Clarification

Stephanie just called me this morning. We somehow got our wires crossed last night. The x-ray and the CT scan were for Jenny yesterday, not Isabella. Jenny has fluid in her chest and the bumps sticking up below her collarbone. Stephanie was still awaiting results of the x-ray and CT scan this morning. I will update the post as soon as I know anything. Sorry for the mix-up :)

Friday, 8 days later

I spoke with my mother a few minutes ago. Jenny has several doctors pushing her in several ways. The ortho doctors are pushing her to reduce her morphine intake back to once every 3-4 hours so that she can be on her way to rehab. The occupational therapist and physical therapist also want results. They took her off of oxygen yesterday and removed her catheter today so she will be less prone to infection. She had a few syringes full of cappucino today and a small amount of ensure. She is beginning to miss her girls terribly and is fully aware now of Isabella's situation. She is struggling emotionally. She is still in much pain and wishing to have no visitors outside of immediate family. Pray for her as she is beginning to experience just how much hard work she has to endure and is realizing how long it might be before she can see her babies again.
Isabella, on a positive note, walked 70 ft. today with help. She was awake for 7 hours straight as the therapy she is enrolled in takes the form of schooling. She had an x-ray done of her chest/legs today. There was fluid in her lungs (possibly blood pooled or some other fluid) so she was having a CAT scan tonight to see about that. They also discovered two bumps in her chest below her collar bone, possibly bones. They are hoping to know something about those from the CAT scan as well. There are two urgent prayer requests for her. First, that she will develop the ability to swallow again. The feeding tube needs to be removed, but if she can not swallow when it comes out, then she will have to have a GI tube inserted. She did not pass her swallow test today. The second thing is that she has refused to speak today (up until today, she had spoken only a few words). She was refusing to answer even her daddy. Pray for her mental healing as well.
The doctor saw Aleacia and Sophia today. He said they looked great. Sophia had her stitches out. She cried a bit. Both of them need prayer for emotional healing.
I attached a few pictures of Jenny and the girls. There is also one of them with Melissa at her wedding. I am so thankful God protected these beautiful ones and pray for complete restoration. Join me.

Update on Thursday

Jenny is getting her liquid perkaset (I have no idea how to spell that...) 4 hours a day and that has helped to tolerate the pain... some. She is experiencing nausea from meds/no food. They tried applesauce and mashed potatoes through a syringe today, but you can imagine how that went. The physical therapist came and worked with her on a wheelchair transfer. With much help and great pain, she was able to make the transfer to the wheelchair and back to bed one time. The speech pathologist came to do some cognitive tests with Jenny. From her perspective, she viewed all as fine. She will possibly be removed to rehab this weekend and can expect to be there for at least a month.
Isabella was transferred to Columbus this morning. It is a great facility complete with gym and water therapy. She was able to take a few shuffles today with help. There will be a Cleveland Browns player (my sister didn't remember his name or his organization) stopping by to bring Bella gifts tomorrow.
Aleacia and Sophia are still at home, working on recovering. Aleacia is having difficulty sleeping and no doubt misses her twin. Sophia's face is healing and her stitches come out tomorrow.
Please continue to pray for the Laird family in this time. It has been one week today and there is much reality still to set in. You can pray for complete healing, comfort, discernment in decision making, stamina, and peace of mind. Thank you again for praying.

Jenny's friend, Melissa

Many of you may not know that the driver of the car with which my sister collided was a very close friend of Jenny's. Her name is Melissa. She lives just a few minutes from the accident scene. I spoke to her on the phone today. In the accident, she broke her right clavicle, 2 bones in her left forearm, right tibia, 2 metatarsuls in her left foot, and her big toe. She also has 6 staples in the back of her head. She had surgery on her forearm to put in plates on Thursday. Friday, she had plates put in her clavicle and screws in her foot put in place. Hopefully, her left foot will require no more work, but only time will tell. She seemed to be in good spirits tonight. She and Jenny have spoken on the phone. I am so thankful for Melissa. She knows that God had her there for a reason.

Urgent Request

I just talked with my sister, Stephanie. She is with my sister now after her surgery. They are unable to give her medicine, food or water through the mouth. They are working through the pain while she is suffering and decifering another plan. Please pray for her comfort as she is in unbearable pain. Jenny has specifically requested to have no visitors over the next several days. While it may be difficult, we ask that you would respect her wishes, bathe her in your prayers, and hold off on your visits for a good while. Please continue to check the blog for updates. They will be frequent. Thank you for understanding.

Letters to Jenny and Isabella

When I got home from Ohio on Monday, I melted when I saw my daughter's room. She has a bulletin board in her room. On her own initiative, she covered it with pictures of Isabella. She also wrote these two letters to be sent. They are on their way in the mail, but I thought I would post them on the site. From the smallest of the small, people everywhere are praying...

Surgery Update

My sister just came through surgery a few minutes ago. The reconstruction took over 4 hours. Here are the details. The surgeon said her face was very crushed. She has 6 plates (permanent) in her face (3 around her eye, 1 on her cheek, and 2 around her chin holding her jaw) and numerous screws. She has one incision above her eye and one incision below her eye. The doctor also put some mesh under her eyeball to keep it from dropping and falling down. All other incisions were made through the interior of her mouth. Also her jaw was wired shut with 8 screws. These wires and screws will remain for 4 wks. After that, she will switch to rubber bands. Those will be able to come out when the pain subsides. She will be able to eat what she can squeeze through her teeth. Needless to say, that will not be much. She will most likely consume a lot of protein shakes as her body will need the protein to enhance the bones healing and the weight loss she will most likely encounter.
He was confident that she should look pretty normal. She may be able to feel the plates, but no one else should be able to notice them. Her teeth should fit a bit different from how they did before, so that remains to be seen. She has a lot of bone pieces left that will on their own fuse back. Her sinus cavity is in tact. She will be in a lot of pain for several days in her face, not including the other areas of her body where she is broken. Please continue to pray for her recovery.
She is still not awake from the surgery. She had to be intubated again (through her nose this time) and they are hoping to remove that before she comes to. I hope that can be so.
On another note, Isabella will be moved to Columbus tomorrow. Matthew said that today she was able to sit for a few minutes on her own with her feet dangling over the bed. She also took 4 strides (wasn't happy about it), 2 of which were good and 2 of which were weak.
It is amazing how much different each day can be when you are stripped of life being normal. Continue to pray for Isabella, Jennifer, Matthew, Aleacia and Sophia.
I will keep you updated, so check back soon. Thank you for all your kind words to support this family.