Hey Everyone,

Today we celebrated Gabrielle’s First Birthday and her 20th day seizure-free!! We have so many reasons to rejoice and be thankful!! We posted a couple of new pictures from today. They bring tears of joy to my eyes! Thank you God for this miracle!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed and supported us throughout this first year of Gabrielle’s life!

Love,
Kelly

Hey All,

This is just a quick update to let you know Gabrielle is still seizure free!!! This is day #15 without seizures!!! Praise God!!! Everyday has been such a miracle! Gabrielle is eating so much better. She has improved at sitting, rolling over, and is using her left hand again to grasp things. Our little girl who once slept the days away now hardly sleeps at all! We have continued to reduce her anti-convulsant meds and she is presently on very small amounts of both. We will continue to pray and trust in God’s perfect plan.

I’ll keep you posted.
Love,
Kelly

Hey Everyone,

A miracle has taken place! Gabrielle has been seizure free for 5 days and the doctors are amazed!

My parents visited us last weekend and they arrived early Saturday morning which was the day I last posted. Sunday, Gabrielle had a rough day consisting of about 12 seizures. That evening my Dad suggested we all gather around Gabrielle and pray for her, which we did. My dad began by praying,”Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”Matthew 18:20 He also said “Your word says that if we ask for things in the name of Jesus, that they would be granted to us. So that’s what we’re doing. In Jesus’ name, we’re asking you to heal Gabrielle.”

Now, many, many, people have been praying for Gabrielle and I myself have prayed that if God chooses to heal Gabrielle to do it in a way that would glorify His name. I know God has heard each prayer that has been lifted and I know this was His perfect timing.

The following day, Monday, Gabrielle had her first seizure-free day since July 19th. On Monday night, Duff and I were saying “Wouldn’t it be so amazing if Gabrielle’s EEG was improved?” Tuesday afternoon we arrived at the hospital for the testing that had been scheduled and Gabrielle still had not had a seizure. They attached all of the EEG electrodes to her head and called the doctor to see if they should lower her meds to increase the likelihood that she would have a seizure for testing the following day. The doctor said that wouldn’t be necessary knowing Gabrielle’s history. The IV nurse woke Gabrielle up at 2am to start an IV for the test. Previously, if you awakened Gabrielle out of deep sleep she would immediately begin to seize. This time she showed no signs of seizure activity.

The following morning, Wednesday, Dr. Gallentine arrived and was surprised she had not had seizure activity. We discussed lowering her meds to see if it would bring a seizure on. The doctor was concerned about throwing her into status epilepticus(continuous seizures) but at the same time wanted to capture a seizure for the test. Duff and I were both comfortable with lowering the meds at this point because we didn’t believe they were responsible for her recent improvement. We were beginning to believe it was the hand of God and I conveyed this to the doctor. The meds were lowered and the doctor went to take a look at Gabrielle’s brain waves. He was amazed! Only 4 days earlier her EEG was full of abnormal electrical activity and now it was looking so normal. The meds were lowered again over the next 2 days and still no seizures. The doctor said the EEG showed no signs that there would be seizure activity anytime soon. We were discharged home late yesterday with an appointment in one month. The doctors couldn’t explain it. Gabrielle had turned 90 degrees, in a direction the doctors wouldn’t have anticipated or predicted. Dr. Gallentine called her our “miracle baby”.

Gabrielle has been improving every day. An enormous weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Parents, carefully choose your children’s names.:) When we chose Gabrielle’s middle name of Faith, we did so because we felt like it was an act of faith to have more children after the difficult deliveries I have experienced. We did not realize at the time how our faith would be tested and strengthened by the birth of this child.

