Update from Michael - 12-17, 2008

Dear Friends:

We all have experienced excitedly waking up early for planned trips because we do not want to be late. Well, Melissa did the same, waking up at 5:00 a.m. on Monday morning in anticipation of her visit to CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) for her bronchoscopy procedure to remove her tracheotomy tube. Her eyes were wide open and she had a big smile on her face. We could tell she was really excited.

The tracheotomy tube was successfully removed and now Melissa can now "officially" have her necklace back on her neck. Many doctors told us that Melissa is their success story of the year. Melissa's improvement made the CHOC medical team thrilled and happy. They feel the reward of all their hard work.

Due to the procedure, Melissa was not able to eat on Monday morning. But when she was finally allowed to eat, she ate so much the nurses were absolutely astonished by her appetite! They laughed, telling us that her next visit to CHOC will be to remove her G-tube.

On Monday evening, Melissa heard that a Woodbridge high school girl was also in CHOC’s intensive care unit. Melissa went to her room on her wheelchair to visit and pray for the girl. The girl’s family was gathered in the room and Melissa's presence was a comfort to them. We were glad to be there with them. We pray this family will experience our Lord just like we did. At this point we don’t know who the girl is or what her condition is.

Melissa now knows and remembers CHOC medical staff personnel. She likes CHOC and does not want to get discharged. What a typical teenager! They just flip-flop their minds all the time!

After one day of observation, Melissa was discharged on Tuesday around noon. We celebrated by taking her to a restaurant where she ate a lot!

The Irvine School District is working on her returning to school after the holidays. We are in the process to get a release authorization and will have to make a few more calls before it is certain.

Just a reminder, there is lots of traffic this time of the year. Please take few extra minutes to arrive at your destination safely.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas !

Michael and Marlene