Thanks!

First things first...a HUGE thank you to the Kurt Warner's First Things First Foundation and to Ann for letting them know about Luke. I just came home to a HUGE basket full of goodies for Luke, an autographed card from Kurt Warner, and a bag full of motivational books and CD's for us. There is also a signed letter that says at the bottom, "The Lord is watching over you, Your faith in Him will give you the strength you need." Mike is a football fan, but I on the other hand not so much...from now on thought, I will for sure say Go Cardinals and God Bless you Kurt Warner. Thank you so much....what an awesome guy!

Next, we had the pre-op appt with the eye dr this morning. The surgery is a go for Wed morning, so please fire up the prayer chains for a safe surgery and smooth recovery. He just warned us Luke will be uncomfortable for a few days, and will have some black eyes for a few weeks. Here is my ultimate prayer though, I asked him how many times he has seen the eyes start opening on their own after the surgery has been done (because it is reversible,) his answer was one time. So, my prayer is that Luke will be number two!!! Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend! Thanks so much for your continued support...don't miss my earlier post below about the fundraiser (see what else Kurt Warner did) and always believe! Great things are done when man and mountains meet, These are not done by walking down the street.

Don't forget...sign up today!

There is less than one month until the big fundraiser for Luke, Santana, and some other awesome charitites!!! PLEASE if you plan on attending, do not wait to sign up...it helps them plan for food, etc. You can go to http://www.eastvalleysol.org/ to register online. It is very easy. Here are just some of the awesome items they will have up for auction/raffle that night: a 2006 Toyota Camry, Ryne Sandberg signed jersey, Shaq signed jersey, weekend in a Prescott cabin, Lazy Boy recliner, Luxury queen mattress, Budweiser mini fridge, tons of signed baseballs and pictures, partylite candle basket, Tupperware basket, foursomes from 10 different golf courses….this is just the surface of what they have…along with dozens of awesome packages for men, women, children, etc. Also, a signed mini helmet from Kurt Warner of the AZ Cardinals....a HUGE thanks to Ann at Rural Electric for contacting them on our behalf!! There is also going to be a great band...www.thewalkens.com...and who can pass up the great food from Someburros!! Thanks to those of you that have already registered..we can not wait to see you that night and for you all to see Luke and how far he has come! Thanks to EVERYONE at East Valley Sol for the hours of work you have put into this...may you be blessed many times over for your generosity that truly does come from the heart.

Stem Cells

We are getting close to that time where we need to decide whether or not we are going to do the Stem Cell Therapy again. On Friday, when Luke's home bound Physical Therapist came to see him, he asked me that same question. I told him we are struggling with the decision, so I asked him what he would do. He said, based on the improvements he has seen in Luke he would for sure do it again. He said the progress Luke has made since April takes most kids that he sees years to make. See, Mike and I don't know these things. To us, walking and talking is the progress we want to see, forgetting about the baby steps it takes to get there. So, please pray for guidance as we decide if, where, and when to go for the therapy again. Luke can go again the end of October. This brings me to my next point...I have said this before, but if you are pregnant or know anyone that is, please tell them to save that cord blood! My sister did when she had her son in April and recently received this story from the place it is stored:

Chloe Levine, who suffered brain injury from a stroke before she was born, is one of the latest CBR Clients (Cord Blood Registry) whose life is now dramatically different because her parents saved her cord blood. Her inspiring story, which was broadcast on the news this week, clearly shows the exciting new uses for cord blood and the profound impact it has had for Chloe and her family. Here is the link: http://www.cordblood.com/azfamily1.asp.Injuries and accidents can happen to anyone at anytime. More than 1 million children sustain brain injuries each year in the U.S. Based on Chloe's experience - as well as several other CBR children - a child's own cord blood holds tremendous promise as a treatment for healing injuries to the brain and other nerve tissue. I encourage you to take a look at Chloe's story and share it with your family and friends.

