Today was a peaceful sabbath with Raquel. Each hour is over shadowed by worry about the illness in her brain which is preventing her from being her normal, happy, energetic self. We are praying to have more answers and a good action plan tomorrow when we meet with our team of doctors.

Last night I spent the night at our friends’ house with my children. I stayed half the morning, helping my little ones get ready to go to church. And I must admit that this activity is not high ranking on my list of peaceful things to do. Especially with so many needing to take last-minute showers, 🙂 but it was nice to have some moments of normalcy and to be with my children. I was a little sad to miss church, but I listened to a couple talks on the Mormon channel that I felt were perfect for me. Somehow they are already queued up ready to play.

The first was called “If Ye Lack Wisdom,” on how to find truth and answers (which I feel I need right now). The second was on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which did make me a little emotional. Thinking about the possibility of losing Raquel, but knowing that if we do, she will someday have a perfect body and would see us again.

At the Hospital

When I arrived at the hospital, I learned that Raquel was experiencing a couple more little bumps in the road. But we hope these will be resolved soon. Her right lung looks worse in the x-ray and has some fluid in the bottom half. She will go on antibiotics for prevention. And we will be giving her high doses of probiotics and vitamin C to keep her system balanced and strong. They’ve cut back on the pressure that the ventilator provides to her lungs, and she is breathing well on her own still, just a bit fast. We are praying we can get her off the respiratory support soon.

I’ve been rubbing oils on her body consistently, to strengthen her lungs and give support to her brain and body. I am worried about a problem she has in her teeth. I’m praying that we can know how much it is contributing to her illness, and when or if it will be safe to address and resolve it.

I was so happy that our doctor made an exception for the children to come visit Raquel after church. It was so sweet to see them all in her room, singing songs and expressing their love. Isaac even tried to have a staring contest with Raquel. Isaac ended up winning, even though I thought Raquel had strong odds.

Power of Prayer

It was good for them to see what is going on and to know that Raquel is very close to heaven right now. We all stood around her bed, held hands, and shared a family prayer together for her. It is another image that I want to be ingrained in my memory.

When Mike’s brother came to visit this afternoon, Raquel raised her hand to acknowledge him and say hello. She is able to communicate through blinking fairly well, to let us know her comfort level and if she needs pain medication.

We had some other visitors too, dear friends of ours who just lost their daughter exactly one week ago to a rare genetic disease. Her name was Tori Campbell and she was close to Raquel’s age. Raquel was reading Facebook about 10 days ago and reading about how Tori was doing. She hadn’t been very emotional for the past couple months, but when she read about Tori and saw what was going on, she broke down and cried for her. I’ve shed my own share of tears for Tori too. She was a sweet, dear girl. Her dad and sister came to visit this afternoon. They were in good spirits and gave us some happiness. Raquel even shed another tear at their departure.

The Sacrament

A couple priesthood holders from our church came and administered the sacrament to Mike and I. That was nice. And I got a message that several members of Raquel’s cross country team fasted for her today. So sweet! If fact, a week ago today, a good number of some of Raquel’s best friends and what sounded like half the high school, fasted for her. That was before the seizure and hospitalization. It’s those kind of prayers and fasting that pulls down the powers of heaven, and brings miracles. All I can say is THANK YOU!!! To all of you that brought down the power of heaven to us, before we even were in a crisis. And THANK YOU to all of you who continue to pray and fast for her recovery! I’m amazed at the compassion and love you have for us. XOXO