God has definitely had us on a journey! The following are all of the posts that Anita put together to keep everyone updated on Ron's GBS experience:

Medical update 1

Calling ALL PRAYER WARRIORS

Ever since Ron made a miraculous recovery from Covid Pneumonia in Sept. of 2021, which we give God all the glory for, the one thing that has never been the same is his immune system (and no he did not get the Jab). Mid November Ron came home from Band of Brothers with a head cold, that then passed through the whole family and back to Ron again.

About two weeks ago things started getting much worse for him. We took him to the ER on Saturday, Dec. 7th, where they diagnosed Rhinovirus (a head cold), bronchitis and sent us home with some simple meds. Throughout the week, Ron became weaker and weaker, in particular both legs. On Thursday, we saw our PCP, who said he was "not sick" and just weak from being sick. The following day, he could not walk on his own without use of a walker and collapsed that evening. Caleb and Karissa were home and had to lift him into a wheelchair. We consulted with a very close friend who is a doctor, as there were also cognitive issues beginning to arise. She said that we needed to get him to the ER right away, which we did. They ran a series of tests on him that evening, he was then diagnosed with viral meningitis in the early hours of Saturday. This is a swelling of the brain, brain stem, spinal cord and it causes many symptoms. However, the one major symptom that he was having was the weakness in his legs that caused him to collapse.

The doctors have been baffled by the leg weakness and numbness, which has now become paralysis in both legs. While viral meningitis causes weakness in the entire body, it should not render him unable to use his legs. Yesterday through clinical evaluation only, they have diagnosed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which is a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system, the network of nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.

Causes:

GBS is triggered by an infection, such as a bacterial or viral infection, in most cases.

Symptoms:

Symptoms typically develop within a few days to weeks after the triggering infection and can include:

- Muscle weakness, starting in the legs and spreading upward

- Tingling or numbness in the hands, feet, legs, and arms

- Difficulty walking or standing

- Paralysis

- Loss of reflexes

- Difficulty swallowing or breathing

The recovery could be some time - no one can say for sure. They started treatment yesterday, which is Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy, which is the primary infusion treatment for patients with GBS. He will undergo this treatment for 5 days, which takes 3 hours per treatment. After they complete this course of treatment this coming Saturday, it will continue to work in his body for up to a month or two. They do not expect an immediate turn around, but God is bigger and He can work a miracle.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Medical update 2

On Thursday, I arrived to the hospital to find that Ron had his left knee all wrapped up with an ace bandage along with a rolled up blanket supporting the knee. Apparently, on Wednesday a nurse tried to move his left leg and wrenched his knee. He felt quite a bit of pain. They did an x-ray and said no major issues were found.

On the same day, PT came in with two people. They sat Ron up on the side of the bed and for whatever reason they walked out of the room with him sitting up alone. He ended up falling backwards on the bed and almost hit his head on the side rail. While the fall backwards did cause some pain we are grateful that he did not fall forward and also that there were no physical ramifications.

Of course I have followed up with the powers that be in the hospital and he will not have any of these people in his room again.

We were not familiar with GBS prior to this medical journey, but we are quickly learning what this means for him now and what to expect in the days and months to come. The road ahead may be very difficult and in most cases it gets worse before it gets better. The paralysis may continue to move up his body. The “numbness”, as Ron describes it, has already made its way up both legs and into the pelvis. To be clear, he does still have feeling in his feet, legs and pelvis and is still able to wiggle his toes, but he is unable to lift his legs, turn side to side in bed alone, stand or walk.

Today will be day 4 of the 5 treatment protocol. IVIG is their first choice for treatment, however, it isn't the only one. If he does not respond well, then they may choose to do a plasma exchange, which is similar to dialysis.

There is no way of knowing exactly how long his healing and recovery may take, but we have been told that we should expect that that he will be in the hospital for a minimum of a month, likely longer, to heal from the viral meningitis and GBS. Then he would go straight to a rehabilitation center and that could also be a minimum of a month, but also likely much longer. Full recovery could take up to 12 months.

We are talking to his team of doctors here and doing research to see if he should be moved to another hospital, which may specialize in the type of care he needs. It is long and involved and not an easy change to make. Please pray for wisdom and open doors if this is necessary!