We recently found out we are expecting a new baby in March 2009 (a huge surprise for us but nonetheless we know this baby is coming for a reason.) You better believe we are saving that child's cord blood. In fact, I have already emailed the doctor at Duke that is using the cord blood in cases of CP. As of now, they are not doing it using siblings cord blood, but she definitely said to save it because it is coming! So, I will probably be emailing her every three months to see if it is time for that yet. It would just be so much easier if it were already happening in the US!

Updates on Luke this week: making new sounds, if only we knew what he is trying to tell us. I was amazed at how good he did at therapy on Friday working on crawling and getting onto the couch. We have an appointment this Thursday for the pre-op visit for his eye surgery. Please continue prayers of healing and restoration, as well as guidance on the stem cells once again. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth ... John 16:13 NLT Thanks so much! Believe!

Fishin' and Four Wheelin'

Luke did two things this weekend he has not done since he was hurt: go four-wheelin' and go fishin'. Two of his favorite things!! We went up to Payson this weekend and had a blast. We woke up Saturday morning and went and picked wild blackberries. We had to go four wheelin' to get to the blackberries, but it was worth it! Luke picked two and ate them both. He then had fun picking bark off a tree and throwing rocks into a creek. We ate lunch and had a rest. Then my dad asked all the kids, "Who is ready to go fishin'?" Let me tell you, Luke was the first one to raise his hand high in the air, we all cracked up laughing at how fast he responded. Now the place we went fishing to...really wasn't fishing at all, and I can't believe Mike (Mr. Fisherman) even went. On the way home though, he even admitted, that wasn't so bad after all. It was a catch-a-trout pond near the fish hatchery outside Payson. We let every kid catch one fish (because you had to pay about $8 for every fish caught.) Luke had more fun playing with the fish caught in the bucket. He was messing around with a fish in the bucket when he reached in and pulled the fish out...he was SO excited. Everyone at that place heard him hollering and laughing...he had so much fun just grabbing the fish out. I think maybe there is some more fish therapy in his future:) Thanks for your continued support! Please continue prayers for healing and restoration. Believe!

Therapy!

Luke continues to do good in his therapies. We are really working hard on speech. We really need to get his air flow going. He is breathing about 1/3 of what he should be, so we are doing lots of blowing stuff. When he says a word now he has to say it letter by letter, sound by sound, so it takes awhile. His new words are sis and Mike. I have also been showing him flash cards with things on them to get him to say what it is. It is good practice for him making different sounds. We continue to try and get him to say yes or no with his voice instead of with his hand signals...he can sure be stubborn with this sometimes:) In his other therapies he has worked on swinging in a swing, which he seemed to love, but said no when asked if he wanted to do it again? He has also been playing basketball and soccer. He is getting really good at shooting hoops using both hands to hold the ball. Today was his first day trying soccer, kicking the ball, with lots of support, but it is good for his balance having to try to balance on one leg. Thanks for continue to check on Luke...please continue prayers for those eyes to open before Sept. 3rd!! Also, details on the fundraiser for Luke are at the left, online registration is now open at http://www.evsol.org/ Believe!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NLT

Sounds...

Well....I just returned home from being gone for 5 days to the Creative Memories convention in Minnesota. I had a great time, but it is good to be home. The first thing I noticed after being around Luke was that he was making different sounds and had a different sounding laugh. I told Mike and he said he had noticed it too. So yesterday when I took him to therapy, they had me in another room going over paperwork for about 45 minutes of his speech session. When I went back in the therapist commented right away on the sounds he was making. She said he almost did every sound in the alphabet, although some such as oo, u, are harder for him. She was quite impressed though. We definitely need his air flow to come around now. She is ordering a spirometer (who knows if that is spelled right.) This will help us gauge his air flow and give him a visual when he is blowing into something. It is basically a tube he blows into with a ball that moves up to indicate the air flow he is getting. This morning he woke up pretty early. I went over to see what the problem was and he put out his hand to push me away and said, "no." This was the first time he had done something like that.

We also started back at the hyperbaric oxygen this week. We were really worried how he would do, but so far he has done great! Please continue prayers of healing and restoration in our little man...thanks for continuing to check on him:) "Call on me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3