if it's illness or just the up and downs of diabetes.  But we are determined to keep on top of things.  And we continue to thank God for the help He always gives.

 

Peter is finishing his junior year at Appalachian.  He just ran a 5K at school yesterday.  We are happy he is running some again.  He is also on a mission to help our dog lose weight.  He's done a great job, and she is so much more active.  We have all been on board.  He will be surprised to return home tonight to find she's lost 10 more pounds, since Will shaved her this afternoon!  He left the mountains of white fur on the back deck.  If it blows into the neighbors' yards tonight, they will think they have awakened to snow in the morning!

 

Will is working on getting his CDL still and has part of it.  It's a little weird to see him driving such huge things, but we think he was born that way  I am just hoping and praying he will recognize where his gifts and abilities come from and do things to honor God with those talents.  He has good people in his path that we know God has orchestrated.  So we continue to pray over all of our boys continually.  We are so thankful God is faithful.

 

Thanks for reading this and thanks for praying for us.  We cannot begin to explain how much it means to us.

 

Wendi