Please also pray with us that the paralysis will not move any further up into his body. GBS is known to impair the respiratory system, requiring the need for a vent. In Jesus' name, this will not happen to Ron!!! Amen!!

We continue to trust God for a full healing and quick recovery and we know that our God is greater than any disease!

Some good news…..On Wednesday evening, the infectious disease doctor told me that clinically, she believes that the meds are working and due to symptoms decreasing, specifically with the viral meningitis, she believes healing is happening.

Another piece of good news was the arrival of a much better hospital bed for Ron and he is definitely more comfortable now.

Thank you for the outpouring of love, encouragement, information, offering to help us at home and with food for the family, and definitely all the prayers! Every message and prayer means the world to us!

Medical update 3

We say it all the time, it's the motto for our ministry Prayer Stations, and it is so true!

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS!!

Over the past 48 hours since my last update God has done some miraculous things!!

As you know, Update #2 included information about how long the road ahead would be. While Ron still has a ways to go, we are so grateful for the GOD changes that are happening!

On Friday night, Ron's infectious disease doctor, Dr. K, was here in the room and Ron started moving both feet, back and forth, back and forth and wiggling all of his toes. He wasn't asked to do it, he was just doing it, like it was normal. Dr. K was thrilled with his improvement! We were told originally not to expect any positive changes while he was still receiving the IVIG treatment, in fact as I had mentioned we were still expecting things to get worse. All of this improvement and he still had one more IVIG treatment to go.

After the final IVIG treatment on Saturday, a new neurologist came in to see Ron and stated that he was so encouraged by the changes that he was ready to release him to head to the rehabilitation center as long as Dr. K said he was well enough regarding the viral meningitis.

Dr. K did her rounds on Saturday night and agreed! She will still have Ron on the IV meds and strong antibiotics for 2 more weeks while he is at the rehabilitation center.

Today I came in to find him still moving his feet back and forth and when I asked him if the numbness had gone any higher beyond the pelvis, he stated that it is actually starting to dissipate from the pelvis area.

There is still numbness and severe weakness in both legs. He is still unable to move either of his legs or lift them even a centimeter off the bed. Both heals are very red and he complains of pain from laying in one position. Today he is very tired, his voice is very weak, but his spirits are lifted knowing that God is working miracles!

The paperwork has been started for his transfer. I will be meeting with the case manager today here at the hospital and then I will visit a couple rehab places to decide on the best fit for him. Ron could be moved as soon as Monday!

The family all miss him very much, especially with Christmas around the corner! Everyone has been to visit, except Kiersten, however she has FaceTimed a few times. We are being very careful with her emotions as we traverse through this season.

Special thanks to Karissa, who almost never leaves my side, Caleb and Diana who have visited and helped so much, my parents who have watched Kiersten for hours this past week, Ron's Mom and sisters who continue to call and encourage us, family who drop in to help, and of course ALL of the PRAYER WARRIORS who have lifted our arms! Thank you to everyone who have shared your stories, offered to help and sent us all the love! We are grateful!

God is working! He will WIN and Ron will be restored better than before! He is a miracle working God! He did it before, he'll do it again! Please keep praying! I will keep the updates coming!

Medical update 4

Praying that each of you, our family and friends, had a very blessed Christmas!

While this Christmas was the hardest one we have been through as a family, we were grateful that although the circumstances were not what we would choose, we were able to spend some time together with Ron in the hospital. We were reminded that the birth of Jesus is our gift of hope and peace - no matter what our circumstances may be.

The last 3 days have been some of the hardest in this journey. In my previous update I was able to share the joy we had in seeing some great strides forward, and we gave God the glory for that, but of course we know that the enemy seeks to kill, steal and destroy - so he wasn’t happy to see us share that God is winning, and he is losing.

Many of you followed along and prayed hard as we found ourselves in a fight to save Ron’s life when he battled C***D Pneumonia in the ICU back in September 2021. Now we find ourselves in a fight for the best possible care to see Ron walk again.

At this time, Ron remains in the hospital still receiving the heavy IV doses of antibiotics to fight off the viral meningitis (he still has just over a week to go on these meds). He completed the series of 5 doses of the IVIG this past Saturday to treat Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). While they told us not to expect any radical changes with the paralysis ending in his system, my previous update shared that in fact the paralysis had stopped proceeding up his body and even started to recede from his pelvis area. For this we are grateful!

