I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES- June 8

Hey all, it’s Kaela, Jen’s favorite cousin ;)

I wanted to write a quick post updating you all about Jen. 
Just a note, this is the update from my point of view…I am not in Oregon, so all of my information has been relayed to me, sometimes through a grapevine. Because of that, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my story was off base. Just remember that this is my update as of now (Saturday morning), but Todd may have to come in and correct some of my facts.

Written Saturday June 8, at noon:

Jen is out of surgery! It went as good as it could go, and it looks like she has completed her surgeries. This has been a massive miracle, indeed!!! Now its just time for recovery! She is still on a respirator, and is hoping to get off it as soon as possible so she can talk to her children. She has asked for our prayers that she might be able to breathe on her own as soon as possible.

Again, we have been so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers, and support for Jen. All of us have followed your comments on her blog and facebook, and we are so touched by the many people who care so deeply for our Jen. I know she will be happy to see your comments of love when she wakes up. Please continue to send love and prayers in her behalf, they do not go unnoticed.

Written this morning before surgery:

Let me just start off by saying, my cousin is one tough cookie.  

Baby Benjamin was delivered on Thursday morning. From what I know, the c-section went smoothly and Jen was able to see him before they put her under to begin working on her placenta. Even early on, Ben has shown great signs of good health and strength. He weighed 5lbs 5oz at birth and measured 19inches. We hear that he’s already gained 5oz and he should be getting off CPAC today.

Jen began surgery immediately after the c-section. She was in surgery for about 11 hours that day, which was longer than they expected. The bleeding was hard to control, but we have realized over and over again how amazing her doctors are. We have said many prayers in their behalf, and how grateful we are for their caution and expertise. It is because of the many precautions and their preparedness, that Jen has made it this far. 8 hours into her surgery we heard that they had already given her 76 units of blood….I don’t know what the count is now. Thursday night, after the trama team was brought in to work on her for a little bit, they decided to stop for the night. Her lungs were swelling and they wanted to give her body a chance to recover as much as possible. We heard that they might resume surgeries throughout the night, but her body was healing so well that they decided to wait until the morning. On Friday morning, they decided it would be best to let her rest for another 24 hours.

We have heard multiple times from the doctors that her body is handling everything amazingly. Because she is strong and healthy, she has put up a good fight. Her heart is strong and because of that she has been able to handle the stress on her body.

That being said, there have been some scary moments. Though she has been stable, she is still in the ICU in critical condition, and it looks like she'll have a long road of surgeries and recovery ahead of her. On Thursday night, the surgeons said that the goal was to keep her alive for the next 12 hours, and that that would be a miracle indeed. If she was able to make it those 12 hours without any major complications, plus an additional 12 hours (24 hours total, to friday night), then we would all be able to sigh in relief. We were all found on our knees multiple times in those 24 hours, and our prayers were heard. It has been a blessing to see the many people praying and fasting for her…so many people petitioning for her to stay. There is no doubt that miracles have happened. I have seen God’s hand these last two days, and I know that He is ever a part of this process.

When she’s not in surgery, Jen has been awake and coherent. She can’t speak, but she has been doing sign language to communicate. The anesthesiologist warned that after such a long surgery, she may have experienced some emotional trauma or memory loss, but she was her same ol’ self and very aware of her situation. She asked if she was in the ICU, how many units of blood she needed, and all about Benjamin. She has been able to tell nurses when she is thirsty and hot. She’s even cracked quite a few jokes! She is such a trooper! (She also asked us to update her friends and blog readers.....She sure loves you guys!!)

So…as of now, she is scheduled to start surgery this morning (I believe it already started, but I have not heard). Please continue sending prayers and love her way…she still needs them. From my understanding, the priority is to control the bleeding. I believe the placenta has been fully removed, but there is still clean up to do. I also heard that they had to take more of her bladder than they expected. 



I WILL CONTINUE TO POST UPDATES AS I HEAR THEM!!!

the night before surgery

p.s. I also wanted to note how wonderful Todd has been with Jenifer. Everyone has commented on what a sweet, loving, and doting husband he is. He has handled this situation with strength and faith. He has often been found holding her hand and whispering love and encouragement to into her ear. We sure love that Todd, and know Jen is in good hands!