Prayers for Jessica

Today I put up a post for What's your Chocolate? And then I disappeared. Why?

Super, crazy busy day - first day of homeschool co-op, first day of volleyball tryouts (oldest daughter), and first day of dance classes.

More importantly, when I had a spare moment, I prayed for Jessica.

Jessica is an amazing eight year old girl who's undergone more major surgeries than anyone I know. (this includes my Dad and me, and maybe even my mom-in-law)

Last year she had a major surgery to place two metal rods along her spine to help lengthen and strengthen her spine curvature, so that her lungs and other internal organs would have room to breathe and grow.

It turns out that the metal rods didn't do their job. They are hampering her ability to breathe. So right now, as I write this, she is in a four hour surgery to take out those rods, and place her in halo traction. When her lungs have fully recovered (if they can), and the traction has lengthened her spine, her spine will be fused in place. It's the last option. The hardest one.

Her parents and her brother are broken up in a way that I can't even begin to describe.

They have hope in Jesus, but they still need all the prayers they can get. Please, if you read this, take a moment and pray for Jessica and her family. They need every prayer that comes their way.

I should have posted this earlier, but somehow, in the midst of life, I didn't. I pre-wrote the chocolate post, and then went off in a rush.

I will visit the chocolate lovers tomorrow, but right now, I need to keep praying for an eight year old girl in surgery.

Added Tuesday morning: Jessica came out of her first surgery ok, and will be in the ICU for 2-3 days with some breathing help. Her parents and brother are thankful that this first step is over, but are still in the midst of a storm of stress.