However, it has been a fight to get him into the right rehabilitation facility due to insurance issues and some other difficult hurdles. Five days ago he was issued a discharge from the hospital and yet today we are still awaiting placement. Our first choice is a location just north of us, but currently circumstances are pointing in another direction.

Ron is not able to move his legs in bed, stand and certainly not walk at this time. I am grateful to those that responded to my sharing about the bed sores and I was able to request the things he needed to remedy that.

While this season hasn’t been easy - here’s what I know…

1. I will NEVER stop fighting for the man that I love - for the man that I intend to grow old with - walking and serving God together!

2. God is in control - while I don’t always understand each step, I know that I have always looked back and seen God’s direction in our lives.

3. God is faithful - He will see us through this and He will heal Ron!

Some specific Prayer Points:

- Miraculous healing! To God be the glory!

- God will open the doors wide open for the right acute care rehabilitation facility.

- The best doctors, nurses and Physical Therapists to assist Ron through this next stage of healing and walking again.

- Provision for all that the insurance does not cover and the unexpected expenses.

- God will fill Ron’s heart, mind and soul with His promises, peace and hope every day as he heals!

Thank you for continuing to pray! Your prayers, encouragement, love, support, and now meals through the Meal Train have meant so much to Ron, me and our kids! We are not alone and we are so grateful!

Medical update 5

I was reminded of a scripture today by my Dad, who heard Pastor Marvin Nemitz, of Harvest Community Church, share it this past Sunday. The point he made truly resonates with Ron and I so much right now.

He shared Romans 8:28 “All things work together for good, to those who love God." What was being pointed out is that God - can and will - use ALL things - the good, the bad and the ugly - and work them together for good - for those who love God. It’s not a promise that ALL will go well just because we are Christians, but that in this fallen world, God will work ALL things together for good. He can take what the enemy meant to use to harm us and turn it around for our good.

That is our story right now. This last week we have experienced some of the worst that the medical bureaucracy world can throw at us. It’s been unfair, unjust, painful at times, physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting, and a roller coaster of ups and downs.

Even in the mess and pain, we can see God’s hand at work - He will take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good.

At the hospital today I called for a meeting to discuss some troublesome things we were experiencing. I was grateful that the head of PT, the head of the Progressive Care Unit and a couple others were present in Ron’s room for this meeting. We talked for about 30 to 40 minutes and I feel that we were able to voice our concerns, we were heard and listened to them too, and now I believe that we are on the same page moving forward.

Prayer Points:

- There is a phenomenal acute rehabilitation center that we would LOVE to see Ron transferred to. In order to make this happen, we need to see God open the doors wide before us in the next 2 to 3 days and tightly close some other doors that have been cracked open.

- Protection over Ron in the hospital - body, soul, mind and spirit.

Strength and healing in his currently paralyzed legs.

- Healing in Ron’s gut due to the illness and the heavy meds he has been on.

- Provision for everything the insurance does not cover and unexpected expenses.

- Special prayers of blessings for the incredible nurses and nurse’s assistants that care for him around the clock.

Once again, we are beyond grateful for your prayers, your love, the delicious meals, your encouragement and support during this time! God is working ALL things together for good - because we LOVE HIM WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS and that will NEVER change!!!

Medical update 6

Wishing you and your families a very Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year! While the end of 2024 was not the easiest, Ron and I are so grateful for the many things God did in this past year! ❤️🎉🥳

Here’s just a few…

- The arrival of our beautiful grandson, Austin Riley, in May!

- Our granddaughter, Ayla Rose, turned 2 in October!

- Awesome open doors for the ministry of Prayer Stations!

- Fun filled time away this summer with our family!

- The love, support, encouragement and prayers from our family and friends - all year long!

- Incredible medical miracles that God worked in our family, and started in Ron!

Speaking of medical miracles - We know God is healing Ron and is working on ALL of the details, but we could use your help too!

We were praying so hard that we would make it to January 1st, when our new insurance would kick in so that we could choose the very best rehabilitation facility for Ron. The hospital was pushing for another location and had already begun the process under our 2024 insurance. We knew that wasn’t the place. In order to get Ron into the place we wanted, we needed God to stall their efforts and He did!!!