When I was pregnant with Gabrielle I didn’t know whether to schedule a cesarean or attempt a natural birth in light of my past obstetrical history. It was an impossible decision and realizing, I am NOT omnipotent but God IS, I decided to leave it in His hands. Well my 41st week arrived and I never went into labor. They did not want to induce because of my cesarean scars. One day shy of 42 weeks I went in for a scheduled cesarean. I felt like there would be some kind of confirmation as to why things happened this way and boy was there ever! When the doctor opened me up he said,” I’ve never seen anything like this before!” I had a window on my uterus the breadth of of his 2 hands. It was an area where the muscle layer had given way and only a thin saran wrap like membrane remained. The doctor said if labor had commenced I would have surely ruptured. God had protected Gabrielle’s life because He had a reason and a plan for our little girl. It was not her time.

Next came the horrific accident on I-40. God guided our car past a fiery tractor trailer that was jack-knifed across the road, into a grassy field, so that when the explosion came we were at a safe distance. Gabrielle and I were delivered from the accident without a scratch. God had protected Gabrielle’s life yet again and I was reminded we are NOT in control. It confirmed in my heart that Gabrielle’s seizures were happening for a reason according to His plan.

Today I am in total awe of what He has done. He has taken our daughter’s body that was riddled with seizures and He has taken them away. He has silenced the abnormal electrical activity that doctor’s saw on her EEG only a week ago. He has given our daughter back her smile, her laugh, and her appetite! He truly is the Great Physician and He is a mighty, mighty God!

Will Gabrielle remain seizure-free? We don’t know. But we are thankful for each day. This testing of our faith has produced endurance and endurance has had it’s perfect result because today we are closer to God and more like Him than we were before the birth of Gabrielle Faith O’Melia.

Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and support!

Kelly

Hey Family and Friends,

Gabrielle was discharged home Friday around 6pm. She completed the Video EEG which showed activity coming from both sides. Dr. Gallentine said this could mean abnormal activity is deflecting from the right, through the brain stem, to the left side making it look like it is originating from the left when in fact it isn’t. It could also mean it really is originating from the left. Gabrielle will be readmitted Tuesday for further testing. She will have SPECT and PET scans completed to determine where the abnormal activity is coming from. She underwent an additional MRI Friday to further assess the right frontal lobe because it looked like there may have been a little abnormal tissue left over from the resection. It seems by the end of this week we should have a better idea of exactly where the seizures are stemming from and whether Gabrielle is a candidate for any further surgical intervention. I will keep you posted.

It is difficult to accept that it might be God’s plan that Gabrielle will continue to have seizures throughout her life. I know this may be the case though. I was listening to a Matt Redman song on the way home from the hospital entitled Blessed Be Your Name and the following lyrics stand out in my mind as I write this:

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Kelly

Hey Everyone,

Gabrielle will be readmitted to Duke today for further Video EEG monitoring. It should take about 3 days to record sufficient seizure data. We are praying all of the activity continues to come from the right side.

We will keep you all posted and would greatly appreciate your continued prayer.

Thanks!
Kelly

Hi Friends and Family,

I’m sorry I have not updated in awhile. It has been a rough week. I have been sick since Monday and I think today I have finally beaten this thing!

Gabrielle is doing about the same. She is having 6-12 seizures a day. She also began having these mini seizures which follow her typical seizures. The doctor said her seizures could be evolving which wouldn’t be surprising and they could be infantile spasms. Gabrielle has been sleeping a lot and I have to work very hard to get her to eat and drink. The one med she is on causes anorexia. Dr. Gallentine, her neurologist, is going to get back to me on Monday about having her admitted for further testing. He needs to check with Dr. Grant to see if he thinks Gabrielle’s skull has healed enough for the electrodes to be attached. I will keep you posted as we learn more.

This has been a difficult road but I know this is all in God’s hands. I know He hears each of our prayers and that He has chosen this path for a reason. Our friend and pastor, Bobby Austin, included the following quote in his message last week and it explains why our hope lies in Him.

