The Latest

Hi friends.  It is Marla.  Melody asked me to give some updates about yesterday's appointment with the heart transplant team at UCLA.

There were a few surprises as they met the with the transplant team yesterday.  First, they found out that Noah was not taken off the list while they were away on their Make a Wish trip, but rather he was put on hold.  They were told this would help him to accrue more time on the list and increase his chances of getting a heart sooner.  If a call had come for a heart while the family was away (which it did not), they simply would have rejected it.

Concerns arose about Noah's increasing exhaustion while on their trip.  Mel told them that Noah got very tired while in the ocean and started having chest pain.  He ended up spending much of his time on the beach, playing in the sand.  This increasing exhaustion points to further development of his disease.  They did another ECHO, and it showed increased stiffening of his heart.  As restrictive cardiomyopathy advances, the heart grows stiffer and unable to effectively pump blood out to the body.  They also looked for clots in his heart and found none.  However, due to the development of his disease, they will probably start him on aspirin to prevent clots and the problems that they cause (stroke, etc.).  Please pray for Noah - that God would continue to sustain his life and health as he waits.  And please pray that God would provide a new heart for him soon.

Please pray for Jason and Mel, too, as they continue to face the challenges of hearing this kind of news, not knowing how long it will take for his disease to progress, how long it will be until a heart comes, and if something will happen to Noah as they wait for a heart.

While they were at UCLA, they were able to visit Caden - a sweet 8 year old who is also waiting for a heart.  It was great to be able to have the boys spend time together and spend time encouraging their family.  But it was also very surreal for Mel to think that this could be them at any point - waiting for a heart in the hospital.  A sobering reminder of the road that they continue to walk down by the goodness, grace, and sovereignty of God.

They continued on their UCLA rounds and visited Geoff and Leah.  It was a hard but good visit, once again so hard to see their dear friends continue to struggle so deeply.  These friends continue to live each day in the uncomfortable and scary place of not knowing what a day will bring.  Spent time crying and praying and bringing each other to the only One who can offer hope and peace and stability in these times.

As you continue to think about and pray for these dear friends, would you pray with these two passages in mind:

Isaiah 33:2, 5-6
"O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you.  Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble... The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure."

Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

Our circumstances are not secure, our lives are not sure, and our hopes waver when we rest them on the foundation of our own lives.  Yet we do have a sure foundation, stability among the circumstances of these times.  We have an exalted LORD who dwells on high, who has become our salvation, who is gracious to us as we wait for him, who will execute perfect justice and righteousness.  He has provided an abundance of salvation, and so we can have an abundance of hope.  And this hope is unshakable because its foundation is the power of the Holy Spirit which is for our good because of the finished work of Christ.

May God bring joy and peace and hope as they wait for Him and daily choose to believe that He is good and that all He does is good.