Author: MG

Tuesday, 08 Mar 2005:

Gabriella’s surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

We report to the admissions office at 7:30 am, so her surgery will probably not begin until about 9:30 am Island Time (11:30 am on West Coast). If all goes according to plan, we anticipate being in the hospital for 48 to 72 hours.

Mum and Dad continually give thanks for the many prayers you are saying for our daughter.

May God bless you, your family and our wee Ella.

Details to follow…

Monday, 07 Mar 2005:

Gabriella passed her “pre-surgical” evaluation today with flying colors.

Although primarily administrative in nature, it is still important as it is the final hurdle to be cleared prior to surgery.

The best news though is that Ella is up to 13 pounds! All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Saturday, 05 Mar 2005:

One of Gabriella’s most endearing qualities is her ability to lift the spirits of those around her.

Her disposition is so sunny and cheerful that it just makes you smile – no matter how hard the day has been.

Pictured left is Ella brightening her father’s day. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Friday, 04 Mar 2005:

Gabriella continues to do well as the countdown proceeds.

In order to ensure Ella remains health and ready for her surgery, we are limiting the amount of contact she has with outside world.

As usual, Ella takes it all in stride and keeps on smiling. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 03 Mar 2005:

Gabriella met with her ENT doctors today, and as expected she received the green light from them for her surgery next Wednesday.

During the visit, Dr Cable answered ALL of the questions on Mum’s “pre-surgery” list. It is no small job being an effective advocate for Ella. Critical to that effort is gaining a thorough understanding of all aspects of Ella’s care prior to any procedure.

Mum is an outstanding advocate for Ella because she is not afraid to ask the doctors the tough questions.

Pictured left is proof that Dr. Baeger (left) and Dr. Cable (right) survived Mum’s many questions. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 02 Mar 2005:

Gabriella continues to do well.

Tomorrow is her final appointment with her ENT doctors prior to her surgery on March 9th. We are confident all will go well as she appears to be in peak condition. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 01 Mar 2005:

Gabriella’s physical therapist, Auntie Lillie, dropped by for another session yesterday.

This session was Dad’s turn to learn some of the basic exercises to help Ella build her back and stomach muscles. He also learned how to give Ella a proper foot and hand massage.

Is it any wonder that Ella loves each and every minute of these sessions?

Still, she works very hard to please anyone who cares to watch. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Monday, 28 Feb 2005:

Today we met again with Barbi and Leilani, two of the kind ladies who are attempting to help us arrange nursing care for Gabriella.

Initially, we thought the shortage of nurses here in Hawaii would be the primary obstacle to home nursing care. However, that has not been the case, primarily because of your efforts to help us find nurses by getting the word out.

Instead, the problem is one of funding. TriCare, the military’s insurance company, denied the doctor’s request for home nursing care. They denied the request even though everyone, including Tri Care, agrees that Ella’s condition meets the “need threshold” for home nursing care.

It appears the basis for their denial is the fact that Tri-care knows other agencies, such as Medicaid, will eventually provide some funding for home nursing care.

Until then, Mum and Dad are on watch 24 hours a day / 7 days a week, except for the four hours of “respite nursing care” we receive each week. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Sunday, 27 Feb 2005:

Gabriella continues to do well. She looks great and she seems very comfortable. Today one of Ella’s friends from here in Kailua stopped by for a visit. Thanks for visiting Laurel, you always lift our spirits. Pictured left is Laurel and Ella. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Saturday, 26 Feb 2005:

Gabriella had another good night. It seems that she is completely over the virus which gave her so many problems last weekend. What a difference a week makes.

Earlier this week, we had our first “respite” nursing visit. Although it was only for four hours, it is clearly a step in the right direction. The nurse, who is named Pixley, is exactly the type of individual we hoped would be assigned to care for Ella.

Having worked for a number of years in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), Pixley clearly appreciates the seriousness of Ella’s condition. Moreover, her experience as a NICU nurse and attentive professional manner, enabled Mum and Dad to relax for a bit.

We are hopeful there will be sufficient funding for her to make additional visits in the not too distant future. Pictured left is Pixley and Ella. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Friday, 25 Feb 2005:

Yesterday we had the good fortune to meet with two especially caring women, Mary Lancaster and Leilani Mejia.

Mary and Leilani work as Case Managers for a non-profit organization that supports Medically Fragile Patients such as Gabriella. They helped Mum and Dad gain a thorough understanding of the various programs and agencies which are available to provide support to Medically Fragile Patients and their families.

Additionally, they are able to remove some of the roadblocks that have prevented us from receiving home nursing care for Gabriella.

In short, they are an answer to our prayers and we are truly grateful for their expertise and compassion. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 24 Feb 2005:

Gabriella’s physical therapist, Aunti Lilli, visited today.

She continues to be amazed by Ella’s ability to bounce back after each of her medical procedures. Both Ella and Mum love their sessions with Aunti Lilli, as they are a welcome break from the routine. Moreover, it is so rewarding to see the improvements that Ella makes with each visit and to learn new things.

Pictured left is Ella in her new “Bumbo” seat. It is a very stable seat that provides a great deal of support to Ella as she works to develop upper body strength and balance.

Later, Aunti Lilli taught Mum how to give Ella a proper massage. As you can probably imagine, Ella LOVED her massage therapy. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 23 Feb 2005:

Gabriella made her weekly visit to the Tripler ENT clinic today.

Dr Cable was pleased with her overall appearance as well the status of her trach tube and airway. Naturally, Ella showed no signs of having been ill over the weekend.

Instead, she was her bright and lively self.

The big news from that visit is that we set the date for Ella’s next surgery – March 9th. Now we just have to decide which surgical procedure to choose.

Pictured left is Lisa’s Mum, Sylvia, feeding wee Ella. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.