The gospel is not a tranquilizer for worried weaklings to help them sleep at night. It is not a mass of dead dogmas, deep frozen in some ancient cathedral to be carried as a burden through life and thawed out five minutes before death. The gospel is not a list of religious rules and regulations to be strung around the soul like a lucky charm in case of accidents. No, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is a message-and what a message! It is a living message from the living God for living people, just like us, for people with sins just like us, for people with sorrows and heartaches just like us. It is the only message on the face of the earth with concrete promises and absolute assurances of an eternal inheritance that will withstand the impact of death and the collapse of the universe.”
J, Boyd Nicholson

Kelly

Hey All,

We met with Gabrielle’s surgeon and neurologist yesterday. We are increasing her medication to see if it helps in reducing the seizures. We are hoping this buys us some more time for the healing process to be completed and we are praying it stops the seizures. If she continues to have the same frequency of seizures she will need to be readmitted into the hospital for another video EEG. This would be done to determine if the abnormal electrical activity is all still coming from the right side. If it is, she would need to have a grid placed under her skull for further testing and if everything still pointed to the right side she would be a candidate for a functional hemispherectomy. This surgery disconnects the normal half of the brain from the abnormal side so that the normal side can continue to develop normally. It causes some left side paralysis and should be done early in development for the best outcome.

Thanks for the continued prayer and encouragement!
Love, Kelly

Hi Everyone,

The last several days have been discouraging. Gabrielle has been having 10-20 seizures a day. It is difficult to accept this when her scalp still has a fresh line of sutures.:( Her seizures look almost identical to what she was experiencing before surgery. I have been giving her Klonopin on top of her regular meds to try to break up the clusters. She seems to either be sleeping, having seizures, or both. It is really sad to watch the effect the seizures are having on her. She has regressed in so many areas. We meet with her surgeon at Duke tomorrow. Please continue to pray for our little girl.

I want to share with all of you what I read in a book by John Ortberg moments after Gabrielle had her first post-op seizure.

Why does something like this happen? I don’t know. I only know that ultimately, the choice everyone faces is the choice between hope and despair. Jesus says, “Choose hope.” Will you keep going when you don’t know why? When you can’t get any answers that would make the pain go away, will you still say, “My Lord,” even though His ways are not clear to you? Will you keep going with all the grace and grit and faith you can muster and live in hope that one day God will set everything right? Will you trust that God is good?

God wants greatness of soul-people who will endure, wrestle, persevere, refuse to quit, and cling to HIs goodness even when there is much they can’t see clearly.

I’m choosing hope! I will keep you all updated.
Love, Kelly

Hi All,

We are home at last! I am currently administering Gabrielle’s first dose of IV antibiotics and figured I would post this update while I wait for them to infuse.

Gabrielle had 4 seizures today which can be a little discouraging. They did not however generalize to the rest of her brain and therefore she remained conscious. So this is an improvement. We continue to pray they will vanish completely if it is God’s will.

Neurologically, the doctors can’t believe how normal she seems. They are impressed that there are no obvious deficits following surgery. Praise God!!!

Dr. Grant shared with us that her brain activity was like a continuous run of seizures when he began surgery. It is no wonder our little girl wasn’t smiling anymore!

Thanks for the encouraging messages being posted! They mean so much! I had a nurse at Duke walk in the other day to see how Gabrielle was doing. She had come in for a meeting and decided to stop in and check on us. She had taken care of us on Sat. and Sun. and it was now Tuesday. Tuesday was a rough day because it was when we began seeing seizures again. When she walked into our room my eyes filled with tears. Not because I was feeling sorry for myself but because she had cared enough to come back and check in. I feel the same gratitude when I read all the messages on Gabrielle’s carepage.

