5-04-2005

Aliyah is home as of last Thursday night. She is doing
well and actually went back to Indy for the first of
her weekly clinical doctor's visits this morning. They
are pleased with her progress so far. They want her to
get stronger, exercise, and eat well, which of course
is a difficult assignment for most teenagers. :-)

They will let her get a bit stronger and do another
echo cardiogram in about a month before putting her on
the transplant list. Although it is not expected by
the doctor's at this point, we are still praying that
God will heal her heart. It is however a miracle that
she is still with us after all that has happened in
the last 7 and a half weeks. I am very mindful of
God's grace throughout this ordeal.

Some have asked me, 'Isn't it great to be home?', and
the answer is a qualified yes. We are really in the
middle of a marathon, we are tired, but have settled
into a rhythm that we can hopefully maintain for a
good while. It's great to hear her practicing her
guitar, as she is doing right now in the basement, but
this is a long haul. The support from friends and
family has been amazing and very encouraging. Thank
you all.

Aliyah has already been to a rock concert, had a sleep
over, and returned to the small Monday night house
church we have been attending for awhile now. It is
indeed wonderful to be able to return to a degree of
normalcy. If I can just get through the pile of mail
on my desk, that would be nice too. :-)

Anyway, thanks again for all your thoughts, prayers,
and assistance, you will never know how much it all
has meant to us.