May 02 - UPDATES!

Hello everyone..... So sorry that we've been unable to keep this blog and all of you updated. We do thank you for your continued prayers and concern. Eman was sent home from the hospital about ten days ago. Blood tests taken at the hospital showed that Eman is anemic. In light of that the plastic surgeons recommended waiting to perform the plastic surgery to close the wound on his back [from a pressure ulcer]. Since his return home we've been focusing on his diet. Prioritizing foods rich in iron, protein and fiber. We've also started "juicing" - which we've heard gets minerals and vitamins to your blood stream within minutes and is very effective in rebuilding the body's immune system. Eman has to be rotated every two hours. To prevent further pressure ulcers from developing, Eman's body cannot be in the same position for longer than that. We take turns sleeping with him at night, setting alarms so that we can wake to turn him. Overall Eman's health is better. A week or so ago he would shake violently for almost a hour when we'd move him from his showering chair to his bed. Now-a-days this transition in smoother. We've have had 5 different therapists visit us for "in-home" sessions over the last couple weeks. This has been wonderful. As the days go by we are seeing the importance of exercising and working his body, besides strengthening his muscles it also helps them to relax. His leg muscles will involuntarily contract and tense all day long and even during the night which is extremely tiring for him and prevents him from getting uninterrupted sleep. It is a DAILY challenge to stay focused on keeping positive and facing these new challenges with faith and not succumbing to depression and despair. Some days are better than others. A month after Eman's shooting I finally got around to going to the bank to see where we were at financially. It was AMAZING to see HOW MANY contributions there were from all of you - THANK YOU!!!! We were really taken aback by the volume of contributors. It is so very kind of you. Some names we recognized and others we did not. To each one of you who kindly gave from your hard-earned reserves we thank you and pray that the Lord blesses you 100-fold.