Good morning all, Steve again.  Yesterday proved to be pretty challenging as Lee had a return of her nausea and vomiting, which is difficult enough without having just had abdominal surgery.  Getting relief and control of this is her top prayer request for today as it makes all the other parts of her recovery much more challenging. Lee says this round of the nausea feels like it could be a reaction between some of the different medications she’s receiving and as you can see from the attached photo there are plenty of things to interact.  [...]

Well, you are stuck with me for at least one more update but I must start by thanking all for stepping up to the request for prayers to get Lee’s pain under control and allow to get some rest last night.  I had not seen or heard her so uncomfortable in over 20 years since right after her first spinal fusion surgery when they had just placed the bolts and screws necessary for securing the cervical halo to her skull.  Thankfully, by this morning she was quick to share that your prayers and her care team had brought her pain down to much more tolerable levels and even allowed her to get some blocks of much needed sleep.  [...]

Lee made it out of surgery around 6 p.m. and her surgeon reported that the procedure went “according to plan” but whether or not it will achieve the desired results will take a few days to determine.  He anticipates she will need several more days in the hospital to manage her pain and IV nutrition until the effectiveness of her revised feeding tube placement can be determined.  [...]

Urgent Request: Hi family and friends. I have a request for urgent prayer. As you may know I have been in the hospital for two weeks now due to a malfunctioning feeding tube and complications from a surgery to place a new feeding tube. My surgeons met this morning and feel like next steps to take are immediate surgery to place a synthetic tube through a resection of the small intestine and creating a tunnel that will pass through the abdominal wall. The team is concerned about the lack of nutrition being caused by the malfunctioning feeding tube. Immediately following my surgery they will start me on TPN, which is a nutritional formula given through the intravenous line I have placed via a port in my chest. The surgeon said the recovery  can be tough involving a long abdominal incision and the resulting pain in the healing process. There are several issues which will need to be accomplished before I can be discharged. Hopefully it wont be long before I can update here on the blog. Steve will update here as he knows pertinent information. These past two weeks have marked some dark days and also days of joy and I look forward to sharing as I recover. God’s presence has been overwhelmingly  felt and I have felt your prayers. Please continue to pray for Steve and me as we continue on this journey of intense trial and suffering. Please pray for Steve as he is not able to be with me due to COVID  restrictions. We miss each other immensely. All updates will be at www.post hope.org/BrooksBulletin. We will do our best to get them posted to Instagram and Facebook but you can always read the blog site for the latest information. [...]

I don’t know ... 3 Words

But He does ... 3 Words[...]

Today Matters . .  .

I woke up early this morning; my eyes glazed with sleep. Yes, the reality was true. 9 days. 9  days of early hospital days - actually some days where sleep never came. But this day seems different. A refreshed night of sleep; a refreshed morning awakening. I wake up to focus on the books on the hospital tray - my Bible and “Today Matters” by John Maxwell. My thoughts immediately focus on a verse, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I needed these verses, on this day, on this morning . . . [...]

Waiting . . . Waiting

To catch everyone up; I had surgery on Wednesday, April 28th to place a new feeding tube. After about a week at home, the pain was very severe and the surgical site was oozing a continuous stream of discharge. I was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday and while the doctors tweak new things each day, the oozing  and pain continue. I have developed nausea and vomiting, along with intermittent fevers. Yesterday I let myself get down and frustrated. At the same time I was bombarded with texts from family and friends to remind me that God has a plan in this. My nursing staff has been phenomenal which has brought me great comfort. However, my greatest comfort would be to see my husband, who is not allowed to visit because of COVID regulations. We miss each other daily as now a week as gone by[...]

Keep Going . . . Be Still

4 Words to summarize 2020 and lead us to intentional living in 2021.[...]

An Open Heart

This unprecedented year of 2020 has been tough on many levels. You have likely suffered this year in some way, physical, emotional, spiritual. I hope this note brings you hope. If you read my blog posts in January you read about a soul that was exhausted. I wish I could say that has dramatically changed but the physical challenges have been crushing and severe at times. What has changed is that God is doing a remarkable work in my heart. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9[...]

Hi Dear Friends,

I wanted to thank you for your patience as I have let some time pass since our last medical update. We have had a lot going on with appointments, and especially trying to manage those around the COVID19 pandemic. Steve has had an exceptionally high work load as you can probably imagine as he and his team are coordinating best ways to care for our firefighters as well as be accessible to the community members in need of Fire/EMS services. I am Coordinator of the Fire District’s Family Support Program and that has had its own set of challenges. Our last post was to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary and it was super nice to do a post about love, joy, and hope. The paradox is that even a medical update post still has this same love, joy, and hope. These emotions aren’t based on circumstances but rather a deep abiding relationship with God. The difficult road we have been on is certainly trying and can be emotionally overwhelming at times. The comfort comes in knowing that Jesus will not bring more into my life than what he also prepares me with to battle the storm. Our last posts in January were evident of our difficult journey and seeking God’s guidance and comfort as so many things were all happening at once. So ... lets catch up ...[...]