Update Tuesday afternoon 6/12

It's just one good thing after another lately!  I don't know why we continue to be amazed by God's healing of our boy, as if His hand is limited like ours is, but, then again, I don't ever want to lose the wonder and joy at experiencing the touch of God in our lives.  God is simply.......good!


First of all, did I mention that the photographer, Damian Mulinix, who took those incredible photos of that day at the beach, entered a contest using the shot of Dale being carried out of the water?  (I feel like I did, but I'm unwilling to page back through months of blog entries to be certain; so---if you already knew this, pretend like you didn't!)  When I spoke with him some time back, he asked permission to use Dale's picture in this contest, and I said, "Yes!"  I happened to find the website (Pictures of the Year International) recently and discovered that Mr. Mulinix won SECOND PLACE with his entry of Doug Knutsen cradling Dale in his arms while yelling for paramedics on the beach to get ready.  I read further on this website that these photos will enlarged and displayed for six months on the sidewalks outside the POYI building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.  So now, even more people will read about and remember God's miracle and saving power!!!


Next, I related to Alison, Dale's PT therapist, how well he has been walking by himself.  He is not balking at the idea of walking without assistance, even on unfamiliar ground (anything outside the house).  Dale will walk on his own out of church, through the maze of hallways, and across the parking lot to the van; he will walk out of PT, down the hall to the elevators, into the parking garage, and down the ramp to our van; he even walked from the van, across the parking lot, into the SP building, rode the elevator to the second floor, and walked all the way into Lisa's office without assistance---and back again when SP was done!  Dale has been getting into the van almost completely on his own as well.  He is realizing more and more that he can do this, that he doesn't necessarily need to hold someone's hand constantly in order to feel safe.  Now, if we're in a crowded place like the mall or if we're in a hurry, I'll still take his hand; but, for the most part, Dale is walking on his own!  Alison heard my proud report and then saw for herself all during PT that Dale worked and walked without her assistance, she got this big smile on her face and began humming "Pomp and Circumstance."  I gave Dale a hint:  "You're ready to graduate to the next level!"  Alison said she thinks he is ready to drop one PT session each week and continue therapy just once a week!!!  Oh, praise the Lord!  :-D  After we talked about it, we decided to keep going twice a week, at least for the summer or until Medicaid runs out, whichever comes first.  What a wonderful blessing to know that Dale's therapist believes he is progressed enough to decrease the number of sessions he needs.  I remember when Lisa decided to decrease Dale's SP to just once a week and how afraid I was that he would regress because of it.  Of course, he was just fine and still is, and I'm looking forward to only scheduling one PT session each week for Dale.


Third, as far as we can tell, there should be no problem with Medicaid not paying extra costs after July 1st.  I've been talking with our case manager---who is absolutely wonderful!---and she has done some checking around, and it appears that Dale has an "open card" with Medicaid so that the new restrictions don't apply to him.  We may find out differently come the first of July, but if so, we'll deal with it.  Also, we are reapplying for Medicaid for Dale for another year, but they may not renew his card.  When we applied last year, we were accepted because Dale had spent thirty days in the hospital after his accident.  Obviously, things are much changed now, so Medicaid will have to look over our circumstances and decide on Dale's case.  If his card is renewed, that will be great; if not, we will definitely have to limit the number of therapies he will be able to attend.  Medicaid right now covers all of our copays; if we have SP and PT even just once a week each and had to pay the copay out of pocket, that alone would be $60 a week!  So you see our difficulty here.  However, as my astute husband put it, Dale is at a point now where he doesn't need the intense therapy he once did.  If we get bumped off Medicaid, we'll carry on ourselves.  And I know both Lisa and Alison would do everything they can to make sure we are prepared to help Dale continue to move forward (play on words) with his progress in PT and SP.


Fourth, I took Emily back to the dentist today to get two small cavities filled.  The dentist was concerned because the x-ray showed one cavity near the tooth root; he warned us that, if the cavity went too deep, he may have to do a pulpotomy---a baby root canal.  Yikes!  I prayed and prayed, asking God to keep the procedure simple and avoid any problems, and He answered.  There was no difficulty in cleaning out the decayed portion of her tooth; they saw no sign of the nerve and easily filled the small excavation.  Dr. Knox did warn that, since the filling was close to the nerve, Emily might develop some sensitivity in that tooth, so we'll have to keep an eye on it.  The numbing medicine has just about worn off, and Emily managed to only bite her lip once.  So, praise the Lord!


All in all, God is good.  Even when we have headaches that threaten to sabotage our day, even when we have car troubles that don't seem to go away, even when His hand of blessing seems so far away, God is good.  We are blessed to be His children, under His watchful care, always in His heart and on His mind.  God truly loves us.


Zephaniah 3: 17  "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."