Days of Rest and Relaxation...

Once we left the El Camino Surgery Center we went back to Arlene & Jack's. For the past two days we haven't done a lot just went to McDonald's for lunch and for me to use their free internet. We visited the local library, a couple times, where we spent hours reading! This is Miata's favorite place to hang out and they also have free internet so it's a win win situation! Today we took Mary to a place so that I could help her learn how to drive. Considering that I have a rental car that probably isn't the wisest thing to do but she desperately needs to learn so off we went! (my husband probably missed a heart beat when he read this!) The area we were directed to is actually where many go to learn how to drive. It is a huge open paved/graveled area with absolutely no cars! Well there was actually one car with a gentleman sitting outside of it in a chair trying to get a little sun. Anyways, they even have cones in various locations that you can use and set up as obstacles to maneuver around and for learning to park. It was a really neat place! Well, Mary did pretty good after she learned not to step on the brake so hard! The first time Mary went to stop we all were thrown forward and poor Miata screamed because it scared her! I laughed and laughed while Miata sat with her big round eyes trying to figure out what had happened!! It really was too funny!! Mary got better and better at easing on the brake. Overall she did really well as a beginner. She has just passed her written driving test on Tuesday and really wants to take the driving part as soon as she can. For her to learn to drive costs $25 an hour which she cannot afford. I told her we would go several more times while I am here but then she will have to pay for at least 1 or 2 hours so that she can actually get on the road and drive with other cars. Now that is scary with the amount of vehicles on the road here! I definitely could not take her in a rental car!

Anyways, I would love to share a little about Mary...

She is from Kenya and has suffered dearly! She has 6 children of her own and had taken in (adopted) 3 additional children who were orphaned due to their parents being killed. She also took care of many other children as well (as a single mom... due to tribal clashes she had seen her husband, 3 brothers, brother's wives, their children, and her mom killed.) She used to be an accountant in Kenya and was also a very outspoken advocate against female genital mutilation which happens to women all the time in that area. Because of her outspokenness many leaders had threatened Mary on several occasions trying to get her to be quiet but she would not! She was determined to make a difference for women and continued to push the government to make changes and help better protect women. Well below there is a little more detail of what happen to Mary. During my first trip here she had shared so much with me but now during this visit she has shared even much more. Her stories are absolutely unbelievable and one cannot even fathom what others in this world endure on a daily basis!!!!! Anyways, this is just one person's story and just one of the many individuals that Arlene and Jack have helped!! On Friday evening Arlene had two individuals stop by whom she and Jack also help. As I sat at the table looking in the living room the thought that ran through my mind was... look at mix of folks from varies countries that are in this room right now! There was Mary from Kenya, Katoko a Japanese lady, & I can't remember the gentleman's name but he was from El Salvador. Well then of course there was us from the US and then little Miata from China. Anyways, it was kinda neat just seeing the mix of races from all over in this one small room. And to think it is all because of this kind couple who reach out to all color and all races to help anyone in need! The help in ways that are mind boggling! You could not even imagine what they do on a daily basis and at 75 and 81 years of age! Just last night Arlene was up til midnight working on presentation things she is doing for El Salvador. I thought this morning she would surely sleep in but nope, she was up by 7:00am! Amazing!!

Well, tomorrow we are going to San Francisco for the day. I will try to post more tomorrow night.

EMAIL ONE:

Dear Ones,

A while ago I asked for prayers for Mary from Kenya (a strong, outspoken woman who had repeatedly said that female genital mutilation must be stopped and that people needed to protect their girls). The outlawed sect, Mungiki, in retaliation, broke into Mary's home during her dinner with her mother, sister, and children, and did FGM against Mary and her sister in front of her mother and children. The Mungiki had also burned the homes of her two brothers while they and their families were asleep inside, plus many other atrocities. Mary managed to come to the US and came to our church one Sunday. She had already started her application process to get asylum. Our daughter, Jennie, and family and Jack and I started giving her some assistance. She got a good immigration attorney with a very difficult judge. The judge and the Homeland Security attorney kept raising questions and wanting more information and voicing reservations about her application. The process dragged out over 10 court appearances and over 1 1/2 years. She finally was granted asylum on April 7 (while Jack and I were away visiting our son Michael and family in Spain and Jack's 2 sisters and my sister and family in NC. Below is a report from our friend, Marjorie!