Here’s where we need your help - we need to see our new insurance, Cigna, approve and authorize the acute rehab for Ron at Encompass in Stuart, FL.

The first hurdle was to get to January 1st - that’s done!

The second hurdle was to get Encompass to accept the new referral for Ron - that’s done!

The third hurdle is to see Cigna authorize the acute rehabilitation for Ron - that’s where we are now!

God has great things in store for 2025 and we can’t wait to see all the miracles He will continue to do!

Medical update 7

“God must have some really important ministry plans in store for Ron, you and Kiersten!” This quote, or variations of it, have become a theme during this season.

I believe it with all of my heart! Clearly the enemy must know it too and he’s been working hard to take us down, but God WINS every time and our faith is stronger than ever!

Ron’s sickness has been the predominant focus, as it should be, but at our ministry home we have faced several unusual incidents while Ron has been fighting to get well.

The day after Ron was admitted to the hospital with viral meningitis, we woke up at home to NO water, NO AC (kind of a big deal in south Florida) and half the house had NO electricity. I was thankful that I knew the people to call and within 24 hours we learned that it was only our home in our neighborhood that had some sort of power surge that took out 1 of the 2 main electric lines into the house. Florida Power and Light (FPL) had to come and run a new line to the house to power us up again. Due to the power surge, it blew up our well pump, which also had to be replaced. Though it was inconvenient and cost some money for the ministry - God was ever present and protected our family!

Then just yesterday, while Ron was still in the hospital, we woke up to NO hot water. I figured it was something simple and called our trusted friend and handyman to help us out. Unfortunately, he found that it was more than a simple repair. In the end we had to have a whole new hot water heater replaced in the house. Yet again, it was inconvenient and cost some money for the ministry, but God was ever present and protected our family! We were told that the hot water heater could have caught fire and our sweet 2 year old granddaughter sleeps on the other side of the wall from its location. Thank you, Jesus, for your protection!

It brings new meaning to our prayers when we routinely ask God to protect our home and family each night while we sleep. He is always present, always faithful and always watching over us!

What’s the latest with Ron?

Well, we continue to wait, maybe not patiently, but we pray and we wait! The insurance authorization to move Ron from the hospital to the acute rehabilitation facility is taking much longer than we could have expected, however, we know God is in the details, so there must be a reason. In the meantime, Ron has completed almost 4 weeks of heavy IV antibiotics and medicines, so he should be able to be moved without the picc line, so that is a bonus!

Ron continues to work hard each day during the short amount of time that they have him doing PT in the hospital! Today they moved him into a wheelchair and he made his way around the floor, leaving his room for the first time in almost 4 weeks! The paralysis continues in both legs. He has feeling, in fact feels quite a bit of pain at times, but the weakness is such that he is unable to move his legs in bed and certainly not stand or walk…YET!

Each day we are grateful for strides forward - big or small - and today actually commemorates a very LARGE stride forward in our family’s life. Today is the 21st anniversary of Kiersten’s open heart surgery that saved her life! We won’t stop fighting for Ron’s healing too!

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Medical update 8

There are many times in our lives where we pray and pray and feel like nothing is happening - in fact sometimes it feels like things are actually working in opposition to our prayers. I am sure there have been seasons in your life where you can relate.

What’s really happening? Could it be that God is working behind the scenes and we just need to keep trusting and praying? Yes - that’s exactly what’s happening. He is ALWAYS in CONTROL!

Finding the RIGHT acute rehabilitation facility was extremely important to me. Through much research, phone calls and personal visits, our daughter @Karissa Setran and I knew that we had found THE PLACE! However, there were several roadblocks that we had to overcome - Ron’s official discharge technically happened on December 22nd - that put us in a race against the hospital who were actively trying to find ANY acute rehab that would accept Ron’s referral and then get authorization using our 2024 insurance before it switched to a new insurance company on January 1st. It was a race against time - literally.

By December 28th it looked like we had run out of time and the rehab location that we did not prefer was looking like it was going to happen. We kept praying and with a mustard seed sized faith and kept believing that God could work a miracle and we would have the best place for Ron.

