Prayers for Stellan

Stellan went into surgery about 3 hours ago. Watch McKMama's website for updates (none yet) and check out her Orange for Stellan gallery.

I am trying to get work done. Really, I am! (In between scanning reference requests right now.)

Pray for Stellan Tonight

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, please take time tonight to pray for Stellan. Really pray. Pray hard.

If you don't know his story, he was diagnosed with SVT in the womb. His parents were told he would not survive. He now is five months old and had been doing relatively well until the last month. Four plus weeks ago he went back into the hospital with SVT. After much consideration, he has been flown to Boston to a specialist and he will definitely be having an ablation (invasive heart surgery) tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST.

However, according to McKMama's twitter and most recent blog update, Stellan is back in a dangerous SVT and it's quite possible they will take him for the surgery tonight. She is in Boston, with her father, and her husband is back in their home state with their three young children.

Here is her prayer request:

Would you pray that Dr. A will have wisdom as to if he should move forward with the ablation after the esophageal study? If he does move forward, would you pray that he will have clarity of mind as far as how aggressive to be with the ablation in order to fix Stellan's problem without putting him at undue risk for complications. Would you pray that the tiny catheters the doctors use will not nick Stellan's coronary artery? Would you pray for peace for me and my husband?

Would you pray that heart block will not occur during the surgery? Would you pray that the extra pathways Stellan has will be located and successfully destroyed? Will you pray that, if they need to go through his septum, that it will heal as it should? Would you pray that in the days after the surgery (In infants, coronary damage sometimes doesn't appear for up to three days, so we'll be here for the rest of the week at least it looks.) we will cling to Jesus and not to fear?

Please join me in prayer tonight.

Catholics Vote

A friend who works in a Catholic school sent this to me knowing that I would love it. I felt inspired to share it with everyone.



Going to their site offers you the opportunity to read their list of prayers for our Country, including this Election Prayer to Mary.

We do not know God’s plan, but we do know that he listens to our prayers, and that the collective prayers and sacrifices of millions of Americans will not go unaided.

We like Ike...

...especially when it's heading for the King Ranch!

Yesterday all the talk was whether Galveston/Houston would evacuate for Hurricane Ike. Last night the 5-day track lined us up for a direct hit.

We started discussing our options since we live in a mandatory evacuation zone. Naturally, no one wants a repeat of the Rita Evacuation Fiasco. The girls asked me about Ike during dinner last night and I calmly explained that if the hurricane comes here we'll leave. Cameron became very upset over the idea of losing her personal things in the hurricane. (I'm still not entirely sure where she got the idea that the house would be completely destroyed.)

Brenna quietly watched me dealing with Cameron. After I sent Cameron to take her shower, Brenna looked at me and stated very matter-of-factly. "Don't worry Mom, I said a prayer about it." I smiled at her, because this is not my "religious" child. For her saying Grace is something that "has" to be done and Mass is a boring event to barely be endured.

This morning Bryan and I awoke to the news that Ike has continued in a westerly direction and now it appears to be headed for the King Ranch area of Texas. Immediately I remembered Brenna's words at the dinner table the night before.

When she woke up, I showed her the news and told her that Prayer is very powerful - even from a little girl. God hears all our prayers and she should always turn to Him when she is worried or feels small or needs help. Bryan receives a subscription to the Upper Room devotional and it cannot be coincidence that today's message is God Knows Us. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. -Matthew 6:8 (NRSV)