Thanks for your prayers! We also pray with faith that Mary will get a good job. She has been taking training to be a Nurse's Assistant and used to be an accountant.

Much love,

Arlene

EMAIL TWO:
Dear Arlene,
I know you know because Mary called you from the car going home
but I wanted to just bring you in and connect. It was a thing of so much
joy that we each realized it slowly. First the judge began to give
indications that he would approve. Then there were more discussions.
Miss HomeLand gave no closing arguments. Finally the judge said
he was will to grant asylum but he wanted to make sure there would not
be an appeal. Miss HL didn't speak for a moment and the judge asked
her if she would like 10 minutes. She said yes and dashed out.
Craig and I agreed she was telephoning her boss. 10 minutes later
she returned and said the government waived appeal. Judge granted
and moved directly to give her instructions and pages of information.

All this while we sat like little church mice, 9 of us plus a lawyer in
training who had asked Mary's permission to sit in. Finally the judge
left and we were up and smiles and handshakes and when Mary could come out
of her area, there were hugs all around and a few tears.

Special thanks to you Arlene, for getting the group going and seeing
it through. This truly was mercy and compassion.

Blessings for your final leg home. Looking forward to seeing you and Jack.

Love,
Marjorie

After Surgery...

Once Miata was awake and fully alert the first thing she wanted to do was eat! She hadn't eaten since dinner the night before and she was really hungry before she went into surgery. So, she was very hungry! She is limited to just a few things that is allowed for her to eat after surgery but thank goodness they are yummy things. She started with a popsicle and as soon as that was gone she then asked for a jello. The jello also was gone very quickly then she asked for a pudding. Well after the pudding she again asked for another popsicle which at that time I had to tell her she needed to wait a while to make sure she wasn't going to have a nauseous stomach from the anesthesia. Later she watched movies, read, played a few games, and we talked with Alberto and his family. The day went by rather quickly and then it was time to settle in for the night. Miata & myself, Alberto's family, and two nurses were the only ones in the facility throughout the night. Unlike last time, this time I crawled into bed with Miata to sleep! Last time Miata was in much more pain and had the drainage tubes so I didn't even consider the bed rather tried sleeping in a chair and I got very little sleep but this time I slept pretty well!

Miata has not been in pain at all! Even the area from where they harvested the skin graft was not sore. Later in the evening I asked her if her ear was sore at all and she said, "well maybe a little." So, I had the nurse give her some pain medicine as a precautionary measure so that it would not all of a sudden kick in with pain.



Anyways, when we awoke the next morning, at around 5:00am we got cleaned up and then Miata watched another movie while we waited for Dr. Brent who was due to come in at 7:00am. Well, of course he was right on time and he greeted us with a cheerful good morning. He sat and talked with Miata for a bit then gave us instructions and discharge papers and told us he would see us back in his office next Wednesday for Miata's post-op visit. Here is a clip of Miata with Dr. Brent (you may have to turn your volume up higher to hear them.)

Surgery...

We arrived at the surgery center early and in the waiting area was the couple from Venezuela. Their son, Alberto, was in surgery. We sat with them during our wait for Miata to be taken back to the prep area. They are a friendly couple and the dad (oops forgot his name) had a good time talking and playing with Miata. They were electronically very equipped with all the latest gadgets (Iphones, new Ipad, computer, etc.) While the mom played games with Miata on their Ipad the dad and I talked. He had many questions he wanted to ask me about the surgery, what to expect days following the surgery, how Miata did, and so on.