The celebration at midnight on December 31st was a true celebration! We had made it to January 1st and with that we had our new insurance and could now fight for THE PLACE!

On January 1st THE PLACE, officially known as Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, accepted our referral and then finally on January 8th the insurance authorization went through!

Ron was transported that evening to Encompass!!! Everyone was so kind, welcoming, knowledgeable and encouraging! It was the RIGHT PLACE! Thank you, Jesus!

Even though Ron was now in the right place, it didn’t mean that we weren’t still faced with the reality of the hurdles we still had ahead of us. The first full day was met with extreme pain in Ron’s left foot, which was later diagnosed as gout. After two days of evaluation the therapists agreed that his current expected discharge date to come home would be January 20th. With that, they shared that they are expecting to prepare him to come home in a wheelchair, not a walker, not a cane, but yes, a wheelchair.

Since that news hit me so hard, I realized that I truly believed he would walk through the doors of our home - yes, with assistance, but I believed he would walk. While I have accepted that a wheelchair may be his mode of transportation for a while, I also have faith in our God and I know He could still allow Ron to walk through our door, but if he doesn’t, and God has another timeframe, then that’s fine too. He is still a good and faithful God and He has a beautiful plan and testimony that will come from all of this. He ALWAYS makes beauty out of ashes.

Thank you for praying!! We continue to covet your prayers for a full healing and recovery!

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS!!!!

Medical update 9

CALLING ALL PRAYER WARRIORS… Unfortunately, we are in crisis mode again with Ron.

As you know, Ron was admitted to an acute rehab facility on January 8th, however, his condition was not improving. Due to his severe weakness, their goals for him became prepping him to manage life (temporarily) in a wheelchair for his return home.

However, this past week we started to face some new challenges: Short term memory loss, neurological challenges, and confusion. Additionally, the nerve pain in both legs was increasing.

I requested that they test for a UTI as I learned that this can cause some of these issues.

Last night the doctor had Ron transported to the local hospital for a CT brain scan. All seemed fine as they brought him back immediately following to the rehab facility. I met him in his room and we had a good, long, lucid conversation, which hadn't happened for several days.

However, an early morning call from the rehab facility, informed me that Ron was not doing well, could not remember where he was and upon speaking with him, learned that he had no memory of my visit or our conversation last night. Additionally, the CT report did show inflammation on the brain.

He was then transported by ambulance back to Jupiter Medical Center - back to where we started. They immediately did another brain CT, which showed quite a bit of inflammation on the brain and it was also confirmed that there is also a UTI.

His original team of doctors are back on the case. He will be admitted tonight. They have started a series of heavy antibiotics and steroids. The neurologist called him a complicated case.

There are many more questions than answers, but we know our God is faithful and still in control. So - I advocate, we pray, and trust God with His plan for healing.

Medical update 10

CALLING ALL PRAYER WARRIORS - URGENT PRAYER REQUEST at the end of the update.

My heart and soul feel so heavy tonight, yet I fully trust in God, our creator and our healer.

It’s been a very hard few days. As I mentioned, Ron was sent back to the hospital from the acute rehab facility on January 21st. The hospital was full, so he spent the first 20 hours in the ER while they ran a slew of tests and found that the inflammation in his brain had increased exponentially since the beginning of January. It is causing so much confusion, short term memory loss and neurological challenges. Additionally, the UTI was caused by a very serious bacteria, which is only treated by IV antibiotics. His first hours back he was being pumped full one IV med after the other.

He was then admitted to the ICU, where he was being closely watched for about 36 hours. It seemed that the meds were working and he was coming back to us and I held onto so much hope that this nightmare was almost over.

But since this whole experience has been a roller coaster ride, the downward slope was coming….

Yesterday they moved him to a regular floor as they continued to gather test results. We quickly learned that the short term memory loss was still severe, as well as the confusion and the neurological challenges worsened. This week I was beginning to feel like I was living in a real life version of the movie “Fifty First Dates”.

