I’m posting this as a request for prayer! If you are reading this and you believe in the power of prayer…will you join our family in praying for our daughter, Riah.
As I mentioned in the previous post, Riah has mild, left-sided Cerebral Palsy. When we moved back to the US, a door of opportunity flew open for her (that was completely unexpected!) She will be receiving extensive therapies and treatments over the next few months to try and help her body. The first step in this is Botox therapy. (Yeah, I know, I never thought Botox would be in my vocabulary either ;)) But her left calf muscles are SO tense and her achilles tendon is too short, so that makes for a serious toe-walker. She has a pretty severe limp and her balance is not very strong. What her doctors are trying to accomplish in the weeks ahead is to weaken some of the muscles (well, actually the doctor used the word, “paralyzing agent” when referring to the Botox, but that sounds too scary) so they will weaken the too tense muscles and hopefully allow the weaker muscles an opportunity to be used and strengthened. Along with this, they will be doing stretch casting. Riah will have Botox this week (23 Nov.), then be stretched and casted next week (3 Dec.)…then for the next few weeks, we’ll go in once a week to have her “re-stretched” and re-casted.
She is a patient and resilient little girl, but she is SO SCARED of any white coat and any white table…I’m not thinking tomorrow will help to alleviate these fears, so please pray PEACE over her.
Also, I have noticed growing frustration over the things she is unable to do, or the things I don’t allow her to do–because it is too dangerous for her. Please pray for a patient and strong spirit as she has to deal with a lot of doctors and casting over the next couple of months.
Mostly, Dave and I would ask that you would pray total healing over her–for God’s glory to be shown in her life! She has come so far…God has done miracle after miracle and I believe these next treatments are His means to bring her even further healing and use of her body. Please pray these treatments would be effective and powerful in Riah’s body and that God would receive all the Praise!
(After her leg therapy, comes her arm…I will keep posting about her healing here!!) I’ll try to add pictures along the way too!
Finally, I want to thank you all for being faithful in prayer. Could you also pray for me??–for my strength and dependence to be completely on Jesus during this. That I would find His power to be made perfect in my weakness…that He would give me extra patience and continue to provide in His awesome ways as I try to be His hands and feet to all these sweet little people. I know Riah will need a lot more from me and I want to love her through this. Pray that my other kids would also have understanding and servants’ hearts towards their little sis–and that even Evie would grow in her gentleness towards Ri!!
THINGS WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR IN THIS:
1. The awesome opportunity for medical care! If Riah didn’t receive these treatments her ankle would basically become ‘fixed’ and would not be able to ever walk normally.
2. The ARMY is graciously paying for all of her medical treatments…what an unbelievable provision!!
3. Riah has an incredible team of doctors that are truly invested and show such concern for her (and have taken great care of me too!)
4. God is taking an area that has been TOO scary for me and ‘thrown me in the fire” so to speak…I’ve generally left all the medical issues to the better half 🙂 God is growing my dependence on Him and allowing me to gain confidence and boldness in advocating for my little girl.
5. Once a week, I get a ‘date’ with Riah. That never happens, so I’m really loving that.
6. When Dave gets home, we may have a little girl who can walk and run more normally and who can use both or her hands!! PRAISE GOD that HE is our healer!!
I love you and thank you for praying us on.
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