Soon we were taken back to the prep area where Miata had to change into pjs. She got to wear her pj bottoms but had to wear the hospitals pj top. Once in pjs she waited in the bed and passed time by playing her DS. The nurse eventually came to get her ready. She tagged her, tatooed her, and took her vitals. She also took time to show/teach Miata what the vital numbers were and what they mean. Next she gave her the "happy" medicine which, within about 15 minutes puts her in "lala land." They rolled her to the double doors where I kissed her and reassured her that she would see me as soon as she woke up from surgery.

Next I made my way to the waiting room where I waited for about three hours. Finally Dr. Brent emerged through the double doors and said, "Everything went superb and our "little character" this is what he calls her, did wonderfully! He showed me a picture of her ear after he completed the surgery and it looked great! Of course when we actually get to see it it will look much different because the swelling will have set in but the initial picture looks really good and is before any swelling.

Next I made my way back to the recovery area where Miata was still sleeping due to the anesthesiology. Within minutes she began to open her eyes but it still took a several more minutes before she was fully alert.

Computer battery is low... I will post more later.

Preparing for Surgery...

This day is started out cool and rainy. We began by obtaining our rental car. I had to do an inspection of the car in the drizzling rain which was most difficult because I couldn't really see the vehicle clear enough due to be covered with water. Hopefully I detected all the dings and scratches and if not then I should still be covered since she documented that it was tough viewing because of the rain.

Next we made our way to the El Camino Surgery Center where Miata will be during her surgery and stay until the next morning. While sitting in the waiting room Dr. Brent came walking in (from across the road where there is a YMCA which he goes exercises during/after his surgeries) and immediately spotted Miata! He came right over to her and began talking with us for a few minutes. He told me that he just finished surgery earlier on a little girl from Panama! He is such a neat doctor! Anyways, after completing the paperwork needed for tomorrows surgery the nurse took us on a quick tour so Miata could remember everything from last time. When we went to the recovery area we met the little girl from Panama! Dr. Brent had just completed Stage 2 of her surgeries. She was a cute little girl and we enjoyed talking with the family briefly.

Next we headed for some lunch and afterwards began to make our way to Dr. Brent's office. Once inside we said hello to the two ladies that work in Dr. Brent's office, which are also so nice. But then Dr. Brent called us back because he wanted to introduce us to three additional families! One from Venezuela, one from New Jersey, & one from Boston! And to think of the number of families that come in and out of those doors on a daily basis from all over the world!! Mind Boggling!! Well we learned that the little boy from Venezuela would be having his surgery (1st - Stage 1) right before Miata. Which means we will be staying the night together in the recovery room. Last time we where there all night with the family from Saudi Arabia but we didn't talk with them at all. I don't think they new English. Anyways, this family is very friendly so maybe the stay won't seem soooo long. After the evaluation with Dr. Brent and the signing of needed paperwork for surgery it was almost 4:00 and we headed back to Arlene's for dinner.

We had a dinner together with Jack & Arlene, Mary (from Kenya), and Jennie, Michael, and AJ (Arlene's daughter's family.) After dinner Jack took Miata & AJ to the back yard for a few games of crochet. They had a wonderful time playing! A bit later it was time for them to leave and for us to gather all the needed items for our stay at the surgery center. Then on to bed.

We're finally in San Francisco!!

We started our day at 4:20am! We made our 2 hour trip to Raleigh and then began our all day flight travels! We arrived in San Francisco at 4:30pm which was 7:30pm our time! By then we were pretty tired of all the traveling. Once at Arlene & Jack's house we got our things in place and then Miata and I went with Arlene to buy groceries. We had a very nice time talking and shopping and then later had a nice dinner together. We are most blessed to have this wonderful couple as our friends! They are such a unique and special couple who have helped thousands of individuals all over the world in their times of need!