If all of this was not bad enough - yesterday morning as I was preparing for the day, I decided to try and tackle one of the many mounting jobs in my home prior to departing for the hospital. I was on a two step, step stool in my kitchen and lost my footing and fell to the floor. As I began to fall, I remember thinking maybe I could catch this and immediately knew my body was in motion and I could not get my feet underneath me. I fell only thinking of saving my back, thereby slamming both arms on my way to the floor. My left arm hurt the most initially with severe road rash. I lay there assessing my body to see what hurt and cried out to Jesus to spare me from any major injury. My daughter in law ran to my side and started putting ice packs on anything that hurt. I soon realized that it was my right arm that hurt the most inside and within a short amount of time, my parents arrived to take me to urgent care for an X Ray. I am very thankful to report that my right arm was not broken, but I slammed the elbow very hard causing some serious nerve pain and radiating pain down to the hand. I had to wear a sling for the rest of the day to keep it elevated, but I am very happy to report that although my body does feel a little banged up, I am GOOD and back to normal life, with some adjustments to the regular routine today. So thankful for Diana, my parents and Karissa arriving home in time to help me today.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:

Today the neuro surgeon called to say that they were recommending a shunt be placed in Ron’s head, in the ventricles behind one of his ears to drain the excess fluid. This is a permanent placement. The surgery will be tomorrow, Saturday, January 25th at approximately 1pm. Ron will be the 3rd surgery of the day.

PLEASE PRAY!!! We serve a BIG, FAITHFUL GOD and we know, “Prayer Changes Things!”

Medical update 11

We are SO GRATEFUL to report that the VP Shunt was placed and the surgery was a success!

Thank you all for the outpouring of love, words of encouragement, for sharing your stories and experiences with me and MOST OF ALL - YOUR PRAYERS!!! We truly felt surrounded and carried by God’s grace and peace on Saturday.

The surgery took about an hour longer than they had expected, but we just prayed that meant that they were being extra careful with this very special man of mine. The VP Shunt was placed just behind the right ear inside the ventricles of the brain. The drain runs down, inside the body to the abdomen where it empties the excess fluid. It is a permanent placement and we are still learning all that we need to know about how life will be impacted - from MRI’s to flying on planes, etc.

So grateful to my parents, who spent their 56th Wedding Anniversary with me in the surgical waiting room, as well as Karissa and Zach. Diana was working in the hospital and checked in on us whenever possible. Caleb held down the fort at home with the two grands and Kiersten.

Ron woke up well from the anesthesia, which has always been a challenge for him in the past. He was talking, but not yet able to remember the events happening around him. They kept him in the ICU for under 24 hours before they moved him back to the Telemetry Floor.

The doctors feel now that the viral meningitis never fully resolved for Ron prior to him being transferred to Encompass for acute rehab. Additionally, he had a UTI with a very serious bacteria. The meningitis became hydrocephalus in the brain, which caused the severe inflammation. He was in danger of a stroke.

Last night before I went to bed, Ron called and said that he was already busily working on his laptop - a tool that has been a staple for him for many years. I was hopeful that this was a step forward as he had asked me to bring his laptop to him on several occasions only for it to be left and never touched.

While in the ICU following the surgery, the doctors said that while they had hope that his short term memory and neurological issues would resolve, they could not guarantee it, nor would they guarantee that he would walk again - something that previously they said would resolve in time from the GBS.

Early this morning I woke to several emails from Ron, including the best of all that included an hour by hour recording of the previous day's activities - all spot on! His short term memory is already resolving, as are the neuro issues.

The next step is to be cleared by the Infectious Disease doctor and then they will begin the authorization process again to go back to Encompass which is expected to be easier this time around. Today PT and OT came in and he was able to stand with their special contraption and assistance. It was a monumental moment for us both!!!

I don’t know how anyone gets through life without Jesus. He is our strength, our shield, our healer, our protector and SO MUCH MORE! If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, then we would love to pray with you! And because we are also fun and down to earth - Ron would love to share one or twenty of his favorite Dad jokes (Ron has a reputation in the hospital)! One thing I can say for sure - there’s rarely a dull moment in life with my best friend.

For richer or poorer - in sickness and in health - I will always be here for you - Ron Setran - I love you! XOXO

Medical update 12

Apologies for the delay in getting this latest update done! This journey towards healing continues to have its high-highs and low-lows, but in the midst of it all God is still in control and He is ALWAYS faithful - for that we are eternally grateful!