Thank you!!!!
Kelly

Hi Family and Friends,
It looks like today might be the day to go home! Gabrielle developed a fever on post-op day #1 and her blood cultures and urine came back positive for infection. They began treating her with anitbiotics and her fever has improved and she appears to feel alot better. They inserted a PIC line yesterday which is a special IV that she can be sent home with. We will be administering IV antibiotics at home for the next 8-10 days to make sure any infection is blasted away. As soon as all home health instruction is completed and we have all of the necessary materials we will be heading out.
It has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Gabrielle seemed to be improving from the infection and then yesterday she had 5 seizures. The doctors say this can be from the irritability caused by surgery or may mean there is still an area of aberrant tissue. We will just have to wait and see. On a very positive note, Gabrielle has been smiling and laughing for the first time in weeks. She is so interactive. She wants to sit up and play which is difficult when she still has an IV in each arm.:) When she smiled and laughed for the first time yesterday afternoon I had tears of joy rolling down my cheeks! It made everything worth it!!!
We will continue to pray that Gabrielle improves day by day. She will be starting Physical Therapy very soon and they will be addressing her left sided weakness. We have so much hope that the little girl who was trapped inside a body riddled with seizures will begin to emerge!!!
Our many thanks for everything!
Kelly

This has been an amazing journey filled with many bumps and I just want to share a little story from the other day at Duke. We were discussing Gabrielle’s prognosis and whether or not the other side of her brain was affected. The neurologist said we just have to hope that “Mother Nature” has formed the other side of her brain normally so that by removing the right side we will stop the seizures. At that moment I realized how amazing it is to know I don’t just have to hope in “Mother Nature”. I have my hope in the one true God. A God that knows every hair on our heads and every tear we cry. A God who loves us beyond compare and allowed His only son to die on a cross and then raised Him from the dead to give us eternal hope. This has given me so much peace and hope at a time when there are so many uncertainties.

Hi Friends and Family,
Thank you so much for the love and support you have given all of us. Thank you for your continued prayer. Gabrielle’s surgery went really well. She is recovering nicely. Dr. Grant said her brain’s electrical activty looked greatly improved but not perfect. He said it may be due to irritability from the surgery or other small areas of malformation. Gabrielle is waiting for a regular peds bed. She is nursing again and has most of her lines removed. She seems pretty comfortable and is doing better than we expected. We are praising God for keeping her safe and improving her prognosis. We have seen so many children suffering here and it reminds us of our many blessings.

Love you all!

Kelly

Well, yesterday’s post is now obsolete. How quickly things can change. We received a call from Duke this morning saying Dr. Grant will be able to operate this Friday, Aug. 24th @ 8:00 am. We were thrilled!!! We left for Duke at 10:00 am and had all of her pre-op testing completed today. We learned the surgery will no longer be completed in two stages. The doctors all agree the previous testing has narrowed down the area enough that they should be able to perform all necessary mapping while in the OR prior to resection. This will reduce the risk of infection and blood loss which is good news and also shorten the hospital stay. The surgeon estimated Gabrielle will be in the hospital about 4 days. She will spend the first night in the PICU and then stay in the peds unit. The surgery will take about 4 hours. We greatly appreciate your continued prayer and support. We will keep you all posted.

Love, Kelly

We have a date! Sept. 10th will be the big day. This isn’t as soon as we were hoping for but many schedules had to be coordinated and they wanted it to be first thing in the morning with no cases following. We will be praying Gabrielle remains stable until then and trust this is God’s perfect timing.

Gabrielle will have pre-op testing completed Sept. 5th and arrive at 6am for surgery on the 10th.

I spoke with Dr. Grant yesterday and he said the lesion in her right frontal lobe is quite extensive and he will basically be removing the entire lobe minus the motor strip. He suggested the process of saving Gabrielle’s motor strip to avoid left sided paralysis will be a tedious one. But, it is comforting to know this is all in God’s very capable hands!

We appreciate the love and support of each of you!
Kelly

Hey All,

Just a quick update. Dr Grant is completely booked next week so the soonest Gabrielle would be able to have surgery would be the following week. The secretary will get back to us on Monday. Please pray she can have it done soon. It sounds like Dr. Grant is in high demand.

I’ll keep you all posted.
Love,
Kelly