Tomorrow we have to obtain a rental car, go to El Camino Surgery Center, make it to Miata's 3:00 pre-op appointment with Dr. Brent, and gather our things for surgery on Wednesday. I will try to post again tomorrow!

Thank you for all your prayers! They are most appreciated!

Appt. w/ Dr. Kesser (Virginia) & Surgery 2... Now Scheduled

It's been a while since my last update!
Miata's ear has done extremely well with absolutely NO problems!! Dr. Brent is the best! There are so many children that I read and hear about that have had botched surgeries because the doctors performing their surgeries do not really know what they are doing in this extremely delicate and sensitive area of reconstructive surgery! Dr. Brent mastered this surgery and is also a well known sculpture as well! So, put the two together and you have truly "THE BEST" surgeon for this surgery! Not to mention that EARS are the ONLY area he does surgery on! He is literally known around the world for his specialty and expertise in this surgery! And unfortunately (actually fortunately - just late) for the many many that have these botched surgeries, they end up with Dr. Brent because he is the one that can correct all the damage that was done.

O.k. back to Miata...












Friday, April 2nd, began our spring break and we started out early! Miata had an appointment with Dr. Kesser (the other "Best" doctor - for the Atresia part of her ear) so we were on the road by 6:30am to make it to her 1:30 appointment. Once we arrived we had to take her to Audiology to have another hearing test done on both of her ears. The charts above show the results of her hearing test. The X represents the testing (Air & Bone Conduction Test) on her left ear. The triangle & circle represents the Air Conduction Test on her right ear. The [ (shown to the side of the X's) represent the Bone Conduction Test (testing of her inner ear hearing) on her right ear. What these results mean is... She has perfectly normal hearing in her left ear and severe hearing loss in her right ear, when tested by way of Air Conduction Testing (testing from the outside of the ear.) BUT when tested, by way of Bone Conduction Testing (hooked up to the bone behind the ear to test the hearing inside the ear) she shows (it is this symbol [ beside the X's)perfectly normal hearing in her right ear! So this means her severe hearing loss is ONLY because no sound is able to get through the bone (skull) into her inner ear! Which is why we are on this path... to give her this incredible gift of hearing which she already has but just can't utilize or even realize it yet! Have you ever covered one ear and spoke or listened to someone speaking or went into a room with many sounds/noise (i.e. classroom, home with many members, party, etc.) and then tried to hear someone talking to you (which is the hardest for Miata)? Try it for a few minutes... this is how Miata hears every day of her life. Oh how amazed she will be the first time she hears in stereo!


2nd Surgery - now scheduled with Dr. Brent!
Let me back up first and give a quick update...
Miata has done wonderful after her first surgery! We had that brief time of concern with her ear after we took the bandage off and she had a spot that looked as if it had been scratched. Well, that healed nicely and all has went well since then. Miata finally told us that while we were in Palo Alto she had fell and when she did so she felt her ear scratch up against the dresser (while it was bandaged of course.) So that explained our "Area of Concern" for the place on her ear!!

Anyways, she is very happy with her new ear even though it is still just the form of the ear under the skin. Soon though that will change! This surgery will actually be Stage 2 & Stage 3 performed together! It is very very rare that Dr. Brent is able to perform these two Stages in one surgery but we are extremely blessed that Miata is one of these rare patients that he is able to do this on!! How much of a blessing and savings is this? Let's Figure... Airline tickets for 2... Rental car for 9 days... meals for 2 (for 9 days)... loss of days from work with no pay... BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY cost of the additional surgery, anesthesiologist, hospital stay, imaging, and on and on which insurance pays very very LITTLE of!! So overall, a HUGE BLESSING!!!

Well Miata is so excited and ready to go now! Unfortunately it isn't quite time yet. Here is our schedule for her next surgery...
April 26 th - Depart Raleigh to San Francisco
April 27th - Pre-op with Dr. Brent
April 28th - Surgery
Recovery Time
May 5th - Post-op
May6th - Back in Wilmington