You've got a Friend....

This morning I want to begin with a little something about Friendship.

Madelyn is the most caring, thoughtful kind of friend a person could have and I have to say that her friends are a reflection of that. Each of you have reached out to Maddy in your own way and we all have developed a kind of bond that is so very special because Madelyn is the thread that weaves through our lives at this moment.

Whether you work with Bob, Kara cuts your hair, you used to go to college Bob, you teach Madeyln in math, you have heard about Maddy through a friend....however you have connected with us, we thank you. WE thank YOU. You who have baked us cookies. YOU who have told us you are praying for Maddy. YOU who have written. YOU who have made us a home cooked meal. YOU who have told us that you are here for us. YOU who have offered to tutor Maddy. YOU who have worked extra hard to keep Madelyn alive. YOU who have donated your time. YOU who have shared your love with us and Madelyn. This my friend, is the very definition of friendship and we are grateful for you.

Madelyn turned a corner yesterday and I am happy to share with you that she was able to communicate with her Mom through head nods. She is so very weak and is still on the ventilator and on the "Milk of Amnesia" medicine, but she is bright! That girl of ours is smart as a tack! She understands that all of her doctors, nurses, respiratory therapist, physical therapists, and her parents are all there to help her and she is not afraid. The fact that she is not afraid is so Madelyn. She is so strong and at times a little more fearless than her Mom would like, but I believe that this is going to help her so much as she continues to fight to be well.

Her numbers did drop, which is not good and her blood pressure was more elevated than it should be. Overall, her condition is still about the same. She is still on the ventilator, which is keeping her lungs filled with good oxygen for healing and also to make sure they don't collapse. Her body is so very weak and she will need much physical therapy throughout the coming months. Although she is able to move her head and shoulders very slightly, she doesn't have enough strength to move her fingers. The doctors are determining this morning if they will increase her paralytic medication to allow more sleep and hopefully keep her blood pressure down.

** As of 1:20 today, the doctors have determined that Madelyn has a new strain of pneumonia that she has developed, in addition to the new influenza virus. We encourage all people with any kind of illness, cough, cold, sore throat do not visit the family at the hospital. Thank you for understanding. We need her to get well and it's harder for her to do this when she develops new illnesses while in the hospital. Madelyn's immune system is completely maxed-out and cannot fight off thing she normally would be able to. We need to take every precaution possible. Thank you.

Sacred Hearter's, no real new numbers to report to you today. We are so happy that she is still fighting and we thank you for keeping her alive!

As you start your day today, please keep Madelyn in your thoughts and prayers. She still have a very long road ahead of her. Slow and steady Mad. Slow and Steady is winning the race and we are all cheering you on. You can do it!

Thank you hardly feels like enough. We feel so very fortunate to have all of you as our Friends.
May all of the good you have shared with us return to you in your time of need.