Melissa Discharged from Hoag Hospital Today!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Thank you for your faithful prayers for Melissa, it is very important for Melissa and us. Without your standing with us to pray, it would have been almost impossible for us to have made it to today.

On Tuesday, August 24, Melissa went through a 5 hour very tough and complex heart valve repair surgery. The fact that the surgeons were able to make the necessary repairs gives us great joy and we are truly grateful. On Wednesday, Melissa had to have two bags of blood transfused and began to develop fluid in her chest. On Thursday she had 250- cc of fluid drained, but tolerated it very well.

Her condition is stable now and her cardiologist said everything checks out normal. So, she was discharged this afternoon and is happily at home.

Please continue to pray for her:

1. That her scar will heal well;

2. That she will have good post-op follow ups and her rehab will go well (which will include P.T. / O.T. / S.T.);

3. That she will rest well this evening;

4. That her appetite will continue to improve; and

5. That her joyful spirit will stay with her.

Give all praise, thanks, and glory to our Savior and Lord, Christ Jesus.

In His Love,
Michael and Marlene

Update 8/30/2010 by Paul Bogenrief ("Mr. B")

I visited Melissa this morning. She was sitting in the chair beside her hospital bed enjoying breakfast (scrambled eggs) and told me she could even order filet mignon if she wanted. She has a beautiful ocean view from her room. She was in great spirits and is looking forward to being discharged ... hopefully today or tomorrow. When she gets home we'll work on submitting an application for a service dog for her. She's really excited about that! In the photo above, Katharyn Stong visits Melissa at Hoag Hospital shortly after her surgery.

Paul "Mr. B" Bogenrief

Update 8/29/2010 by Paul Bogenrief ("Mr. B")

Dear Friends,

Melissa is now out of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and is in a regular room. She still had a bit of fluid in her lungs today so she underwent some X-rays. She is in tremendous spirits ... talking, laughing and joking with her mom and me. Her appetite is returning and she ate a good lunch today. Marlene said that they are expecting Melissa to be discharged within the next day or two ... though you know how it is in hospitals ... they never tell you anything! Melissa is definitely ready to get on with her life by going to college and (hopefully) getting a service dog from Canine Companions for Independence to help her with her daily routines. I promised to help her with getting a service dog to help her. I think it would make a tremendous difference in the quality of her life.

Blessings, all,

Paul "Mr. B" Bogenrief

Update 8/27/2010 by Paul Bogenrief ("Mr. B")

Dear Friends,

I visited Melissa this morning and presented her with her Teddy Bear. She was all smiles, talkative and in a great mood. Slowly but surely the tubes she's had to live with since the surgery are being removed. Though she's still in Cardiovascular ICU, it's expected that she will be moved to a regular room as soon as one becomes available. As of today the family is expecting her to remain at Hoag at least through the weekend.

Paul "Mr. B" Bogenrief

Update 8/26/2010 By Paul Bogenrief ("Mr. B")

Dear Friends,

I visited Melissa last night. She was still in Hoag's Cardiovascular Intensive Care unit. She looked great ... lots of color in her face ... though she had a rough afternoon having to have 250 cc of fluid drained from her chest. I'm looking forward to visiting her today to deliver a Teddy Bear I made at the Build a Bear Workshop in Fashion Island. It has a heart on its chest which I thought was symbolic of Melissa's now fully functioning heart.

Paul "Mr. B" Bogenrief

Surgery a Success!

8/24/2010: 1:20 p.m. PDT

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

We checked Melissa in at Hoag Hospital at 5:00 a.m. this morning. At 6:45 she was transferred to the anesthesia area to meet with her anesthesiologist. At this point we went to the waiting room. At 12:45 p.m. Dr. Raney came out and announced, happily, that the heart valve repair surgery had been successful! At this time Melissa is still in recovery. Later she will be transferred to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) so they can keep a close watch on her vital signs. She will stay in the CVICU for two nights. Praise to our Almighty God for His Great Work in all of this! And thank you all for your fervent prayers ... PRAYER WORKS!

Praising Him,

Michael and Marlene Yu

Heart Surgery Scheduled for August 24

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Melissa is scheduled to undergo her heart valve repair surgery next Tuesday, August 24. We will be arriving at HOAG Hospital in Newport Beach at 5:00 a.m. in the morning. Surgery is scheduled to begin around 7:00 a.m. and is expected to last four or five hours. After surgery she will be sent to Hoag’s Intensive Care Unit for monitoring. If everything goes as planned and her vital signs are normal, she will be discharged by the weekend.

It has taken us 6 months to reach this point. First, Melissa was referred to Dr. Aiden Raney, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. On July 1 Melissa underwent a trans-esophageal echo test which showed that her heart valve is repairable. The prognosis is very favorable with a chance of 80 – 90% that the surgery will be successful. If it is not, doctors will need to replace the damaged mitral valve. Melissa has been really busy preparing for the surgery with lots of tests needing to be run beforehand to make sure she is healthy and strong enough for the surgery.

We ask you to stand with us together and pray for Melissa’s upcoming heart surgery. This is a complex surgical procedure involving putting her into a deep sleep, shutting down her circulation and removing her heart to repair the valve. We believe that for all saints, prayer is very powerful when done in unity. Prayer works. Through all of us uniting in prayer, we can be assured that it will help Melissa’s surgery go smoothly.

Specifically, we ask you to pray for the following:

1. for the surgery team ... all of the doctors and nurses... that they will work in unity and harmony during the surgery;
2. for Melissa to maintain a strong and joyful spirit;
3. for the chief cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Aidan Raney;
4. for the supporting cardiologist, Dr. Pravin Shah, who is teaming with Dr. Raney;
5. for Melissa’s post surgery recovery ... that she will be able to rest, tolerate the pain, and that her scar heals well;
6. for Michael, Marlene and the family, that we will have enough wisdom and energy to handle all things.

Thank you for your prayers, love and time. May God bless you all.

Emmanuel,
Michael & Marlene Yu