11-10-2024
9:24 AM
Hello to all who care out there. It’s Sunday morning. I, unfortunately, am so worn out that I needed to go home last night. I was falling asleep standing up, and with all that I have been through with chronic fatigue, I was not going to be able to make it to the finish line. I can’t describe how hard it was to leave Hannah on her “last night”. I will always regret not being “strong enough.” Janean and Micah, however, stayed with Hannah all night. We are all together now and here is the update:
Throughout the night there have been multiple times where Hannah’s blood pressure has skyrocketed. As soon as I got here it got extremely bad while she was being bathed. Now she is at 80/71. This is due to the pressure in the brain. So, the point of this is that her heart may stop before the donation can occur. We were faced with the choice, “Do we ‘hold her back’, for the sake of others, or to ‘let her go’?” We have made the decision and are allowing the doctors to revive her so that we can complete the donation. So, if her heart stops, they will “bring her back.” If all goes “well”, others will never be able to know or understand the true cost that this is to us.
We are still praying for a miracle! God seems to work at the last possible second, and sometimes even longer. (There needs to be no room for the miracle to be explained away.) There are so many praying, and we have heard from several who have been holding special house and church meetings on behalf of Hannah. We will see what God will do, but for now, we grieve and are trying to make it all the way across the finish line. Our philosophy has been, Do right! Breathe! Take small steps and just keep moving forward!
9:34 AM
Reminder about the Honor Walk:
There will be an Honor Walk for Hannah, in which she will be lead in procession through rows of hospital staff, visitors, and as many of you that wish to attend. It will take place at 2PM today, here at Froedtert Hospital. If you wish to attend, here are the basic directions to get in. Take Watertown Plank Road to 92nd street and into the hospital campus. Keep straight on 92nd into the construction barrels. You will come to a stop sign in the barrels, and you will need to turn left into the “BLUE P” parking garage. Find a spot to park, then go down to the second floor to enter the building. Walk in and on your left will be a line for admittance to get in. They will require an ID for adults. Tell them why you have come, and they will give you the proper instructions. Thank you all for your continued support. We are being encouraged and carried by your love as we try to complete this journey.
We are blessed
10:09 AM
Micah and the boys wanted to be able take a special picture. In the vial between their hands, is a strip of paper with her heartbeat on it. This is a memento they have given us to remember her life.
3:15 PM
What a humbling honor walk! We don’t deserve the turn out! At this point there are many families waiting to get their lives saved. In a few minutes only healing begins. Our pain is real but there is a blessedness in knowing that others now have hope!
4:18 PM
The Lord has reasons beyond our understanding. At 3:57 PM Hannah passed into a better place, into the arms of One who gave His life for her.
4:19 PM
His will, not ours!
Funeral arrangements are being made. The funeral will be held this Wednesday, at Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown. Dr. David Anderson, president of Maranatha Baptist University, will be officiating. The funeral will begin with the visitation at 10 AM, then the service at 11AM, followed by a lite lunch at the church.
8:06 PM
As we returned into the ICU room, we walked in and the thought hit me, “She is not here, she is RISEN”. I realize that this is not an exact literal comparison, but the reality was that she was not there, her spirit had gone on to be with her Lord and Savior.
We were asked to write a brief statement to be read at the Honor Walk. Here it is for those who were unable to attend or hear it:
If Hannah were able to speak right now, she would be embarrassed at everyone making such a fuss over her. She would start to scurry about trying to serve all of you refreshments while picking up trash. Although the events of this week have been very hard on all of us, we are relieved that she is completely unaware of what is happening. It is reassuring to remember that the last thing she knew was that she was with her parents, and she felt safe. We knew that our presence was a comfort to her. The unfortunate series of events that took place which led us to be here today are obviously hard to understand yet here we are.
Since Hannah is unaware of what is going on, we are proud to be able to have the opportunity and responsibility to help turn our worst day into the opportunity for many to have their best. The decision to do this, although difficult, was relatively easy then we just asked the question, “How could we keep other families from hurting as much as we do?” We are very comforted to know that if Hannah was able to speak to all of you, she would be honored and humbled to have the opportunity to truly save the lives of others. There are many disappointments but there are no regrets. If God does not provide with us a miracle right now, and raise her up, then He has seen fit to bring her home and to use her passing to save the lives of others down here at the same time. Although we all are hurting, we know that she is free!
In the Bible we read that Jesus laid down his life for us, so that if we accept His gift of salvation, by that death, anyone can be saved. Although this accident was not a situation chosen by Hannah, we have been notified that her sacrifice has already saved four lives!
We are still blessed.
Hannah Helps 