Major Milestone

Today marks a momentous occasion for this recovering neurology patient. For the first time, I have enough strength and dexterity in my hands to type (with both hands!). For those who care about such things, even with my still-impaired movement, I am able to type at a decent 25 wpm (or there abouts). I'm so thankful for the proper keyboarding training that I received back when I was young. :-)

Here are a few updates that leads into some specific prayer requests:

1. After receiving a third MRI last Thursday (Dec. 27), the neurology team has determined that my spinal cord injury was caused by an infarct (essentially a stroke to the spinal cord).
   
2. A lot stems out of this diagnosis, perhaps most significantly is that there is no full recovery in the prognosis. Stroke patients all expect some permanent impairment.
3. Yet, on the flip side of the same coin, if indeed I had suffered a stroke in the spinal cord, there is no logical explanation for the incredible recovery that has been witnessed in the past week. I had gone from being essentially paralyzed from the neck down, breathing by a ventilator, to being able to get up and walk on my own and type on the computer in a matter of less than a week. The neurologist claim that "spontaneous recoveries" this happens all time...which is quite a different tune than what doctors were saying a week ago. I believe the explanation is quite simple, there is a miracle-working God who's in control of this case. PTL!
4. Because the doctors believe that I had suffered a stroke, they believe that I have a blood clotting disorder that caused it. The hematologists have ordered about 15 blood tests to see if I have any of the testable blood clotting disorders. The idea is that if my blood is prone to clotting, then such a condition may occur again...but the results may be far more catastrophic, and so treatment of this disorder would be in order.
   
5. The attending neurologist who is in charge of my case is resistant to discharging me until he receives all of the blood test results back. This is especially frustrating because some of those tests may take upwards of a week to get results! All doctors agree that I am of stable enough condition to be discharged to acute rehabilitation...and my family and I are more than ready to go home to Loma Linda. We are eager to go, but we pray that the Lord will move so the attending would be willing to let us go.
   

So here are some of the specific requests that our family has at this specific time, we would appreciate you including these on your prayer list as well. (God has answered your prayers so far, there's no reason to believe that he's going to stop!)

1. Pray that the blood tests all come back normal with no complications. If I have a blood clotting disease, I will need to take blood thinning medication for the rest of my life.
2. Pray that the Lord will open the door that my family and I may go home to Loma Linda as quickly as possible. It will be of great relief to us psychologically and I will be able to receive the intense rehab that I need.
3. Pray that the Lord will grant a full recovery. God has granted me healing that is miraculously above and beyond what is "normal" for any stroke patient, there's no reason why he can't heal wholly and completely. God is not in the business of only half answering prayers. Above all, may His name be glorified amongst the nations as the God who works beyond what medical science can do.

Thank you all for your continued prayer for my family and me. We have seen the Lord clearly through this entire ordeal, and we will be eager hear the Lord's explanation for why He permitted this in the Millennium.