Ron was officially discharged from the hospital on Wednesday night the 29th and transported back to Encompass Health in Stuart. The doctors were pleased with the VP Shunt surgery and the wounds were healing well. Additionally, they completed the IV meds and removed the midline IV before sending him back to the acute rehab.

The short term memory and neurological issues were improving immediately following the shunt, however, today he was taken back to the hospital for a CT of the brain due to some decline again in short term memory loss and cognition. This decline was unexpected and we are still awaiting the results from today’s test.

PT, OT and Speech are challenging for him. Due to GBS currently both legs, up to the pelvis, have experienced paralysis. For him this means he DOES have feeling, in fact he feels quite a bit of nerve pain in both legs, especially when he is being moved or transferred. However, both legs up to the pelvis have considerable weakness, causing him to not be able to stand, walk or resist gravity. With each passing day we see a little more movement in his legs. He is not yet able to resist gravity, but he is beginning to be able to move his legs back and forth slowly in the bed. Ron is also learning to transfer back and forth between the wheelchair and the bed. It all takes so much hard work and determination! The recovery time is said to be anywhere from 3 months to a year or two for a full recovery. Of course we know that God can intervene at any time, so we remain hopeful, determined, prayerful and surrendered to God’s perfect plan.

Thank you for ALL of the prayers - please keep them coming! It was while writing this update that I learned about the CT and the doctor’s continued neurological concerns. I noticed some symptoms yesterday, so I am grateful that they are pursuing answers.

Thank you also for all of the love, encouragement, meals, support, visitors and so much more that have been poured out to our family! We are forever grateful!

Medical update 13

Life, as you know, has been non-stop and each day is packed. Finding time to sit and write has to be intentional, and so here it is - my intentional set aside writing time.

Last I wrote, Ron was at Encompass. A short time after writing the last update, Ron began to go downhill again. As I visited Ron I saw the confusion behind his eyes. I could see his eyes searching for what was truth and reality. I witnessed the short term memory loss returning and I insisted to the doctors that this is not Ron - this is not his baseline and things were still not right.

They sent him for a CT of the brain, which showed the inflammation was intensifying again.

A dear friend who did not know what was happening in real time, but was obedient to the Holy Spirit, reached out to me that evening and shared scripture that has always been so familiar, but it struck me in such a new and inspiring way, “His mercies are new every morning”. I sobbed as I read it and trusted God that this would be our turning point.

The next morning, Feb. 5th, I arrived at Encompass early with my Dad as they arranged for an ambulance to transport him back to the hospital…again. Ron knew with my early arrival that something wasn’t right, but couldn’t remember any of the previous day or our conversations. I felt the pain of loss more in that moment than I had throughout this entire journey, but what I also felt were the prayers of so many carrying us through. Thank you.

I sat with Ron for hours in the ER, while he had no memory of anything happening throughout the day. They ran all the tests and then felt certain that an adjustment of the new VP Shunt would do the trick. I watched as they took out a 007 looking silver suitcase, placed a 4 pronged device to the incision in his head, applied some sono gel, pushed some buttons on the computer device inside the suitcase and then said, “OK - that’s it”, packed it up and walked out.

Another dear friend who also had a VP Shunt some years ago has been my lifeline in all of this. She informed me that there may be a few adjustments before they get the setting just right. In addition, she has been my education on what to expect - something the doctors haven’t done.

Ron was admitted, and in the days that followed my man began to come back to me in many ways! I am happy to share that the catheter is out, and his bladder is working on its own. There was a time that they said the bladder may be permanently paralyzed.

Ron is clear headed, thoughtful, remembering everything, and regaining some movement in his legs. He is determined to be better than before and working harder than ever!

On Feb. 11th, they transported Ron back to Encompass in Stuart. He was welcomed back for a third time like a celebrity! Those who have worked with him the first two times were excited for his return and all of those have said they have never seen him look this good! It’s true, he is so much better this time around! Third times a charm! 🙂 With God, “ALL things are possible!” and we truly believe that Ron is making his comeback!!

Please keep praying - the enemy doesn’t like this one bit, but one thing I can tell you for sure, no matter how hard he comes for us, we will never relent. We might fall down, but we will ALWAYS get back up!

Our God is our healer, He is faithful, just, kind, loving and He fights for us!

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